Revision history for DataEntry
Additions:
If the name of an endorsed candidate is missing, make a note in the CEC tracking sheet under the "missing candidate" column. Staff should notify and talk with the elections department. It is possible that missing candidates can be entered at a later date.
To double check what statewide offices we cover go to [[StatewideCoverage]]
To double check what statewide offices we cover go to [[StatewideCoverage]]
Deletions:
Additions:
Back to [[RatingsGuide|SIGs Guide]]
Additions:
>>{{{toc title="Index" levels="h3", "h4", "h5"}}}>>::c::
Deletions:
Additions:
>>{{{toc title="Index" levels="h3", "h4", "h5"}}}>>
Deletions:
Additions:
>>{{{toc title="Index" levels="h3", "h4", "h5"}}}>>::c::
- "Numeric (0-100)"= scorecards with 0-100 scales
- "Grade"= scorecards with a specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
- "Rating String"= scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols without providing a final score. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
- "Open"= all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems.
**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**
These should be as relevant as possible. In most cases, the rating or endorsement will be categorized in the same way as the SIG that produced the rating or endorsement. However, there may be times where the cats should be different. If you come across a case like this, please talk to your supervisor.
Tags are based off the legislation used for the scorecard. Try to limit to one tag per piece of legislation. Try to tag the name of the legislation. If the bill name is not already a tag, tag the most relevant concept that the SIG focuses on. Tag appropriations and omnibus bills should be tagged with a specific topic. Remember to stay non-partisan. If you have questions see [[CategoryPolicies|tagging policies]] or talk to the tags manager.
A "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
Record completed work in CEC Tracking sheet. See SIGsDocumentation for any questions.
Manual entry can be inefficient for older scorecards. Older ratings can be uploaded using the harvester. For information on uploading ratings, read about the [[RatingsBulkImport|harvester]]
- "Numeric (0-100)"= scorecards with 0-100 scales
- "Grade"= scorecards with a specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
- "Rating String"= scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols without providing a final score. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
- "Open"= all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems.
**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**
These should be as relevant as possible. In most cases, the rating or endorsement will be categorized in the same way as the SIG that produced the rating or endorsement. However, there may be times where the cats should be different. If you come across a case like this, please talk to your supervisor.
Tags are based off the legislation used for the scorecard. Try to limit to one tag per piece of legislation. Try to tag the name of the legislation. If the bill name is not already a tag, tag the most relevant concept that the SIG focuses on. Tag appropriations and omnibus bills should be tagged with a specific topic. Remember to stay non-partisan. If you have questions see [[CategoryPolicies|tagging policies]] or talk to the tags manager.
A "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
Record completed work in CEC Tracking sheet. See SIGsDocumentation for any questions.
Manual entry can be inefficient for older scorecards. Older ratings can be uploaded using the harvester. For information on uploading ratings, read about the [[RatingsBulkImport|harvester]]
Deletions:
- "Grade" = scorecards with a specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
- "Rating String" = scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols without providing a final score. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
- "Open" = all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems.
**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**
These should be as relevant as possible. In most cases, the rating or endorsement will be categorized and/or tagged in the same way as the SIG that produced the rating or endorsement. However, there may be times where the cats and/or tags should be different. If you come across a case like this, please talk to your supervisor.
A "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
Record completed work in CEC Tracking sheet. See SIGsDocumentation for any question.
Additions:
- If the rating evaluates politicians on a set of issues that do not fully align with or is a subset of the organization's interests, then rating "Name" is used to provide the needed specificity. If the SIG's language is used, the text should be put in quotation marks. An example would be National Journal, a SIG that rates politicians on several separate dimensions and also takes no stance on issues: "Liberal on Foreign Policy".
- "Grade" = scorecards with a specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
For endorsements, you need to select the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered in a drop-down menu by year and type of election (congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial). For example: "Alabama Congressional 2016".
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidate's name.
If for some reason, the name of an endorsed candidate doesn't show up, make a note in the CEC tracking sheet under the "missing candidate" column. Staff should notify and talk with the elections department. It is possible that missing candidates can be entered at a later date.
++If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.++
++- * Special interest groups might release endorsements for an individual that isn't a registered candidate according to the Secretary of State, but who has held public office. In this case, we will take the endorsement by finding the individual in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. Select their name from the roster of the most recent election in which they ran for the office being endorsed.++
- Use the drop-down menu to sort SIGs.
- Use "National" (in the drop-down) for groups that rate Congress.
- It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop-down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.
- You can also use Control-F to search for words within the name of a SIG. Example: hit "ctrl-f" then type "Sierra." You should find the Sierra Club.
- Enter all the content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory.
- "Grade" = scorecards with a specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
For endorsements, you need to select the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered in a drop-down menu by year and type of election (congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial). For example: "Alabama Congressional 2016".
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidate's name.
If for some reason, the name of an endorsed candidate doesn't show up, make a note in the CEC tracking sheet under the "missing candidate" column. Staff should notify and talk with the elections department. It is possible that missing candidates can be entered at a later date.
++If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.++
++- * Special interest groups might release endorsements for an individual that isn't a registered candidate according to the Secretary of State, but who has held public office. In this case, we will take the endorsement by finding the individual in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. Select their name from the roster of the most recent election in which they ran for the office being endorsed.++
- Use the drop-down menu to sort SIGs.
- Use "National" (in the drop-down) for groups that rate Congress.
- It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop-down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.
- You can also use Control-F to search for words within the name of a SIG. Example: hit "ctrl-f" then type "Sierra." You should find the Sierra Club.
- Enter all the content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory.
Deletions:
- "Grade" = scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
For endorsements you need to select the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered in a drop down menu by year and type of election (congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial). For example: "Alabama Congressional 2016".
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidate's name.
If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.
- * Special interest groups might release endorsements for an individual that isn't a registered candidate according to the Secretary of State, but who has held public office. In this case, we will take the endorsement by finding the individual in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. Select their name from the roster of the most recent election in which they ran for the office being endorsed.
- Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs.
- Use "National" (in the drop down) for groups that rate Congress.
- It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.
- You can also use Control-F to search for words within the name of a SIG. Example: hit "ctrl-f" then type "sierra." You should find the Sierra Club.
- Enter all content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory.
Additions:
>>Types of Rating Systems:
- More details are located on the [[TranslatingRatings Translating Ratings]] page.>>**"Rating Format"**
Record completed work in CEC Tracking sheet. See SIGsDocumentation for any question.
See SIGsDocumentation for any question.
- More details are located on the [[TranslatingRatings Translating Ratings]] page.>>**"Rating Format"**
Record completed work in CEC Tracking sheet. See SIGsDocumentation for any question.
See SIGsDocumentation for any question.
Deletions:
Types of Rating Systems:
- More details are located on the [[TranslatingRatings Translating Ratings]] page.
Additions:
Manual entry of ratings and endorsements is an important process to learn as a new member of the Special Interest Groups Team. It is a vital process that allows you to become familiar with admin, the data standards of Special Interests, improves work checking ability, and increases your overall understanding of how work is done in the Special Interest Groups Sub-Department. Below, you will find instructions for the manual entry of scorecards, including how to find or add a special interest group and how to enter and save a scorecard using Admin.
- Use "National" (in the drop down) for groups that rate Congress.
**"Year"**
**"Specify a Name?"**
Always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display).
Is determined by the scorecard's methodology, which will vary SIG by SIG.
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidate's name.
- Use "National" (in the drop down) for groups that rate Congress.
**"Year"**
**"Specify a Name?"**
Always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display).
Is determined by the scorecard's methodology, which will vary SIG by SIG.
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidate's name.
Deletions:
- Use "National" (in the drop down) for groups that rate Congress
**"Year":**
**"Specify a Name?":**
Always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
This determined by the scorecard's methodology, which will vary SIG by SIG.
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidates name.
