Importing Voters

Table of Contents

Import CSV Template Details. #

The quickest and easiest way to get started with importing voters into an online election is to download the voter import template by clicking here: https://app.choicevoting.co.uk/demo/voters_sample_.csv. This template file is in the CSV (Comma Separated Values) format which can be opened by all popular spreadsheet applications (Excel, Numbers, Google Spreadsheets, etc.). Starting from or using the template file is not required, but Choice Voting will only accept valid CSV files with the first row containing the following columns:

    • voter_name
    • voter_id
    • voter_key
    • voter_email
    • voter_restricted
    • voter_allowed
    • vote_weight

If the first row does not have the above listed columns in the exact order and spelling, then the import will fail.

Column Info / Fields #

Field Column Description
Name voter_name The name field allows you to associate a name with a Voter Identifier. This is for your records and will only be seen by the voter if you choose to add an email address for the voter. This field is required.
Voter Identifier voter_id The Voter Identifier (Voter ID) is the Voter’s “username”. The voter will use this field when logging in to vote for your election. This field is not required, and if left blank a random value will be generated automatically for you. Every voter’s Voter ID must be unique in an election.
Voter Key voter_key The Voter Key is the Voter’s “password”. The voter will use this field when logging in to vote for your election. This field is not required, and if left blank a random value will be generated.
Email voter_email The Email field will be used as a way to notify your voter when the election launches. If provided, the voter will receive an email with voting instructions as soon as your election starts. This field is not required and to be used must be enabled in the election’s settings. (settings > voter)
Restricted voter_restricted It is possible to restrict your voters from certain positions in your election, you may specify as a comma separated string the positions you wish to restrict the voter from.
Allowed voter_allowed An alternative to restricting, is to simply specify the positions the voter is allowed to vote in, and the system will restrict all others for you.
Vote Weight vote_weight The Vote Weight field allows you to assign a weight to the voter’s ballot. If you do not have weighted voting enabled for your election, you can leave this column empty. By default, the voter’s vote weight is 1

How to Import your CSV #

To import a list of voters on a correctly formatted CSV file to an election, follow the steps below:

  1. Click on “Voters” on the election sidebar.
  2. Click on the “Import Voters” button
  3. The “Import Voters” pop up will open and provide instructions for importing a csv file.
  4. Click “Choose File” and select the import file from the device

The import process will display any errors with the import file.

Additional Notes for uploading voters. #

  • Importing a list of voters will append the list to the existing list of voters in the election, unless you select the “Cleanup existing voters” checkbox. For example, importing the same list of voters twice will result in each voter being duplicated. Selecting “Cleanup existing voters” will replace the existing voters with the new uploaded voter csv.
  • The import file must be a valid CSV (comma separated values) file.
  • The default import limit is 30,000 voters. If your election has more than 30,000 eligible voters, please contact support.

Please note the support videos are awaiting an update to show the new import features available, so these are currently for general guidance only.

 

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