Contest Data Tab
The Contest Data tab allows administrators to manage core settings and configurations for a specific contest within an Election. Many elements mirror those in the Election Event Data tab, adapted for contest-specific context. Below are the primary sections and details.
Sections Overview
- General: Basic details and multilingual naming.
- Ballot Voting System: Configuration for different voting systems (work in progress).
- Ballot Design: Display and behavior settings for ballot presentation.
- Page Name: Controls grouping of contests on voting pages.
- Image: Upload an image/icon for this contest.
- Advanced Configuration: Import custom configuration files for specialized behavior.
General
Configure fundamental details and multilingual names for this contest.
- Contest Name
- Enter the official name.
- Support for multiple languages if Election is multilingual.
- Alias (optional)
- System-only display alias in side menus or internal references.
- Description (optional)
- Brief description or instructions shown to administrators; may appear in tooltips or help texts if implemented.
- Languages Tabs
- If the Election supports multiple languages, configure how this contest’s name/description appears per language.
Ballot Voting System (WIP)
Placeholder for selecting or configuring the voting system/mechanism used by this contest.
(Currently under development; details to be added once multiple voting systems support is available.)
Ballot Design
Manage how the ballot for this contest is displayed and how voters interact with it.
Display Settings & Alerts
- Is acclaimed
- Indicates that the winner is already determined.
- Voters can view the result but cannot cast a vote.
- Under-Vote Alert
- Show a warning if a voter selects fewer than the minimum required options.
- Over-Vote Alert
- Show a warning if a voter selects more than the allowed number of options.
- Winning Candidates Number
- Specify how many candidates can win this contest.
- Candidate Order
- Determine display order:
- Random
- Alphabetical
- Custom (when selected, enable manual reordering).
- Determine display order:
Edit Lists & Selection Types
- Enable Checkable Lists
- Allow grouping candidates into lists or combined list-candidate selections.
- When enabled, configure list-based voting behavior.
- Max Selections Per Type
- Define maximum selections for each candidate/list type.
- Example: Maximum of 2 individual candidates and 1 list selection.
Policies
Define voter behavior rules and system responses in various voting scenarios. For each policy type below, choose one of the options:
- Allowed: Voter may submit without warning.
- Warn: Voter may submit but receives warning(s).
- Warn in Review (if available): Warning appears only during review phase.
- Warn and Alert: Warning appears and a confirmation dialog forces acknowledgement.
- Not Allowed: Voter cannot submit; may include warning/alert before blocking.
Under Vote Policy
When voter selects fewer options than the minimum required:
- Allowed: Submit without warning.
- Warn: Warning during ballot and review phases.
- Warn in Review: Warning only in review phase.
- Warn and Alert: Warning during ballot; confirmation required to proceed.
Over Vote Policy
When voter selects more options than allowed:
- Allowed: Submit without warning.
- Warn: Warning during ballot and review phases.
- Warn and Alert: Warning during ballot; confirmation required to proceed.
- Not Allowed with Warn and Alert: Voter cannot submit; warning appears.
- Not Allowed with Warning and Selection Lock: Warning appears and prevents extra selections.
Invalid Vote Policy
When voter selection is invalid (e.g., null vote or too many selections):
- Allowed: Submit without warning.
- Warn: Warning during ballot and review phases.
- Warn Implicit and Explicit: Warning for explicitly invalid (null/spoiled) and implicitly invalid (e.g., too many).
- Not Allowed: Cannot submit if invalid options selected.
Blank Vote Policy
When voter selects blank vote option:
- Allowed: Submit without warning.
- Warn: Warning during ballot and review phases.
- Warn in Review: Warning only in review phase.
- Not Allowed: Cannot submit blank ballot.
Page Name
- Define Page Name
- Contests sharing the same page name will be grouped and displayed on the same voting page.
- Contests without a page name appear on their own page by default.
- Usage
- Helps organize multi-contest ballots to reduce navigation steps for voters.
Image
Upload an image or icon representing this contest (e.g., logo, symbol).
- Upload
- Drag and drop a PNG (or supported format) file.
- Preview
- The system displays a preview after upload.
- Usage
- May appear in voter-facing ballot UI or administration screens.
Advanced Configuration
Import or upload a custom configuration file for specialized contest behavior.
- Upload Configuration
- Drag and drop a configuration file (JSON/YAML or system-specific format).
- Applies settings such as custom validation rules, extended metadata, or integrations.
- Example Use Cases
- Custom ballot behavior not covered by default options.
- Integration with external systems or specialized auditing tools.
Notes & Tips
- Many settings mirror those in the Election Event Data tab; apply similar workflows where applicable.
- Changes take effect immediately or on next publication, depending on system design.
- Validate policy combinations to avoid conflicting rules (e.g., a policy cannot be both “Allowed” and “Not Allowed”).
- Ensure that “Is acclaimed” is only enabled once the contest outcome is determined, to prevent accidental closure of voting.
- For multilingual elections, verify translations of contest names and alerts.