Table of Contents
Click on heading to navigate directly to that section.
Introduction
...3
Section One: Pre-Election Set-Up
...3
Part 1: Preliminary Considerations
...3
Part 2: Managing Electors with Weighted Voting
...3
Part 3: Specifying Elector Vote Weights on the Ballot (if applicable)
...5
Section Two: Post Election Management
...6
Part 1: Checking and Interpreting Results
...6
Simply Voting Weighted Voting Guide v.13 Page 3 of 7
Introduction
“One size fits all” is rarely true when it comes to online elections. Election organizers sometimes need to enhance their basic election with more advanced features like Weighted Voting.
Weighted Voting is a terrific tool which allows election organizers to accommodate shareholder
elections or similar situations by specifying the “number of shares” or “vote weight” for each eligible elector. Election results take the weight of each vote into account and tallies the total vote weights exercised.
Setting up an online election with Weighted Voting is quite like setting up a basic election, as covered in our Election Manager Guide, with just one additional step. This Weighted Voting
Guide will walk you through the extra steps to add Weighted Voting to your election.
If you need a variation of Weighted Voting known as Cumulative Voting, which allows
electors to specify the amount of their vote weight they wish to vote for any given candidates or options, please contact us via the Support Form on our website or give us a call at 1 (800)
585-9694 during business hours.
Section One: Pre-Election Set-Up
Part 1: Preliminary Considerations
The following items, as covered in the Election Manager Guide, are identical regardless of whether Weighted Voting is used or not: Creating an Election, Managing Question
Options, Customizing the Voting Website, Finalizing your election, Scheduling and Sending Email Blasts, and Checking Turnout.
Note: Specifically for Managing Questions, Weighted Voting is not compatible with
questions that employ the Preferential Question Type. Any ballots that include questions defined as Preferential, results for such questions will be handled as if every elector had a vote weight of “1,” regardless of whatever actual value is stored on the elector’s record.
Part 2: Managing Electors with Weighted Voting
After you’ve created your Election, in the Electors section you can start adding eligible
Electors either Manually one by one, or you can Import electors in-full by setting up
and formatting a .CSV file with your elector data in it.
When weighted voting is enabled, you must specify a Vote Weight for each elector. The range from which you may specify an elector’s vote weight is from .000001 to
99999999.999999 (excluding a vote weight of zero).
If you are also running elections that do not technically require the Weighted Voting function, simply set all electors to have a vote weight value of 1 to have results calculated as if no weights were being factored.
Part 2 continued: Managing Electors with Weighted Voting
Note: Invalid vote weights include values that are out the above previously mentioned bounds, or include non-numeric characters. By default the Voting System will attempt to round decimal values outside of the bounds of .000001, if this minimum value can be achieved.
For example, a vote weight specified as .0000006 (one more decimal place than
allowed), will be rounded up to .000001 using normal rounding rules. If normal rounding rules would cause the value to return .000000, then this is determined to be an invalid vote weight and is either ignored upon elector Import or simply cannot be manually
added or edited and saved to this value.
Values that exceed 99999999.999999, such as 123456789, are automatically set to this maximum allowed value.
By default, an elector’s Vote Weight will appear on their Voting Receipt after they have confirmed and submitted their vote.
A properly formatted .CSV file, using a common spreadsheet software, will look like the sample below. Each column corresponds to elector data:
Required - Column 1: Supply a unique Elector ID for every elector. In this sample,
we have only used numbers, but any input may be used.
Optional - Column 2: Supply a Name for every elector.
Optional - Column 3: Supply an Email address for every elector. Required - Column 4: Supply a Vote Weight for every elector.
Note: Additional columns may be needed if you have opted for other Premium Features.
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Part 2 continued: Managing Electors with Weighted Voting
Once you have set up your file with elector data, save it as a .CSV file and import it into Simply Voting from the Electors section.
Upon import completion, a Green Success Message will appear with statistics regarding the recent import. If any issues are found, they will be displayed in the message.
To find more information about how to properly format a .CSV file, please login to your Simply Voting account and refer to the Help Page inside the Election Manager.
Part 3: Specifying Elector Vote Weights on the Ballot (if applicable)
At times, election organizers may wish to specify and inform electors about their specific vote weight for transparency or other reasons.
To do so, you can use a placeholder code in the Description field on the Election
Details page or in the Description field beneath the Edit Question header on the Questions page. This placeholder will be interpreted by the Simply Voting System as a
variable for each unique elector, so each unique elector has their specific vote weight displayed on the ballot if it is used. The placeholder code is: {weight}
Part 3 continued: Specifying Elector Vote Weights on the Ballot (if
applicable)
Below is a sample of a voter who has a vote weight of 23 specified on the Electors page.
Section Two: Post Election Management
Part 1: Checking and Interpreting Results
Results are immediately available for view and download upon the end of an election. To view results, login into your Simply Voting account. Use the yellow highlighted
drop-down menu to navigate to the Results section.
The Results not only show the Turnout out of voting electors, but also the Turnout of vote weights.
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Part 1 continued: Checking and Interpreting Results
This sample election for NOVA’s At-Large Director has one winner. Though 83% of actual voters cast a vote, only 75% of vote weights were cast in this ballot. Hank Green
received the most votes with the most vote weights.
To download your results in a .CSV file to further organize or sort the results data in a common spreadsheet software, click on [Download Raw Results CSV]. Each row in the file is a voter. Vote weights by default are not included
To download a certified results .PDF file with the entire summary of your results as it appears on the Results page, click [Download Certified Results PDF].
Conclusion
This concludes our Weighted Voting Guide.
If you would rather avoid managing an election yourself or if you would rather trust it to online election experts, Simply Voting staff is happy to Fully Manage your election event as a Premium Service. If you would like to inquire about a Fully Managed election, or any of the items below, please contact us via the Support Form on our website or give us a call at
1 (800) 585-9694 during business hours.