~- **Not Sure What This Is - Disregard**
++**Add Politicians' Ratings**
~-Move your cursor over the entry you just created. You may need to right click on the year and select "properties" - a rating ID will appear. Please be sure to update your import document to include the rating ID (e.g., you may now have a document named "ACLU_2009_RID1234")
~- Use the "Location of Ratings" page on ratings database spreadsheet to select a set of ratings with the status 'available'- please do more recent ratings first, then we'll work on older stuff. Be sure to change the rating's status from 'available' to 'processing.'
1) Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th; or, if an official has changed their office over time).++
Additions:
**"Note"**
"Note" is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down.
"Note" is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down.
Deletions:
Additions:
**Note**
Deletions:
Special Interest Group Data Standards:
~-All Special Interest Groups should have at minimum, name and contact information. This includes: Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc. Update address and URL information once a year
~- the ratings group box (to the right of the name) should be checked
~- "Use Their Rating" and "Major Group" should be unchecked (NOTE: THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR MUST VERIFY THIS POLICY IS STILL IN PLACE)
~- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- "Description" is taken from SIG's mission statement. Ideally this will clearly state the groups' values, priorities, and positions on the issues they value the most. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases. The group description must be in quotes for the website
~- "Note" is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
~-
Additions:
- Ratings which are dynamically updated and have no "final" score released should have the date the scorecard was retrieved listed in brackets, in addition to the appropriate name: Positions [Updated 5/17]
This depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity.
This depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity.
Deletions:
This depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity.
Additions:
===-To find a special interest group in our database:===
===-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:===
===Entering Ratings:===
===Entering Endorsements:===
Deletions:
==-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:==
==Ratings:==
==Entering Endorsements:==
Deletions:
The National Rifle Association produces ratings and endorsements for states with upcoming elections and then takes them down usually the day after the election, so be sure to collect all the information beforehand. Print out the whole scorecard and separate it into National NRA (US Congress and statewide candidates) and State NRA (State legislators.) Staple hard-copy tracking sheets and NRA methodology to both and file each printed scorecard into "Ready to Input" for State SIGs and National SIGs. (NRA methodology is found on the research drive: research > research divisions > SIGs and Ratings > National > National Rifle Association > What_the_Grades_Mean.)
On admin, the NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to add ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates (includes Gubernatorial.) On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators. Enter the converted score into "our rating" and leave "SIG rating" blank. At the moment, admin can't handle grades with +- characters, so we're going to leave "SIG rating" blank for the NRA.
National ratings have to be released to live web right away, rather than saved into admin. Releasing the scorecard to admin or the internal web would take off all the other National and Statewide NRA ratings from Project Vote Smart's website. For this reason, staff and interns with more experience and accuracy will be responsible for entering National NRA ratings/endorsements. Preform a webcheck after released to live web to see that information released correctly.
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for all levels while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Update either the NRA_National_Statewide_Gubernatorial or State_SIGs Google.docs tracking sheets for the respective levels of office.
The grades and their value on a 0-100 scale are below:
A+ = 100
A = 93
AQ = 86
A- = 79
B+ = 71
B = 64
B- = 57
C+ = 50
C = 43
C- = 36
D+ = 29
D = 21
D- = 14
F = 7
? = 0
Revision [15700]
Edited on 2015-05-27 08:58:33 by Jamieson [formatting, removing duplicates, moving content]Additions:
- It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.
- Verify that the information listed is correct and add new contact information as needed
On the appropriate SIGs' admin page, verify that the rating or endorsement doesn't already exist. Then, select "Add New Endorsement" or "Add New Rating" (near the bottom of the page), fill in the appropriate information, and then save. The processes for entering both ratings and endorsements are explained below.
**2. Click save, reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election, and begin entering the information for each candidate:**
**3. Save your work:**
- Verify that the information listed is correct and add new contact information as needed
On the appropriate SIGs' admin page, verify that the rating or endorsement doesn't already exist. Then, select "Add New Endorsement" or "Add New Rating" (near the bottom of the page), fill in the appropriate information, and then save. The processes for entering both ratings and endorsements are explained below.
**2. Click save, reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election, and begin entering the information for each candidate:**
**3. Save your work:**
Deletions:
On the appropriate SIGs' admin page, verify that the rating or endorsement doesn't already exist. Then, select "Add New Endorsement" or "Add New Rating" (near the bottom of the page), fill in the appropriate information, and then save. The field boxes are explained below.
==**Manual Entry**==
This is likely the first method that research staff and interns learn how to use when importing ratings. Manual input is beneficial because it allows people to become familiar with the Admin, our data standards, and with checking their work thoroughly. The field boxes are explained below.
1) Select the year of the rating on the appropriate SIG
2) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature and their current positions. If you are dealing with an old rating, people that moved from representative to senator for example may be on this page under a different office.
1) Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best. Office means either house or senate. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order). Note that if you are dealing with an older rating, a politician may have switched offices since then and may appear out of order on the roster
1) Click on the first name (the name and not anything else).
2)"SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can ; "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If "Numeric (0-100)" and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
1) Press enter or click save. This will bring up the next elected official. Enter the rating and click on save again.
2) In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
~~1.Go to admin home page
~~2.Search by name
~~3.If needed, limit by State
~~4.Find candidate ID to the left of the candidate's name
~~5.Copy and paste into "Candidate ID" box on SIG's rating page and click "Add by ID"
1) After manually inputting all ratings, click "Delete Empty Ratings"
2) Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
**2. Click save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election.**
**3. Save**
==**MANUAL INPUT**==
==**BULK INPUT**==
This method allows us to post more ratings on our website because it cuts down on the time it takes to input scorecards. There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
**Preparing a Set of Ratings for Import**
See: [[FormattingDataInExcel]]
~- Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~- The following content must be included in your spreadsheet:
~- Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
~- SIG Rating
~- Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~- Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
~~- Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials' name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
~To prep rating strings for bulk import: Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
~- Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life's too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD. There will be times when researchers from other organizations will ask us for scorecards. Many organizations take down their web pages with old scorecards, making finding archived scores very difficult. If we have the scores they're looking for, we will give a copy to the researcher. If we fax or mail ratings, it looks pretty unprofessional to send a scorecard with our notes and other doodles on them
*Look out for scorecards that rate an elected official twice. Often, if a politician switches office during a legislative session and the SIG rates both offices, that politician will have two ratings on one scorecard - one for each position. If this occurs, enter one of the ratings as you normally would. For the second rating, create an identical rating profile on admin for the same SIG and add the second rating for the elected official.
**Keep Track of your Progress**
Update the Google.docs tracking sheet by entering the date of entering the scorecard and/or endorsement into admin and the rating_id and endorsement_id. Additionally, on the hard-copy tracking sheet, enter the rating_id and/or endorsement_id, the date, and your name. File the physical copy into webcheck_1 filing cabinet.
Additions:
====**Manual Entry of a Rating or Endorsement**====
Deletions:
Additions:
====**Find or Add a Special Interest Group in the Database**====
Deletions:
Additions:
@@=====**Manually Adding Ratings/Endorsements to the Database**=====@@
Manual entry of ratings and endorsements scorecards is an important process to learn as a new member of the Special Interest Groups Team. It is a vital process that allows you to become familiar with admin, the data standards of Special Interests, improves work checking ability, and increases your overall understanding of how work is done in the Special Interest Groups Sub-Department. Below, you will find instructions for the manual entry of scorecards, including how to find or add a special interest group and how to enter and save a scorecard using Admin.
==-To find a special interest group in our database:==
==-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:==
==**Manual Entry**==
2) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature and their current positions. If you are dealing with an old rating, people that moved from representative to senator for example may be on this page under a different office.
2)"SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can ; "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If "Numeric (0-100)" and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
2) In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
2) Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
==Entering Endorsements:==
**1. Selecting the Election:**
For endorsements you need to select the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered in a drop down menu by year and type of election (congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial). For example: "Alabama Congressional 2016".
Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
**2. Click save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election.**
Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box.
- * Some candidates run with two parties and their name will appear twice on this scroll-down menu. In this case, check both boxes. (PCT will delete one of these after the primary in order to consolidate parties so this will save a lot of headaches).
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidates name.
If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.
