How to upload ballot papers as Excel files
Import your ballot papers!
- Save time when creating ballot papers
- Simply upload the ballot papers as an Excel file
- You can even import multiple Excel worksheets
With the POLYAS Online Voting Manager you do not necessarily have to set up your ballot papers manually. You can also create your ballot papers in Excel, either individually or in multiple worksheets and upload them by drag and drop. Read more about how to import ballot papers into our Online Voting Manager!
1. Download Excel template
Download the latest Excel template for your ballot papers. To do this, go to the Ballot papers tab, click the gear-wheel icon and then click Import. You will find the template in the blue box of the modal window. The file contains samples for different types of votings and you can use these as a guide.
2. Create ballot papers
You can create each ballot paper for your vote on a separate worksheet in the Excel file. In the Excel table, enter all of the voting rules and other information for the ballot paper, using the identifiers indicated by a # symbol as a help. You can even enter the candidates into the Excel file. Please observe the following general tips:
- Set all of the column headings (e.g. candidate first and last names).
- Give each sheet its own name so that the Online Voting Manager can differentiate between them (e.g. candidate 1, candidate 2, vote, etc.).
- When entering data, please use the #identifiers suggested by us (e.g. #ballot paper, #candidates, etc. -> see template).
3. Meaning of the identifiers within the template
In the following we explain the meaning of the template identifiers. These identifiers are mandatory, your import will fail if there are empty:
- #Ballot paper: Every worksheet must have the identifier #Ballot paper in column 1. The POLYAS Online Voting Manager interprets everything under this identifier as a ballot paper.
- #Candidates: Enter your candidate information.
Optional identifiers:
- #Title: Enter the title of the ballot paper into this field.
- #Text above: Enter informational text for your voters that will appear at the head of the ballot paper.
- #Text below: Enter informational text for your voters that will appear at the foot of the ballot paper.
- #Ballot paper index: Here you can set the order of the ballot papers. For example, enter 3 if you want the ballot paper to be the third to appear during the poll.
- #Min. votes on ballot paper: Here you enter the minimum number of votes that a voter has to cast on the ballot. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 0.
- #Max. votes on ballot paper: Here you enter the maximum number of votes that a voter may cast on the ballot. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 1.
- #Show Invalid vote option: Specify here whether eligible voters should see a checkbox where they can explicitly mark their ballot paper as invalid. Enter “TRUE” if the checkbox should be displayed and enter “FALSE” if the checkbox should not appear. If you make no entry here, the system assumes the default “TRUE”.
- #Voter groups: Here you can indicate the groups of voters who can see and fill out this ballot paper during the poll.
- #List name: If you are conducting a closed list election or you wish to specify a full list of candidates, you can enter the name of the electoral list here.
- #Show list name: Here you can choose whether the list name should be displayed on the ballot paper. Enter “TRUE” if the list name should be displayed and enter “FALSE” if the list name should not appear. If you enter nothing here, no list name will be displayed.
- #Show column headings: Use this line to specify whether the column headings should be displayed on the candidate table or the electoral list.. Enter “TRUE” if the column heading should be displayed and enter “FALSE” if the column heading should not appear. If you enter nothing here, the column header will not be displayed.
- #List identification: You can enter an abbreviation for the electoral list here.
- #Max. votes for list: Enter the maximum number of votes a voter can cast for a list. The votes for a list are those votes that a voter can cast for the entire electoral list. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 1.
- #Min. votes for list: Enter here the minimum number of votes a voter must cast for a list. The votes for a list are those votes that a voter can cast for the entire electoral list. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 0.
- #Max. votes per list: Enter the maximum number of votes a voter can cast per list. The number of votes per list is the sum of the number of votes a voter can give to each listed candidate and the number of votes he or she can cast on the list as a whole. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 1.
- #Min. votes per list: Enter here the minimum number of votes a voter must cast per list. The number of votes per list is the sum of the number of votes a voter can give to each listed candidate and the number of votes he or she can cast on the list as a whole. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 0.
- #Max. votes per candidate: Enter the maximum number of votes a voter can give per candidate / voting option / per line of the ballot paper. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 1.
- #Min. votes per candidate: Enter the minimum number of votes a voter can give per candidate / voting option / per line of the ballot paper. If you leave this field empty, the system assumes the default value 0.
- #Ignore worksheet: Enter this identifier if you do not wish to import a worksheet into the Online Voting Manager.
- ##: Enter two hash characters at the beginning of a line in the worksheet if this line should not be imported into the Online Voting Manager
4. Upload ballot papers
Simply drag & drop the finished ballot papers onto the modal window to load them to the Online Voting Manager. Finally click on “Save”.
