About
Elexpert
You can cast a
test vote on a
real Elexpert system right now. (we are reloading the demo system
today...should return after lunch EST)
Here is how our hosted service works:
-
Preparation: We make election data preparation easy! You
only need to email us a list of ballot items/races and the candidates for each
ballot item. If there are any survey or referendum type issues, we also need
the text of those along with the list of answers/selectable values.
You also need to submit a list of voter data and that can be in most any format
your information technology staff cares to use...we often get the voter data in
Excel sheets, comma delimited lists, Access databases, etc. and we go out of our
way to accomodate whatever voter data format works best for you and your IT
staff.
If every voter is allowed to vote for every ballot item then all you need to
submit is some sort of Voter ID and some sort of Voter Password. It is very
important that sensitive or identifying data not be used for these values. We
have lots of experience helping schools come up with good ideas for creating
the Voter ID and Voter Password and we are happy to share our experiences with
you.
If your ballots are divided up by things like class level, residence code,
major, college, or anything else we will work with you to determine the exact
information required for each voter. The Elexpert system always generates a
unique ballot for each voter whether the ballot is divided or not...that is the
magic of the Elexpert system. Complex ballots are never a problem for the
Elexpert system.
-
Before election: We setup your entire election for you
based on the information you provide. The system has a secure web based
election manager and some schools are now using that interface to configure
their own elections but most of our customers prefer to have this done for them
and we do not charge for this service.
Like any computer system interface, the Elexpert Election Manager application does require
some training time so most schools prefer to have us do the configuration for
them. The thing to remember is we give you the option at no additional cost.
-
Post election: Immediately after closing, your election
commissioner has access to a protected site providing preliminary results. This
is the same online system manager application described above. Your election
data is compiled into an Excel sheet and mailed back to our contact at your
school.
How does this compare with other election providers?
-
Some providers fail to deliver a true
internet election. They force voters to download non-internet applications such
as Macromedia Flash programs that require the voter to download software just to
vote. With Elexpert, your voters only need a standard web browser supporting
JavaScript.
-
Other providers go to great lengths
trying to make their solution look like a low-tech voting machine. Elexpert
looks and works like an efficient internet application. The Elexpert voter
interface is designed to be simple, fast, clean and easy to understand.
The online voter typically does not receive training on the voting interface so
our screens are easy to follow and contain absolutely no advertisements or
unnecessary graphic elements.
-
Some vendors require that you send student record
information. This could be in violation of the Family Educational Right to
Privacy Act (FERPA). Elexpert is FERPA compliant and requires
no student record information. We will not accept FERPA/student
educational record data. If non compliant data is sent to Elexpert, we
simply return that data and
then help build compliant replacement data should any sensitive or identifying
data be submitted for an election.