**3. Save**
Click the "save" button below the list of candidates and then again with the "save" button above the list of candidates. You must do both.
Manual entry of ratings and endorsements scorecards is an important process to learn as a new member of the Special Interest Groups Team. It is a vital process that allows you to become familiar with admin, the data standards of Special Interests, improves work checking ability, and increases your overall understanding of how work is done in the Special Interest Groups Sub-Department. Below, you will find instructions for the manual entry of scorecards, including how to find or add a special interest group and how to enter and save a scorecard using Admin.
==-To find a special interest group in our database:==
==-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:==
==**Manual Entry**==
2) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature and their current positions. If you are dealing with an old rating, people that moved from representative to senator for example may be on this page under a different office.
2)"SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can ; "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If "Numeric (0-100)" and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
2) In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
2) Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
==Entering Endorsements:==
**1. Selecting the Election:**
For endorsements you need to select the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered in a drop down menu by year and type of election (congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial). For example: "Alabama Congressional 2016".
Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
**2. Click save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election.**
Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box.
- * Some candidates run with two parties and their name will appear twice on this scroll-down menu. In this case, check both boxes. (PCT will delete one of these after the primary in order to consolidate parties so this will save a lot of headaches).
Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidates name.
If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.
**3. Save**
Click the "save" button below the list of candidates and then again with the "save" button above the list of candidates. You must do both.
Deletions:
There are two ways the department adds ratings into the database. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create a .csv with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. On the other hand, endorsements are always entered manually into admin.
Grab a physical copy of a SIG's scorecard and/or endorsement from the filing cabinet that is ready to be entered into admin.
===-To find a special interest group in our database:===
===-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:===
===Endorsements:===
**"Election"** is the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered from most recent to oldest in the drop-down menu and are divided by congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial.
- Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
- Save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election.
- Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box.
- * Some candidates run with two parties and their name will appear twice on this scroll-down menu. In this case, check both boxes. (PCT will delete one of these after the primary in order to consolidate parties so this will save a lot of headaches)
- Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidates name.
- If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.
- Save using the button below the list of candidates and then save with the button above the list of candidates. You must do both.
1) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature and their current positions. If you are dealing with an old rating, people that moved from representative to senator for example may be on this page under a different office.
1)"SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can ; "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If "Numeric (0-100)" and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
1) In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
1) Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
Additions:
**"Election"** is the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered from most recent to oldest in the drop-down menu and are divided by congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial.
==Ratings:==
**"Year":**
**"Specify a Name?":**
**"Name"**
**"Rating Format"**
**"Use Their Rating"**
**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**
**Categories and Tags**
**"Session"**
==Ratings:==
**"Year":**
**"Specify a Name?":**
**"Name"**
**"Rating Format"**
**"Use Their Rating"**
**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**
**Categories and Tags**
**"Session"**
Deletions:
===Ratings:===
**=="Year":**==
==**"Specify a Name?":**==
==**"Name"**==
==**"Rating Format"**==
==**"Use Their Rating"**==
==**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**==
==**Categories and Tags**==
==**"Session"**==
Additions:
**=="Year":**==
Use whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year. (Note: this policy has been applied inconsistently in the past. The range of actions reviewed by a Special Interest Group can usually be determined by examining the scorecard's methodology, but that has not often been done). Acceptable formats are yyyy and yyyy-yyyy.
==**"Specify a Name?":**==
Always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
==**"Name"**==
This determined by the scorecard's methodology, which will vary SIG by SIG.
==**"Rating Format"**==
This depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity.
Types of Rating Systems:
==**"Use Their Rating"**==
"Use their rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion. After saving, this box must be rechecked. Please ask your supervisor about this if there is any confusion.
==**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**==
These do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in.
==**Categories and Tags**==
These should be as relevant as possible. In most cases, the rating or endorsement will be categorized and/or tagged in the same way as the SIG that produced the rating or endorsement. However, there may be times where the cats and/or tags should be different. If you come across a case like this, please talk to your supervisor.
==**"Session"**==
A "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
**Needs to be moved to a more appropriate place**
~-
~- **Not Sure What This Is - Disregard**
++**Add Politicians' Ratings**
1) Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th; or, if an official has changed their office over time).++
Use whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year. (Note: this policy has been applied inconsistently in the past. The range of actions reviewed by a Special Interest Group can usually be determined by examining the scorecard's methodology, but that has not often been done). Acceptable formats are yyyy and yyyy-yyyy.
==**"Specify a Name?":**==
Always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
==**"Name"**==
This determined by the scorecard's methodology, which will vary SIG by SIG.
==**"Rating Format"**==
This depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity.
Types of Rating Systems:
==**"Use Their Rating"**==
"Use their rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion. After saving, this box must be rechecked. Please ask your supervisor about this if there is any confusion.
==**[[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]]**==
These do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in.
==**Categories and Tags**==
These should be as relevant as possible. In most cases, the rating or endorsement will be categorized and/or tagged in the same way as the SIG that produced the rating or endorsement. However, there may be times where the cats and/or tags should be different. If you come across a case like this, please talk to your supervisor.
==**"Session"**==
A "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
**Needs to be moved to a more appropriate place**
~-
~- **Not Sure What This Is - Disregard**
++**Add Politicians' Ratings**
1) Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th; or, if an official has changed their office over time).++
Deletions:
- "Specify a Name?": always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
++- "Name" should be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title (ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy).
++- "Name" is determined by the scorecard's methodology.
- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity.
- Types of Rating System:
- "Use Their Rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion. After saving, this box must be rechecked. Please ask your supervisor about this if there is any confusion.
- [[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]] do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in.
- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible.
- "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
**Add Politicians' Ratings**
1) Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th; or, if an official has changed their office over time).
Additions:
===Ratings:===
Deletions:
Additions:
**====Find or Add a Special Interest Group in the Database====**
===-To find a special interest group in our database:===
===-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:===
**====Manual Entry of a Rating or Endorsement====**
===Endorsements:===
- "Election" is the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered from most recent to oldest in the drop-down menu and are divided by congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial.
- Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
- Save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election.
- Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box.
- * Some candidates run with two parties and their name will appear twice on this scroll-down menu. In this case, check both boxes. (PCT will delete one of these after the primary in order to consolidate parties so this will save a lot of headaches)
- Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidates name.
- If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.
- * Special interest groups might release endorsements for an individual that isn't a registered candidate according to the Secretary of State, but who has held public office. In this case, we will take the endorsement by finding the individual in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. Select their name from the roster of the most recent election in which they ran for the office being endorsed.
- Save using the button below the list of candidates and then save with the button above the list of candidates. You must do both.
- "Year": use whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year. (Note: this policy has been applied inconsistently in the past. The range of actions reviewed by a Special Interest Group can usually be determined by examining the scorecard's methodology, but that has not often been done). Acceptable formats are yyyy and yyyy-yyyy.
- "Specify a Name?": always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
++- "Name" should be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title (ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy).
++- "Name" is determined by the scorecard's methodology.
- The unofficial default "Name" is "Positions," for those ratings that would fit the standard [[RatingText Rating Text]] of "supporting the interests of [ORGANIZATION] in [YEAR]]."
- "Lifetime Score" is used when the ratings cover a politician's career rather than a defined period of time, up until the year of release.
- If the rating evaluates politicians on a set of issues that does not fully align with, or is a subset of the organization's interests, then rating "Name" is used to provide the needed specificity. If the SIG's language is used, the text should be put in quotation marks. An example would be National Journal, a SIG that rates politicians on several separate dimensions and also takes no stance on issues: "Liberal on Foreign Policy".
- Ratings which are dynamically updated and have no "final" score released should have the date the scorecard was retrieved listed in parenthesis, in addition to the appropriate name
- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity.
- Types of Rating System:
- "Numeric (0-100)" = scorecards with 0-100 scales
- "Grade" = scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
- "Rating String" = scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols without providing a final score. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
- "Open" = all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems.
- More details are located on the [[TranslatingRatings Translating Ratings]] page.
- "Use Their Rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion. After saving, this box must be rechecked. Please ask your supervisor about this if there is any confusion.
