How to…use ElectorCountLite to run a BID or Neighbourhood Planning Referendum
Elector8 & ElectorCountLite
Training and Instruction Document
“How to” run a BID or Neighbourhood
Planning Referendum
Version Control
Version No. / Author / Change Details / Date1.0.0 / S Verdon / Initial Version of Elector8 Manual / April 2016
© 2015 Not to be reproduced without the written permission of Democracy Counts
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How to guide
Foreword
Elector8 helps the user manage the Electoral Roll and the electoral process, which are all based upon Polling Districts.
Localism has introduced the requirement to be able to consider referenda that do not confirm to traditional Polling District boundaries or includes business voters, which do not exist on the residential electoral roll.
Democracy Counts has solved this problem in Elector8 by creating a wizard – the ElectorCountOnline Wizard, which allows the user to select residential properties that may then be exported to ElectorCountLite, a separate product from Democracy Counts that isn’t constrained by polling districts. Elector8 can be used to carry out basic functions such as notice production.
ElectorCountLite allows the user to conduct the issue and scanned return of the ballot papers in order to produce a clear result. It supports online elections using either telephone or internet. It has the same multi-channel communication options as Elector8 and uses its own version of the Outbound Template Manager as elector to send letter, email and sms.
Setting Up A Neighbourhood Planning Referendum or BID
An Election should be set up in the normal manner using the New Election Wizard. The polling plan isn’t really useful in this type of Election as the users definite their own polling station and count location for these elections.
First time users should ensure that that:
1. This election is set as being “in use” (in System > Manage Election Type)
2. There is a Neighbourhood Planning Electoral Area set up (in Elections > Electoral Area)
3. All polling districts should be mapped (Addressing > Polling Districts & Electoral Areas)
On running Wizards > ElectorCountOnline Wizard, the user is asked to select the election type that is set up.
They are then presented with the ability to select, whole properties, who street or individual properties to select any area.
NB – these area are currently NOT saved and so leaving the wizard would mean starting this process again (an enhancement request is recorded).
The user is shown the number of properties that have been selected.
On pressing next, the electors that relate to these properties are shown.
The data can be exported in a format that can be imported into ElectorCountLite.
ElectorCountLite
Importing your data
Depending on the data layout that you have, you may need to adjust this before importing to match the expected file layout.
To import the data in ElectorCountLite, go to Wizards > Elector Import Wizard
Once your data is imported. You have a number of options. Set up communication in the normal way in Communications > Outbound Template Manager. Right click on the selected elector records and produce the relevant communications. Relevant reports can be ran using Planning & Reporting > Manage Reports.
You may wish to scan your Declaration of Identity/Postal Voting Statement on return in order to mark your register. The barcode that should be used is called “DOIBarcode”. This is scanned with a handheld barcode scanner (or typed) into the Communication > Scan DOI
You may scan your ballot papers which records the “Yes and No” received. You do this by scanning the BP barcode into Communications > Scan Ballot Papers
Getting Help
01925 320 888 Option 2
© 2015 Not to be reproduced without the written permission of Democracy Counts
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