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BALLOT_DATA.md

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Ballot Data

This section describes that parts of EML 410 that are supported by RBM.

This section uses XPath conventions to make reference to various data points used in the ballot dataset.

Generating ballot data is a prerequisite to generating ballot styles. Ballot data can be packaged using one or more EML 410 packets. The EML 410 packet format was developed as part of the 1622-2011 - IEEE Standard for Electronic Distribution of Blank Ballots for Voting Systems. Examples of ballot data are available under /xml/.

The following sections describe various parts of the ballot, and what data is required to define them.

Ballot

The RBM is initially bound to /EML/Ballots/Ballot[0] node of the dataset. If more than one Ballot is defined, only the first one will be rendered.

The only item bound to the RBM that is general to the ballot is the Precinct {Name}, which is bound to BallotIdentifier/BallotName.

Contests

The following items are bound to the RBM:

  • ContestIdentifier/@IdNumber
  • ContestIdentifier/ContestName
  • HowToVote/Message[1]
  • MaxVotes
  • Messages[1]/Message[1]
  • BallotChoices (partially, see below)

Headers

All contests have a header. RBM provides three header section templates:

  • Default Contest Header
  • Ballot Measure Contest Header
  • Instruction Contest Header

Default Contest Header

The default contest header is used when no other header applies. It consists of:

{RaceName}
Vote for not more than {MaxSelections}

With {RaceName} bound to ContestIdentifier/ContestName and {MaxSelections} bound to MaxVotes

The text appearing in contest headers can be customized. See Localization.

The default template also includes an undervote helper. For details on its functionality, see Undervote Helper.

Ballot Measure Contest Header

The ballot measure contest header is used for all ballot measures. It consists of:

{RaceName}
{Instructions}
{QuestionBody}

With {RaceName} bound to ContestIdentifier/ContestName, {Instructions} bound to HowToVote/Message[1], and {QuestionBody} bound to Messages/Message[@Type = MeasureText][1]

Instruction Contest Header

Finally, the instruction contest header is used for any non ballot measure that wishes to provide custom instruction text. It consists of:

{RaceName}
{Instructions}

With {RaceName} bound to ContestIdentifier/ContestName and {Instructions} bound to HowToVote/Message[1].

Representing Candidate Contests

Candidate contest options are represented under BallotChoices.

The following items are bound to the RBM:

  • AffiliationIdentifier/RegisteredName
  • CandidateIdentifier/IdNumber
  • CandidateFullName/NameElement[1]
  • WriteInCandidate (see below)

The default template will display the party name (RegisteredName) under the candidate's name, if provided.

Write-In Contest Options

A write-in contest option is generated once per emission of the WriteInCandidate element.

MaxWriteIn is not used by the RBM to determine the number of write-ins to generate. However, an upstream system can use that element to determine how many WriteInCandidate elements to generate.

Representing Ballot Measure Contests

Ballot measures consist of the ballot measure text (addressed under Ballot Measure Contest Header), and a number of contest options to allow a response to be recorded.

The following items are bound to the RBM:

  • ProposalItem/ReferendumOptionIdentifier
  • ProposalItem/SelectionText

Voting Methods

RBM supports two voting methods, n-of-m and Rank Choice Voting (RCV). The EML 410 schema refers to these two methods as FPP and IRV, respectively. A VotingMethod must be specified for every Contest.

Order and Rotation

EML 410 provides a number of attributes and elements to store ordering data. However, the Remote Ballot Marker (RBM) always renders the ballot following reading order (i.e. the order elements appear in the file). Use of structures like DisplayOrder or Rotation are not prohibited - however, it is expected that a upstream system will use these attributes to transform the EML 410 instance into the proper reading order.

Considerations for Selections Ballot Record

The Selections Ballot Record (SBR) consists of only the selections made by the voter. Each contest is tracked using the ContestIdentifier/IdNumber. Likewise, it uses the CandidateIdentifier/IdNumber for candidate contests, ProposalItem/ReferendumOptionIdentifier for ballot measure contests, and WriteInIdentifier/IdNumber for write-ins. The default encoding of the transcription barcode is based on a condensed version of the SBR. Thus, it is important that these codes are unique within a Ballot.