- [[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]] do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in.
- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible.
- "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
===-To find a special interest group in our database:===
===-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:===
**====Manual Entry of a Rating or Endorsement====**
===Endorsements:===
- "Election" is the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. Elections are ordered from most recent to oldest in the drop-down menu and are divided by congressional, statewide, state legislative and gubernatorial.
- Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
- Save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election.
- Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box.
- * Some candidates run with two parties and their name will appear twice on this scroll-down menu. In this case, check both boxes. (PCT will delete one of these after the primary in order to consolidate parties so this will save a lot of headaches)
- Use "control-f" as a means for quickly searching for a candidates name.
- If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list," which is located below the scroll down menu.
- * Special interest groups might release endorsements for an individual that isn't a registered candidate according to the Secretary of State, but who has held public office. In this case, we will take the endorsement by finding the individual in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. Select their name from the roster of the most recent election in which they ran for the office being endorsed.
- Save using the button below the list of candidates and then save with the button above the list of candidates. You must do both.
- "Year": use whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year. (Note: this policy has been applied inconsistently in the past. The range of actions reviewed by a Special Interest Group can usually be determined by examining the scorecard's methodology, but that has not often been done). Acceptable formats are yyyy and yyyy-yyyy.
- "Specify a Name?": always should be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
++- "Name" should be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title (ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy).
++- "Name" is determined by the scorecard's methodology.
- The unofficial default "Name" is "Positions," for those ratings that would fit the standard [[RatingText Rating Text]] of "supporting the interests of [ORGANIZATION] in [YEAR]]."
- "Lifetime Score" is used when the ratings cover a politician's career rather than a defined period of time, up until the year of release.
- If the rating evaluates politicians on a set of issues that does not fully align with, or is a subset of the organization's interests, then rating "Name" is used to provide the needed specificity. If the SIG's language is used, the text should be put in quotation marks. An example would be National Journal, a SIG that rates politicians on several separate dimensions and also takes no stance on issues: "Liberal on Foreign Policy".
- Ratings which are dynamically updated and have no "final" score released should have the date the scorecard was retrieved listed in parenthesis, in addition to the appropriate name
- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. Interest groups rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity.
- Types of Rating System:
- "Numeric (0-100)" = scorecards with 0-100 scales
- "Grade" = scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
- "Rating String" = scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols without providing a final score. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
- "Open" = all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems.
- More details are located on the [[TranslatingRatings Translating Ratings]] page.
- "Use Their Rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion. After saving, this box must be rechecked. Please ask your supervisor about this if there is any confusion.
- [[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]] do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in.
- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible.
- "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown."
Deletions:
==-To find a special interest group in our database:==
==-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:==
**Create a Rating or Endorsement Entry**
__Endorsements:__
~- "Election" is the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. The most recent elections show up at the top of the drop-down menu and as you scroll down, past elections from previous years show up. Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
~- Save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election
~- Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box
~~*Some candidates run with two parties and their name will appear twice on this scroll-down menu. In this case, check both boxes. (PCT will delete one of these after the primary in order to consolidate parties so this will save a lot of headaches)
~- If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list"
~~*Special interest groups might release endorsements for an individual that isn't a registered candidate according to the Secretary of State, but who has held public office before. In this case, we will take the endorsement by choosing the election for which the SIG endorses the individual and then finding the individual's name on this drop-down menu.
~- Save using button below list of candidates and then save with button above the list of candidates
~- "Year" is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year. (Note: this policy has been applied inconsistently in the past. The range of actions reviewed by a Special Interest Group can usually be determined by examining the scorecard's methodology, but that has not often been done). Acceptable formats are yyyy and yyyy-yyyy.
~- "Specify a Name?" should always be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
++~- "Name" should be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title (ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy).
++~- "Name" is determined by the scorecard's methodology.
~~-The unofficial default "Name" is "Positions," for those ratings that would fit the standard [[RatingText Rating Text]] of "supporting the interests of [ORGANIZATION] in [YEAR]]."
~~- "Lifetime Score" is used when the ratings cover a politician's career rather than a defined period of time, up until the year of release (which is represented as "Year"
~~- If the rating evaluates politicians on a set of issues that does not fully align with, or is a subset of the organization's interests, then rating "Name" is used to provide the needed specificity. If the SIG's language is used, the text should be put in quotation marks. An example would be National Journal, a SIG that rates politicians on several separate dimensions and also takes no stance on issues: "Liberal on Foreign Policy".
~~- Ratings which are dynamically updated and have no "final" score released should have the date the scorecard was retrieved listed in parenthesis, in addition to the appropriate name
~- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity, when at all possible. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~- "Numeric (0-100)" = scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- "Grade" = scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
~~- "Rating String" = scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- "Open" = all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems
++~- Check the box titled "Use Their Rating" whenever using "Numeric (0-100) Rating Format." This button is tricky, so make sure it remains checked after saving. If needed, check the box and save rating again++
~- "Use Their Rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion
~- [[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]] do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in
~- "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown"
No Differences
Additions:
==-If the special interest group does not exist in our Database:==
Deletions:
Additions:
==-To find a special interest group in our database:==
==-If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database:==
==-If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database:==
Deletions:
-//If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database://
Additions:
@@=====**Adding Ratings/Endorsements to the Database**=====@@
Deletions:
Additions:
@@**=====Adding Ratings/Endorsements to the Database=====**@@
====Introduction====
**===Find or Add a Special Interest Group in the Database===**
====Introduction====
**===Find or Add a Special Interest Group in the Database===**
Deletions:
**Find or Add a Special Interest Group in the Database**
Revision [15665]
Edited on 2015-05-26 11:22:08 by Jamieson [formatting changes...changing a few words]Additions:
-//To find a special interest group in our database://
- Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the column on the left-hand side.
- Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs.
- Use "National" (in the drop down) for groups that rate Congress
- For state ratings, select the appropriate state. Click on search.
- It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// Verify that the information listed is correct and add new contact information as needed
- You can also use Control-F to search for words within the name of a SIG. Example: hit "ctrl-f" then type "sierra." You should find the Sierra Club.
-//If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database://
- Check with your supervisor before creating one.
- Once you have received approval, select "Add New Special Interest Group" at the top.
- Enter all content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory.
- When you are finished, check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered. Click on save and //release to internal web//
- Let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work.
- Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the column on the left-hand side.
- Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs.
- Use "National" (in the drop down) for groups that rate Congress
- For state ratings, select the appropriate state. Click on search.
- It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// Verify that the information listed is correct and add new contact information as needed
- You can also use Control-F to search for words within the name of a SIG. Example: hit "ctrl-f" then type "sierra." You should find the Sierra Club.
-//If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database://
- Check with your supervisor before creating one.
- Once you have received approval, select "Add New Special Interest Group" at the top.
- Enter all content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory.
- When you are finished, check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered. Click on save and //release to internal web//
- Let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work.
Deletions:
- If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database, check with your supervisor before creating one. Once you have received approval, select "Add New Special Interest Group" at the top. Enter in all content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory. When you are complete, check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered. Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work.
Revision [14566]
Edited on 2015-03-25 16:41:10 by KristenVicedomini [formatting changes...changing a few words]Additions:
1) Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th; or, if an official has changed their office over time).
This is likely the first method that research staff and interns learn how to use when importing ratings. Manual input is beneficial because it allows people to become familiar with the Admin, our data standards, and with checking their work thoroughly. The field boxes are explained below.
1) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature and their current positions. If you are dealing with an old rating, people that moved from representative to senator for example may be on this page under a different office.
1) Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best. Office means either house or senate. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order). Note that if you are dealing with an older rating, a politician may have switched offices since then and may appear out of order on the roster
See: [[FormattingDataInExcel]]
~To prep rating strings for bulk import: Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
This is likely the first method that research staff and interns learn how to use when importing ratings. Manual input is beneficial because it allows people to become familiar with the Admin, our data standards, and with checking their work thoroughly. The field boxes are explained below.
1) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature and their current positions. If you are dealing with an old rating, people that moved from representative to senator for example may be on this page under a different office.
1) Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best. Office means either house or senate. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order). Note that if you are dealing with an older rating, a politician may have switched offices since then and may appear out of order on the roster
See: [[FormattingDataInExcel]]
~To prep rating strings for bulk import: Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
Deletions:
__Candidate or Elected Official:__
1) Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th). If a representative becomes a senator, enter the rating he or she was given when he or she was a representative under the new senator's name.
1) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature
1) Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best. Office means either house or senate. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
~- Open an Excel document
~- Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores from the original scorecard
~~- //If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually in accordance with the "Manual Input" procedure
~- Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~- Select Text and click "OK"
~- In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster. To see a few of the Excel functions that make life a little easier, look at the [[CandidateListImport PCT instructions for preparing Candidate Lists for import]]
**Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import**
~- [[MatchIDs Match IDs]], unless your supervisor tells you IT will be taking care of it
~- Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
~- Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
~**To prep rating strings for bulk import**
~~- Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~~- Use the "Paste Special" function
~~- Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn't work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~- Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~~- Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~~- Select the data in the concatenated column
~~- Copy the data
~~- In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~~- Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
Remember!
- Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
- Follow formatting procedures like you would any other import
Additions:
Grab a physical copy of a SIG's scorecard and/or endorsement from the filing cabinet that is ready to be entered into admin.
**Find or Add a Special Interest Group in the Database**
- Make sure that the database has a profile for the relevant special interest group. Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the left hand column. Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state. Click on search. It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// Verify that the information listed is correct and add new contact information as needed
- If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database, check with your supervisor before creating one. Once you have received approval, select "Add New Special Interest Group" at the top. Enter in all content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory. When you are complete, check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered. Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work.
Special Interest Group Data Standards:
~-All Special Interest Groups should have at minimum, name and contact information. This includes: Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc. Update address and URL information once a year
~- the ratings group box (to the right of the name) should be checked
~- "Use Their Rating" and "Major Group" should be unchecked (NOTE: THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR MUST VERIFY THIS POLICY IS STILL IN PLACE)
~- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- "Description" is taken from SIG's mission statement. Ideally this will clearly state the groups' values, priorities, and positions on the issues they value the most. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases. The group description must be in quotes for the website
**Create a Rating or Endorsement Entry**
On the appropriate SIGs' admin page, verify that the rating or endorsement doesn't already exist. Then, select "Add New Endorsement" or "Add New Rating" (near the bottom of the page), fill in the appropriate information, and then save. The field boxes are explained below.
~- "Year" is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year. (Note: this policy has been applied inconsistently in the past. The range of actions reviewed by a Special Interest Group can usually be determined by examining the scorecard's methodology, but that has not often been done). Acceptable formats are yyyy and yyyy-yyyy.
~- "Specify a Name?" should always be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
++~- "Name" should be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title (ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy).
++~- "Name" is determined by the scorecard's methodology.
~~-The unofficial default "Name" is "Positions," for those ratings that would fit the standard [[RatingText Rating Text]] of "supporting the interests of [ORGANIZATION] in [YEAR]]."
~~- "Lifetime Score" is used when the ratings cover a politician's career rather than a defined period of time, up until the year of release (which is represented as "Year"
~~- If the rating evaluates politicians on a set of issues that does not fully align with, or is a subset of the organization's interests, then rating "Name" is used to provide the needed specificity. If the SIG's language is used, the text should be put in quotation marks. An example would be National Journal, a SIG that rates politicians on several separate dimensions and also takes no stance on issues: "Liberal on Foreign Policy".
~~- Ratings which are dynamically updated and have no "final" score released should have the date the scorecard was retrieved listed in parenthesis, in addition to the appropriate name
~- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity, when at all possible. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~- "Numeric (0-100)" = scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- "Grade" = scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
~~- "Rating String" = scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- "Open" = all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems
++~- Check the box titled "Use Their Rating" whenever using "Numeric (0-100) Rating Format." This button is tricky, so make sure it remains checked after saving. If needed, check the box and save rating again++
~- "Use Their Rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion
~- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown"
**Add Politicians' Ratings**
**Find or Add a Special Interest Group in the Database**
- Make sure that the database has a profile for the relevant special interest group. Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the left hand column. Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state. Click on search. It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// Verify that the information listed is correct and add new contact information as needed
- If the Special Interest Group does not exist in our Database, check with your supervisor before creating one. Once you have received approval, select "Add New Special Interest Group" at the top. Enter in all content listed below. Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory. When you are complete, check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered. Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work.
Special Interest Group Data Standards:
~-All Special Interest Groups should have at minimum, name and contact information. This includes: Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc. Update address and URL information once a year
~- the ratings group box (to the right of the name) should be checked
~- "Use Their Rating" and "Major Group" should be unchecked (NOTE: THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR MUST VERIFY THIS POLICY IS STILL IN PLACE)
~- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- "Description" is taken from SIG's mission statement. Ideally this will clearly state the groups' values, priorities, and positions on the issues they value the most. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases. The group description must be in quotes for the website
**Create a Rating or Endorsement Entry**
On the appropriate SIGs' admin page, verify that the rating or endorsement doesn't already exist. Then, select "Add New Endorsement" or "Add New Rating" (near the bottom of the page), fill in the appropriate information, and then save. The field boxes are explained below.
~- "Year" is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year. (Note: this policy has been applied inconsistently in the past. The range of actions reviewed by a Special Interest Group can usually be determined by examining the scorecard's methodology, but that has not often been done). Acceptable formats are yyyy and yyyy-yyyy.
~- "Specify a Name?" should always be "yes" (current policy requires a rating name. Selecting "no" will hide the Rating Name from our display)
++~- "Name" should be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title (ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy).
++~- "Name" is determined by the scorecard's methodology.
~~-The unofficial default "Name" is "Positions," for those ratings that would fit the standard [[RatingText Rating Text]] of "supporting the interests of [ORGANIZATION] in [YEAR]]."
~~- "Lifetime Score" is used when the ratings cover a politician's career rather than a defined period of time, up until the year of release (which is represented as "Year"
~~- If the rating evaluates politicians on a set of issues that does not fully align with, or is a subset of the organization's interests, then rating "Name" is used to provide the needed specificity. If the SIG's language is used, the text should be put in quotation marks. An example would be National Journal, a SIG that rates politicians on several separate dimensions and also takes no stance on issues: "Liberal on Foreign Policy".
~~- Ratings which are dynamically updated and have no "final" score released should have the date the scorecard was retrieved listed in parenthesis, in addition to the appropriate name
~- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity, when at all possible. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~- "Numeric (0-100)" = scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- "Grade" = scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
~~- "Rating String" = scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- "Open" = all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories, including point systems
++~- Check the box titled "Use Their Rating" whenever using "Numeric (0-100) Rating Format." This button is tricky, so make sure it remains checked after saving. If needed, check the box and save rating again++
~- "Use Their Rating" should be selected whenever "SIG Rating" should display on our website instead of "Our rating." Typically, this is only used when the rating format is "Numeric (0-100)" and does not need any further conversion
~- Categories and Tags should be as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- "Session" is used to represent the session of the legislature being evaluated by the scorecard, if applicable, and if it's clear from the scorecard's methodology/time spans. Each legislature has a different calendar for legislative sessions. Ballotpedia or NCSL is a good place to look for legislative calendars. When in doubt, it should be kept as "unknown"
**Add Politicians' Ratings**
Deletions:
__Special Interest Group:__
Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory
~- Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name); leave "Use Their Rating" and "Major Group" unchecked
~- Update address and URL information once a year
~- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- "Description" is taken from SIG's mission statement. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases. The group description must be in quotes for the website
Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work. Once a SIG has an admin profile, the new rating and/or endorsement needs a place to go within the SIG. Click on "Add New Endorsement." The field boxes are explained below.
Click on "Add New Rating." The field boxes are explained below.
~- "Year" is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
~- Always select "yes" for "Specify a Name?"
