Importing candidate proposals as an Excel file
- Save time creating candidate proposals
- Simply drag and drop the Excel file to upload it
- Create multiple nominations in one document
If you wish to create a candidate proposal for your nomination, you don’t have to do it manually. The POLYAS Online Voting Manager offers drag-and-drop as a way to upload candidate proposals that were created in Excel. Find out here how to import candidate proposals.
1. Download template
Use our Excel template to create candidate proposals. The download link for this is located in the POLYAS Online Voting Manager in your nomination project under the tab “Nomination”. Click here on the sub-item “Import and export”. You will find the template in the blue box. It contains explanations of the different identifiers in the Excel nomination, along with some examples.
2. Create a candidate proposal
The Excel template already offers you some example nominations that you can overwrite or adapt. You can also copy and/or re-order the existing worksheets with the (modified) example nominations. Alternatively, you can create your own new nomination. To do this, open a new worksheet.
POLYAS tip: Read the information sheet first. This is the first sheet in the template.
Before you get started, you should have rules for the nominations and all of the text that should appear on your nomination ready and to hand.
Every nomination must contain the identifier #Ballot paper in the top left cell (e.g. A1 or B2). The POLYAS Online Voting Manager recognizes everything that follows to be the content of the nomination. This may be additional information such as the title of your nomination, the type of nomination and other settings for the nomination.
3. Meaning of the identifier
All identifiers are identified by a preceding # symbol. They are in the same column of your Excel file as #Ballot paper.
Above it under #Ballot paper there is a block of identifiers with general settings, and at least one line below that is a block with the identifier #Candidates containing settings for formatting the table used to enter the candidates.
The following optional identifiers under #Ballot paper can be used in every nomination, regardless of the nomination type and the booked features:
- #Title (title of your nomination)
- #Text above (text above in the nomination)
- #Text below (text below in the nomination)
- #Ballot paper type (type of nomination)
Note: Nomination by another allows nominators to propose another person for a position or a committee. In the case of self-nomination, they can propose themselves for the office. In the case of list nominations, nominators submit proposal lists. The number of candidates on the lists is fixed.
The following optional identifiers can only be used for certain types of nominations self-nomination, nomination by another, or list nomination):
Under #Ballot paper:
- #Allow substitute nomination (for self-nomination only; allows substitutes to be named)
- #List manager (for list nominations only; nominators can specify a list manager)
- #Min. candidates (for list nomination only; minimum number of candidates to specify)
- #Max. candidates (for list nomination only; maximum number of candidates to specify)
Under #Candidates:
- #Show list title (for list nominations only; nominators can specify list names)
- #Show column title (for nomination by another or list nomination only; display of column titles)
- In a row below this, insert the column headings that your nominators should fill out for the nomination (e.g. first name, surname; these can be concealed self- and list nominations; cannot be used in conjunction with the “Searchable candidate list” feature)
POLYAS tip: If one of these columns should be marked as compulsory, insert a * in front of the column title (e.g. *Name).
The following optional identifiers under #Ballot paper can be used in your nomination if you have booked certain features:
File upload during nomination:
- #Allow candidate upload (file upload at candidate level)
- #Allow list upload (file upload at list level)
Voter groups:
- #Votergroup (identifier of your voter groups)
4. The correct answer option/configuration options
Once you have chosen the identifier for your nomination, you now have to enter the individual setting into the nomination – your answer options. You store these in the column directly to the right of the corresponding identifier.
An example: You entered #Title into column A. In column B you enter the title that you want to give your nomination, e.g. “Nomination for committee XY”.
Under “Answer options” in the information sheet, you will find information about how these have to look in order for the POLYAS Online Voting Manager to read them. In general, the following answers are available:
- Free text = Enter any text here
- Parameter FALSE/TRUE or FALSE/TRUE/OPTIONAL = Here you specify whether the setting is enabled (TRUE), disabled (FALSE) or enabled as an option (OPTIONAL)
- Numerical value = Here you enter a whole number, e.g. the desired minimum number of votes
- OPEN/SELF/LIST = This answer option belongs to the identifier #Ballot paper type. OPEN = nomination by another, SELF = self-nomination, LIST = list nomination
Note: Nomination by another allows nominators to propose another person for a position or a committee. In the case of self-nomination, they can propose themselves for the office. In the case of list nominations, nominators submit proposal lists. The number of candidates on the lists is fixed.
5. Upload Excel file
Once completed, you can upload the nominations to the Online Voting Manager using drag and drop under Nominations/Import and export. You then see the uploaded nominations with further information in a table. Should you have made a mistake in your Excel nomination, it will be marked here in red. You can download the faulty file with notes at the appropriate cells in the worksheet. Then click on the green “Save” button. The candidate proposals now appear in an overview on the left-hand side of the screen.
