How to

Select the Default Election

The default election is election used by the Counter program for processing in-office absentee and early-voting ballots. It applies system-wide. Typically, the nearest upcoming election is selected as the default election.

Note  If multiple elections are scheduled the same day as the default election, Counter users will see a list of those elections from which they can use the one they are working on.

To determine which election is the default election:

1. On the Console, select a tab where the focused election is displayed and click Change Election Focus.

2. On the Select Election dialog, the highlighted election is the default election.

Note  The default election should not be confused with the focused election. The focused election applies to the individual user's workstation, while the default election is system-wide. The focused election is selected by clicking Change Election Focus. All election-specific actions the user performs in Voter Focus are performed against the focused election (except the processing of in-office absentee and early-voting ballots in the Counter program). To select a focused election, users must have the permission ChangeElectionFocus. If not, their focused election is automatically the default election selected for the system.

To define an election as the default election:

1. Verify that the election you want to set as the default is displayed on the Console as the focused election. If not, click Change Election Focus and select it.

2. Take one of these steps:

Go to ELECTIONS > Change Election Status.

or

Go to ELECTIONS > Maintain Election Settings > Election Maintenance. On the Election Maintenance dialog, click Change Status/Default.

3. On the Election Status dialog, click Make Default. The Make Default button's label will change to Default Election.

4. Click Save.

This election will remain the default election until you set a different election as the default.