~- Most of the time, "Name" will be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title(ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy)
~- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~- "Numeric (0-100)" - scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- "Grade" - scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
~~- "Rating String" - scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- "Open" - all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
~- Check the box titled "Use Their Rating" whenever using "Numeric (0-100) Rating Format." This button is tricky, so make sure it remains checked after saving. If needed, check the box and save rating again
~- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- "Session" depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...Consult a legislative calendar if not sure. Ballotpedia is a good place to look for legislative calendars.
~- Save rating with "Save" button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
Revision [14220]
Edited on 2015-02-13 14:26:11 by KristenVicedomini [removed misuses of the words import,excel, website]Additions:
**====Adding Ratings/Endorsements to the Database====**
There are two ways the department adds ratings into the database. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create a .csv with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. On the other hand, endorsements are always entered manually into admin.
On admin, the NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to add ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates (includes Gubernatorial.) On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators. Enter the converted score into "our rating" and leave "SIG rating" blank. At the moment, admin can't handle grades with +- characters, so we're going to leave "SIG rating" blank for the NRA.
There are two ways the department adds ratings into the database. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create a .csv with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. On the other hand, endorsements are always entered manually into admin.
On admin, the NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to add ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates (includes Gubernatorial.) On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators. Enter the converted score into "our rating" and leave "SIG rating" blank. At the moment, admin can't handle grades with +- characters, so we're going to leave "SIG rating" blank for the NRA.
Deletions:
There are two ways the department imports ratings into the Project Vote Smart website. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create an excel spreadsheet with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. On the other hand, endorsements are always entered manually into admin.
On admin, the NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to import ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates (includes Gubernatorial.) On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators. Enter the converted score into "our rating" and leave "SIG rating" blank. At the moment, admin can't handle grades with +- characters, so we're going to leave "SIG rating" blank for the NRA.
Revision [14218]
Edited on 2015-02-13 13:12:25 by KristenVicedomini [moved appropriate content to TranslatingRatings]Deletions:
Ratings should, if possible, be converted to a percentage. Before converting, please talk to your supervisor - some groups prefer we do not convert their ratings.
Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100% are the most preferred way to enter ratings. The Vote Smart Board understands that this occasionally requires some whittling square ratings into our round hole formula. At one time we were able to do this with all but 4 or 5 rating organizations where staff judgement simply could not translate the organization's rating method into a percentage of times that politician supported the organizations advocacy position. The reason for conversion is that if we simply reprint every organization's rating as is they are all over the board with their formulas and it becomes essentially useless to Jane and John Doe voter. So the line we have to walk is between what constitutes used and useful service to the voter and what constitutes basic fairness to the rating organization. It is a difficult thing to do and why we have the inoculating language on our website.
Converting ratings can sometimes depend on the original SIG scores, but typically you will divide 100 by the number of ratings possible minus 1. This will give the number of points between ratings. Set the lowest rating at 0 and each rating should be set higher by the calculated number of points. Enter the numerical ratings and include the conversion scale in the ratings checking folder. Example:
~Original Rating: A, B, C, D, F
~Calculation: 100/(5-1) = 25
~Conversion Scale A=100; B= 75;C=50; D=25; F=0
~Original Rating: Scores based on a range. Ex: Lowest Score 40, Highest Score 95
~Calculation: 100 * (x-A) / (B-A) = Converted % (where x = Candidate Score, A = Lowest Score in Range, B = Highest Score in Range)
**Rating Strings**
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we've even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any "affirmative" votes (in support of the group's interests, but not necessarily a yes vote) get a "+", any votes against the SIG's interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*"). Be careful- even if the group uses plus and minus symbols, it doesn't necessarily mean they define these symbols the same way we do, and we may have to convert it.
If the group gives a "final grade" as well as a string, we will use that group's final grade. Otherwise we convert their strings using a standard formula. Currently the asterisk does not get counted when converting a string to a percentage, but it is still useful for understanding the rating.
*Do not count vote abstentions, or refusing to answer a questionnaire. If an interest group uses a voting record to formulate their rating and a candidate abstains from a vote or if a candidate does not vote on a piece of legislation, omit that vote from the total number of votes possible. Likewise, if a candidate does not give a response to a question on a SIG's survey, omit the question from the total number of right answers possible. Example: if there are 6 votes and the candidate votes in line with the interests of the SIG 3 times, against the interests of the SIG 2, and abstains on 1 vote => the candidate voted in line with the SIG on 3/5 votes => 60. Likewise, if a candidate does not answer the survey or vote on any of the legislation the SIG uses on the scorecard, omit the candidate from the rating set.
~- Exceptions to this rule exist, usually when the SIG specifies that refusing to answer the survey translates to a low score, as the NRA does.
~- Another way to deal with these circumstances is to email the SIG, asking how they would like us to treat abstentions. Ask your supervisor if there is enough time to email the SIG. Otherwise, the default is to exclude the candidate, vote, survey question, etc.
Revision [14214]
Edited on 2015-02-13 12:43:12 by KristenVicedomini [readded content removed in a previous bad revision]Additions:
If the group gives a "final grade" as well as a string, we will use that group's final grade. Otherwise we convert their strings using a standard formula. Currently the asterisk does not get counted when converting a string to a percentage, but it is still useful for understanding the rating.
~- Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores from the original scorecard
~- The following content must be included in your spreadsheet:
~- Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
~- SIG Rating
~- Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~- Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life's too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD. There will be times when researchers from other organizations will ask us for scorecards. Many organizations take down their web pages with old scorecards, making finding archived scores very difficult. If we have the scores they're looking for, we will give a copy to the researcher. If we fax or mail ratings, it looks pretty unprofessional to send a scorecard with our notes and other doodles on them
~~- Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials' name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
~- Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores from the original scorecard
~- The following content must be included in your spreadsheet:
~- Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
~- SIG Rating
~- Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~- Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life's too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD. There will be times when researchers from other organizations will ask us for scorecards. Many organizations take down their web pages with old scorecards, making finding archived scores very difficult. If we have the scores they're looking for, we will give a copy to the researcher. If we fax or mail ratings, it looks pretty unprofessional to send a scorecard with our notes and other doodles on them
~~- Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials' name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
Deletions:
~- Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~- The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~- Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
~- SIG Rating
~- Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~~- Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
Revision [14212]
Edited on 2015-02-13 10:01:33 by KristenVicedomini [readded content removed in a previous bad revision]Additions:
~~- //If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually in accordance with the "Manual Input" procedure
Deletions:
~~~- From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office
~~~- Select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu)
~~~- Click on 'Go' to see the roster
~~~- Copy the roster and use the 'Paste Special' feature to paste the roster into an Excel document
~~~- Delete any extraneous information (e.g., the 'active' status) and begin entering scores manually//
Revision [14211]
Edited on 2015-02-13 09:52:21 by KristenVicedomini [readded content removed in a previous bad revision]Additions:
1) Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best. Office means either house or senate. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
1) After manually inputting all ratings, click "Delete Empty Ratings"
1) Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
1) After manually inputting all ratings, click "Delete Empty Ratings"
1) Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
Deletions:
- Office means either house or senate.
- State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
~- After manually inputting all ratings, click "Delete Empty Ratings"
~- Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
Revision [14210]
Edited on 2015-02-13 09:51:40 by KristenVicedomini [readded content removed in a previous bad revision]Additions:
1) Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th). If a representative becomes a senator, enter the rating he or she was given when he or she was a representative under the new senator's name.
1) Select the year of the rating on the appropriate SIG
1) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature
1) Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best.
- Office means either house or senate.
- State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
1) Click on the first name (the name and not anything else).
1)"SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can ; "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If "Numeric (0-100)" and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
1) Press enter or click save. This will bring up the next elected official. Enter the rating and click on save again.
1) In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
1) Select the year of the rating on the appropriate SIG
1) Go down the page to the list of politicians. This listing contains current officials for that state's legislature
1) Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best.
- Office means either house or senate.
- State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
1) Click on the first name (the name and not anything else).
1)"SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can ; "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If "Numeric (0-100)" and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
1) Press enter or click save. This will bring up the next elected official. Enter the rating and click on save again.
