Create a ballot mailing list

Overview

The goal of the ballot mailing procedure is to make sure that every current voting member has an opportunity to vote.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to achieve this goal using Wild Apricot saved searches because a search that reverses the "subscribed to emailings" setting used in the Ballots by Email search does not return a complete list.

Therefore, the following procedure should be used to create a list of those who will be mailed paper ballots.

Steps for creating a ballot mailing list

1. Generate an Excel file of all current voting members.
   1. In Wild Apricot, run the saved search named Voting members..Make a note of the count.
   2. Export the results to XML (Excel 2007+) , selecting fields to export as for any mailing list. 
   3. Save the exported file on your local computer, then rename it to something useful such as ASURA Voting Members.
2. Generate an Excel file of email voters.
   1. In Wild apricot, run the saved search named Ballots by Email. Make a note of the count.
   2. Export the results to  XML (Excel 2007+) with the same fields as in the previous step.
   3. Save the exported file on your local computer, then rename it to something useful  such as ASURA Email Voters.
3. Compare the two lists to find and delete duplicates.
   1. Open both of the saved spreadsheets and enable editing on both of them.
   2. Copy all of the entries from the Email Voters file to the bottom of the Voting Members file. Note: You can select all data in a spreadsheet by pressing Ctl+A. Delete the header row of the Email Voters file.
   3. Select Column A (User ID) of the combined spreadshett.
   4. Go to the "Home" tab and click "Conditional Formatting - Highlight Cells Rules - Duplicate Values". Leave the highlighting selection as is (red) or choose something you like better.
   5. Sort the spreadsheet to get all of the non-duplicates at the top. To do this, select Column A (User ID), then on the Data tab click on Sort, and Expand selection. In the Sort dialog box that comes up, set "Sort by" to User ID, "Sort On" to Cell Color, and "Order" to "No Cell Color On Top". Click OK.
   6. Scroll to the first row that has a red User ID. Select (drag down) all rows that are completely blank (there might be one of these above the first red row) or that have a red User ID. Delete the selection. 
   7. You should now have the set of people who are not receiving email ballots. To test, add the number of rows in this selection to the number of people receiving email ballot notices (noted in step 2a). The result should be the total number of voting members (noted in 1a). If it isn't, check your steps and redo as necessary.
4. Save the file you have created.
   
   This is the list to use for mailing ballots by post. Name it something useful such as ASURA Ballots by Mail.

Updated 13 Feb 2025 by Connie McNeill