Last Update: July 02, 2015 |
About
FlexRep (Flexible Reports) is a reporting and database query tool that lets you quickly extract voter information from your county database. With FlexRep, you can easily build customized recipient lists for mailouts and you can respond to public-records requests more efficiently.
FlexRep can be accessed quickly from REPORTING > Flexible Reports.
For reports and extracts you run frequently, you can save the search criteria as a FlexRep specification file (.FLX) and call up the file any time you want to use those search criteria to extract data.
Explore the additional details below for more information on Flexible Reports:
Ideas for Using Flexible Reports
When you start FlexRep, you'll see a menu of options for building the output you want to create. All you do is select the appropriate options and then click Run FlexRep to produce the output.
For detailed information about the different controls on this dialog, click on the area or button of interest to you.
Editable Snagit file saved to Graphics folder for future edits.
The selections for reports and export files you create repeatedly can be saved to disk and recalled easily for the next run.
After making your selections, click Save in the icon bar and save the FlexRep specification with the extension .FLX.
To reuse the specification, click Find in the icon bar, navigate to the FLX file you want, and open it. The settings on the FlexRep dialog will be reset to those in the specification file. Then you simply click Run FlexRep to extract the data.
It is capable of producing several forms of output:
Lists of voters in Crystal Reports format, which appear on your screen. These outputs can be printed off as hard copies, or they can be exported to a file for further manipulation or for delivery to the requesting body.
Mailing labels, which also appear onscreen in Crystal Reports format. The labels are designed for Avery 5161 (4" x 1" laser labels, 2-up) label sheets. They can be printed directly to a laser printer or saved to a file. If you need to reposition where the output prints on mailing labels, adjust the margins.
Recipient lists for Microsoft Word mail-merge documents. Such documents can be any type of mail-merge document, from letters, notices, and forms to mailing labels and voter ID cards. The documents can be printed directly from FlexRep or they can be scheduled for printing later from the PRINTING tab. If you print them from FlexRep, you will have the option of updating voter records with an entry that the document was sent to them.
Comma-delimited text (TXT) files that can be used as reports for internal use or delivered to a requesting body. These files are also designed for export to a commercial printing company for the production of sample ballets, voter ID cards, and the like. A standard field layout is used to create these files, although not all outputs use all fields in the layout. For example, the Text File with Voting History option uses the voting-history fields, while the other output options do not.
You can ask FlexRep to compress these export files in ZIP format and create a matching work file in TXT format, so you can examine the output without having to unzip the primary file.
Files can be saved to hard disk and to portable media such as USB drives, floppies, and pre-formatted CDs.
In addition to the TXT or ZIP file, FlexRep also creates a document called an Export Report listing the search criteria for the output and the number of records processed. The Export Report is output to your Windows default printer.
No audit or communication update is made to voter records when a voter is included in an export file to a commercial printer.
FlexRep only extracts information from the database as it exists today. You cannot go back in time to resurrect data that no longer exists. For example, because voters can change their party, you cannot create a list of Republicans who voted in, say, the 2004 general election. You can only find those voters who voted in the 2004 election and whose party affiliation today is Republican.
Protected voters are included in FlexRep outputs, but their street address and birth date are replaced by asterisks and PROTECTED.
After you have run an output that appears in the Crystal Report viewer, you must close the report before running another Crystal report from FlexRep. If you need more than one Crystal Report viewer open at a time, you should run multiple copies of FlexRep. But be aware that you can run out of memory if you have too many reports open.
After creating a report or other output, if you want to create another output with different criteria during the same FlexRep session, it's a good idea to reset the search settings to the defaults—to start from scratch. To do this, click Cancel on the FlexRep menu dialog; then restart FlexRep.
Note Doing a File > New operation from the menu bar does not reset all the defaults, so we do not recommend this as a way to start creation of a new output.
FlexRep does not update voter records with either an audit or a communication record. For example, if you use FlexRep to create mailing labels for a mass mailing, the voters' records are not updated to reflect that the mailing was sent to them. This is different from the Notices Queue, where a record is made of every notice scheduled and printed for a voter.
Voter email addresses can be made available to candidates and political parties, but they are exempt from public records requests by other parties. When creating a report or export file in response to a public records request, you should remove the email addresses from the report/export file before releasing it to the requestor.
Create a File of Voters and Their Voting History
Create Voter Labels for Parties or Candidates
Create a Walking List for a Candidate or Committee
Create a List of Fed Elections Only Voters
Schedule Voter Cards for a Group of Voters
Send a Notice of Elections to Permanent Absentees