1) In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
Deletions:
~- "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
~- In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
Revision [14197]
Edited on 2015-02-13 09:05:54 by KristenVicedomini [readded content removed in a previous bad revision]Additions:
~- [[RatingText "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]] do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in
Deletions:
Revision [14196]
Edited on 2015-02-13 09:05:28 by KristenVicedomini [readded content removed in a previous bad revision]Additions:
~- [["Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text"]] do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in
Deletions:
Revision [12106]
Edited on 2014-12-09 16:44:38 by KatherineMatthews [caveat about candidates running with 2 parties]Additions:
~~*Some candidates run with two parties and their name will appear twice on this scroll-down menu. In this case, check both boxes. (PCT will delete one of these after the primary in order to consolidate parties so this will save a lot of headaches)
Additions:
The National Rifle Association produces ratings and endorsements for states with upcoming elections and then takes them down usually the day after the election, so be sure to collect all the information beforehand. Print out the whole scorecard and separate it into National NRA (US Congress and statewide candidates) and State NRA (State legislators.) Staple hard-copy tracking sheets and NRA methodology to both and file each printed scorecard into "Ready to Input" for State SIGs and National SIGs. (NRA methodology is found on the research drive: research > research divisions > SIGs and Ratings > National > National Rifle Association > What_the_Grades_Mean.)
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for all levels while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Update either the NRA_National_Statewide_Gubernatorial or State_SIGs Google.docs tracking sheets for the respective levels of office.
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for all levels while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Update either the NRA_National_Statewide_Gubernatorial or State_SIGs Google.docs tracking sheets for the respective levels of office.
Deletions:
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for all levels while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Update either the NRA_National_Statewide or State_SIGs Google.docs tracking sheets for the respective levels of office.
Additions:
On admin, the NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to import ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates (includes Gubernatorial.) On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators. Enter the converted score into "our rating" and leave "SIG rating" blank. At the moment, admin can't handle grades with +- characters, so we're going to leave "SIG rating" blank for the NRA.
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for all levels while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Update either the NRA_National_Statewide or State_SIGs Google.docs tracking sheets for the respective levels of office.
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for all levels while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Update either the NRA_National_Statewide or State_SIGs Google.docs tracking sheets for the respective levels of office.
Deletions:
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for State legislators while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Check for NRA scorecards for Statewide and National candidates when going through the NRA_National_Statewide tracking sheet.
Additions:
*Look out for scorecards that rate an elected official twice. Often, if a politician switches office during a legislative session and the SIG rates both offices, that politician will have two ratings on one scorecard - one for each position. If this occurs, enter one of the ratings as you normally would. For the second rating, create an identical rating profile on admin for the same SIG and add the second rating for the elected official.
Deletions:
Revision [11072]
Edited on 2014-06-17 14:15:07 by KatherineMatthews [1 scorecard, 1 official, 2 ratings]Additions:
~~*Look out for scorecards that rate an elected official twice. Often, if a politician switches office during a legislative session and the SIG rates both offices, that politician will have two ratings on one scorecard - one for each position. If this occurs, enter one of the ratings as you normally would. For the second rating, create an identical rating profile on admin for the same SIG and add the second rating for the elected official.
Revision [11071]
Edited on 2014-06-17 14:06:30 by KatherineMatthews [special endorsement circumstances]Additions:
~~*Special interest groups might release endorsements for an individual that isn't a registered candidate according to the Secretary of State, but who has held public office before. In this case, we will take the endorsement by choosing the election for which the SIG endorses the individual and then finding the individual's name on this drop-down menu.
Revision [11066]
Edited on 2014-06-16 13:57:04 by KatherineMatthews [special endorsement circumstances]Additions:
**====Step 2. Preparing Ratings/Endorsements for Import====**
Deletions:
Revision [11062]
Edited on 2014-06-16 13:43:28 by KatherineMatthews [special endorsement circumstances]Additions:
There are two ways the department imports ratings into the Project Vote Smart website. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create an excel spreadsheet with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. On the other hand, endorsements are always entered manually into admin.
Grab a physical copy of a SIG's scorecard and/or endorsement from the filing cabinet that is ready to be entered into admin. The next step is to make sure that the admin database has a profile for the relevant special interest group. Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the left hand column. Search for a SIG with the drop-down menus. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// If a profile does not exist, check with supervisor before creating one by selecting "Add New Special Interest Group." The field boxes are explained below.
Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work. Once a SIG has an admin profile, the new rating and/or endorsement needs a place to go within the SIG. Click on "Add New Endorsement." The field boxes are explained below.
__Endorsements:__
~- "Election" is the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. The most recent elections show up at the top of the drop-down menu and as you scroll down, past elections from previous years show up. Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
~- Save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election
~- Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box
~- If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list"
~- Save using button below list of candidates and then save with button above the list of candidates
Click on "Add New Rating." The field boxes are explained below.
Grab a physical copy of a SIG's scorecard and/or endorsement from the filing cabinet that is ready to be entered into admin. The next step is to make sure that the admin database has a profile for the relevant special interest group. Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the left hand column. Search for a SIG with the drop-down menus. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// If a profile does not exist, check with supervisor before creating one by selecting "Add New Special Interest Group." The field boxes are explained below.
Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work. Once a SIG has an admin profile, the new rating and/or endorsement needs a place to go within the SIG. Click on "Add New Endorsement." The field boxes are explained below.
__Endorsements:__
~- "Election" is the election for which the SIG endorses a candidate. The most recent elections show up at the top of the drop-down menu and as you scroll down, past elections from previous years show up. Many interest groups endorse several candidates running in different elections so make sure to choose the right election for the respective candidate.
~- Save and reopen the endorsement by clicking on the election
~- Find the endorsed candidate's name on the scroll-down menu and check her/his box
~- If for some reason, the name of the endorsed candidate doesn't show up, use the drop-down menu entitled "Search candidate(s) to add to endorsed list"
~- Save using button below list of candidates and then save with button above the list of candidates
Click on "Add New Rating." The field boxes are explained below.
Deletions:
Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work. Once a SIG has an admin profile, the new rating needs a place to go within the SIG. Click on "Add New Rating." The field boxes are explained below.
Additions:
~- "Session" depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...Consult a legislative calendar if not sure. Ballotpedia is a good place to look for legislative calendars.
Deletions:
Additions:
Grab a physical copy of a SIG's scorecard and/or endorsement from the filing cabinet that is ready to be entered into admin. There are two ways the department import ratings into the Project Vote Smart website. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create an excel spreadsheet with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. Either way, the first step is to make sure that the admin database has a profile for the relevant special interest group. Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the left hand column. Search for a SIG with the drop-down menus. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// If a profile does not exist, check with supervisor before creating one by selecting "Add New Special Interest Group." The field boxes are explained below.
**Keep Track of your Progress**
Update the Google.docs tracking sheet by entering the date of entering the scorecard and/or endorsement into admin and the rating_id and endorsement_id. Additionally, on the hard-copy tracking sheet, enter the rating_id and/or endorsement_id, the date, and your name. File the physical copy into webcheck_1 filing cabinet.
**Keep Track of your Progress**
Update the Google.docs tracking sheet by entering the date of entering the scorecard and/or endorsement into admin and the rating_id and endorsement_id. Additionally, on the hard-copy tracking sheet, enter the rating_id and/or endorsement_id, the date, and your name. File the physical copy into webcheck_1 filing cabinet.
Deletions:
Additions:
National ratings have to be released to live web right away, rather than saved into admin. Releasing the scorecard to admin or the internal web would take off all the other National and Statewide NRA ratings from Project Vote Smart's website. For this reason, staff and interns with more experience and accuracy will be responsible for entering National NRA ratings/endorsements. Preform a webcheck after released to live web to see that information released correctly.
Deletions:
Additions:
On admin, the NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to import ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates (includes Gubernatorial.) On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators.
National ratings have to be released to live web right away, rather than saved into admin. Releasing the scorecard to admin or the internal web would take off all the other National and Statewide NRA ratings from Project Vote Smart's website. For this reason, staff and interns with more experience and accuracy will be responsible for entering National NRA ratings/endorsements.
