A checklist for success!

1. Ensure your data is up to date. 
2. Uploaded files should be processed at a recommended 2 weeks in advance.
3. Make sure all members of the user group(s) associated with your standing contains only those who are eligible to vote (for those standings).  (This can be verified by using the functionally to download a CSV file within a usergroup).
4. Make sure you view the elections support materials.
5. Aim to only have one election by using the categories and positions feature.
6. Make sure you have verified all your candidates, as you cannot add more once the election is open.
7. Make sure you have the correct User Group restriction and settings (such as RON, spoil ballot, fast track tick box) before an election is live, as they can’t be edited after.
8. While uploading correct members using user group upload functionality make sure to check the check box “Add to evoting”.
9. Beware that once an election is open you cannot do the following:
   1. You cannot end the election earlier than the set finish date/time.
   2. You can only extend the election.
   3. You cannot change candidate names so be careful when adding.
   4. If you disqualify a candidate it is irreversible.
   5. You cannot remove a User Group from being eligible to vote (but you can add additional ones).
   6. OneVoice Digital cannot reopen a closed election
   7. OneVoice Digital cannot remove ballots from the system (If a situation like this does arise, we need approval from the deputy returning officer).  
10. The Direct URL for your election is totum.vote/your-union-URL (If you are unsure about this, get in touch). 
11. Email campaign function can be used to send targeted emails to dynamic user groups (e.g. to target students who did not vote in the current election and to encourage them to vote). 
12. Fast Track – Option to turn off registration questions by requesting via Zendesk to temporary ‘activate’ all users during the election period (Temporary activation is available for SSO enabled unions). And to revert the change after an election has closed. This way, a fast-track email link will take the user directly to the voting page. We would recommend a request to be made at least 5 working days in advance.  
13. One fast track email can be sent per day, if you require to send more than one in one day, please contact Zendesk/support desk.
14. Ways to increase turnout:
    1. Create some ballot stations (remember to sign out / clear cache when using SSO)
    2. Marketing around campus
    3. Managing / changing the configuration of the student login screen
    4. Increasing candidates per standing

Self-Nominations

1. Ensure you check the ‘Save as draft’ checkbox while configuring an election when using self-nomination (This is to ensure that self-nomination is not visible at the student side in case the admin still needs to configure/change settings for self-nomination). The ‘Save as draft’ option should be unchecked once the configuration is completed for self-nomination.
2. Ensure that the self-nomination start date and nomination end date is not greater than the election start date.
3. Admin cannot approve a nomination once the election is open (Admin can still reject the nomination once an election is open by giving a valid reason)
4. Ensure to check the standing state for all the standings at least 2 days before the election is about to open (The election won’t be open even if one of the standings is in pending state)
5. If a specific user group is allowed to nominate for a standing and the admin has received and APPROVED a nomination for it, ensure as a good practice that the user group is not removed from the configuration; on removal of the user group the nominations related to that specific user group will still be a part of the election.
6. Once the ‘Allow self-nomination for this standing’ option has been checked and nominations are received for a standing, ensure as a good practice that the option stays checked. If the option is unchecked, the approved nomination will still be a part of the system. If the admin still doesn’t want self-nomination for that standing then instead of un-checking the option he/she can change the nomination end date to current date time.
7. Once a nomination has been approved, the admin can still remove that specific candidate from the edit standing page. Once removed, the student can resubmit his/her nomination from their ‘My account page’ until the nomination end date is reached.