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for State legislators while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Check for NRA scorecards for Statewide and National candidates when going through the NRA_National_Statewide tracking sheet.
National ratings have to be released to live web right away, rather than saved into admin. Releasing the scorecard to admin or the internal web would take off all the other National and Statewide NRA ratings from Project Vote Smart's website. For this reason, staff and interns with more experience and accuracy will be responsible for entering National NRA ratings/endorsements.
Just like in admin, the NRA ratings/endorsements for National and Statewide candidates is on a different tracking sheet than are those for State Legislature candidates. Check NRA scorecards for State legislators while going through State_SIGs tracking sheets. Check for NRA scorecards for Statewide and National candidates when going through the NRA_National_Statewide tracking sheet.
Deletions:
Additions:
~- Check the box titled "Use Their Rating" whenever using "Numeric (0-100) Rating Format." This button is tricky, so make sure it remains checked after saving. If needed, check the box and save rating again
Deletions:
Additions:
**The NRA is quirky**
The National Rifle Association produces ratings and endorsements for states with upcoming elections and then takes them down usually the day after the election, so be sure to collect all the information beforehand. Print out the whole scorecard and separate it into National NRA (US Congress and statewide candidates) and State NRA (State legislators.) Staple hard-copy tracking sheets and NRA methodology to both and file each printed scorecard into "Ready to Input" for State SIGs and Major National SIGs. (NRA methodology is found on the research drive: research > research divisions > SIGs and Ratings > National > National Rifle Association > What_the_Grades_Mean.)
The NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to import ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates. On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators.
The grades and their value on a 0-100 scale are below:
A+ = 100
A = 93
AQ = 86
A- = 79
B+ = 71
B = 64
B- = 57
C+ = 50
C = 43
C- = 36
D+ = 29
D = 21
D- = 14
F = 7
? = 0
The National Rifle Association produces ratings and endorsements for states with upcoming elections and then takes them down usually the day after the election, so be sure to collect all the information beforehand. Print out the whole scorecard and separate it into National NRA (US Congress and statewide candidates) and State NRA (State legislators.) Staple hard-copy tracking sheets and NRA methodology to both and file each printed scorecard into "Ready to Input" for State SIGs and Major National SIGs. (NRA methodology is found on the research drive: research > research divisions > SIGs and Ratings > National > National Rifle Association > What_the_Grades_Mean.)
The NRA is split-up into a National-level SIG and separate State-level SIGs, even though the NRA is a National SIG. Dividing it into National and State SIGs makes it easier for us to import ratings into admin. On the National admin profile, enter ratings/endorsements for US Congress and statewide candidates. On the State admin profiles, enter ratings/endorsements for State legislators.
The grades and their value on a 0-100 scale are below:
A+ = 100
A = 93
AQ = 86
A- = 79
B+ = 71
B = 64
B- = 57
C+ = 50
C = 43
C- = 36
D+ = 29
D = 21
D- = 14
F = 7
? = 0
Additions:
~- "Description" is taken from SIG's mission statement. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases. The group description must be in quotes for the website
~- "Note" is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
~- "Year" is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
~- Always select "yes" for "Specify a Name?"
~- Most of the time, "Name" will be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title(ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy)
~- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~- "Numeric (0-100)" - scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- "Grade" - scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
~~- "Rating String" - scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- "Open" - all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
~- Check the box titled "Use Their Rating" whenever using "Numeric (0-100) Rating Format"
~- "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text" do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in
~- "Session" depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
~- Save rating with "Save" button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
~- "SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
~- "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
~~5.Copy and paste into "Candidate ID" box on SIG's rating page and click "Add by ID"
~- After manually inputting all ratings, click "Delete Empty Ratings"
~- "Note" is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
~- "Year" is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
~- Always select "yes" for "Specify a Name?"
~- Most of the time, "Name" will be "Positions," unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title(ex: National Journal: Liberal on Foreign Policy)
~- "Rating Format" depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~- "Numeric (0-100)" - scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- "Grade" - scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with - and +, in this case, use "Open")
~~- "Rating String" - scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- "Open" - all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
~- Check the box titled "Use Their Rating" whenever using "Numeric (0-100) Rating Format"
~- "Rating Description," "Rating Text Name," and "Text" do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose "Supported the Interests (Standard)" on the "Rating Text Name" drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. "Rating Description" and "Text" will automatically fill in
~- "Session" depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
~- Save rating with "Save" button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
~- "SIG rating" - enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
~- "Our rating" - enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and "Use Their Rating" box is checked, leave "Our rating" blank
~~5.Copy and paste into "Candidate ID" box on SIG's rating page and click "Add by ID"
~- After manually inputting all ratings, click "Delete Empty Ratings"
Deletions:
~- “Note†is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
~- “Year†is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
~- Always select “yes†for “Specify a Name?â€
~- Most of the time, “Name†will be “Positions,†unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title(ex: National Journal – Liberal on Foreign Policy)
~- “Rating Format†depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~-“Numeric (0-100)†- scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- “Grade†- scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with – and +, in this case, use “Openâ€)
~~- “Rating String†- scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- “Open†- all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
~- Check the box titled “Use Their Rating†whenever using “Numeric (0-100) Rating Formatâ€
~- “Rating Description,†“Rating Text Name,†and “Text†do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose “Supported the Interests (Standard)†on the “Rating Text Name†drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. “Rating Description and “Text†will automatically fill in
~- “Session†depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
~- Save rating with “Save†button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
~- “SIG rating†- enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
~- “Our rating†- enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and “Use Their Rating†box is checked, leave “Our rating†blank
~~5.Copy and paste into “Candidate ID†box on SIG's rating page and click “Add by IDâ€
~- After manually inputting all ratings, click “Delete Empty Ratingsâ€
Additions:
~- Exceptions to this rule exist, usually when the SIG specifies that refusing to answer the survey translates to a low score, as the NRA does.
~- Another way to deal with these circumstances is to email the SIG, asking how they would like us to treat abstentions. Ask your supervisor if there is enough time to email the SIG. Otherwise, the default is to exclude the candidate, vote, survey question, etc.
~- Another way to deal with these circumstances is to email the SIG, asking how they would like us to treat abstentions. Ask your supervisor if there is enough time to email the SIG. Otherwise, the default is to exclude the candidate, vote, survey question, etc.
Deletions:
Additions:
*Do not count vote abstentions, or refusing to answer a questionnaire. If an interest group uses a voting record to formulate their rating and a candidate abstains from a vote or if a candidate does not vote on a piece of legislation, omit that vote from the total number of votes possible. Likewise, if a candidate does not give a response to a question on a SIG's survey, omit the question from the total number of right answers possible. Example: if there are 6 votes and the candidate votes in line with the interests of the SIG 3 times, against the interests of the SIG 2, and abstains on 1 vote => the candidate voted in line with the SIG on 3/5 votes => 60. Likewise, if a candidate does not answer the survey or vote on any of the legislation the SIG uses on the scorecard, omit the candidate from the rating set.
~- Exceptions to this rule exist, usually when the SIG specifies that refusing to answer the survey translates to a low score, as the NRA does. Another way to deal with these circumstances is to email the SIG, asking how they would like us to treat abstentions. Ask your supervisor if there is enough time to email the SIG. Otherwise, the default is to exclude the candidate, vote, survey question, etc.
~- Exceptions to this rule exist, usually when the SIG specifies that refusing to answer the survey translates to a low score, as the NRA does. Another way to deal with these circumstances is to email the SIG, asking how they would like us to treat abstentions. Ask your supervisor if there is enough time to email the SIG. Otherwise, the default is to exclude the candidate, vote, survey question, etc.
Deletions:
No Differences
Additions:
*Do not count vote abstentions, or refusing to answer a questionnaire. If an interest group uses a voting record to formulate their rating and a candidate abstains from a vote or if a candidate does not vote on a piece of legislation, omit that vote from the total number of votes possible. Likewise, if a candidate does not give a response to a question on a SIG's survey, omit the question from the total number of right answers possible. Example: if there are 6 votes and the candidate votes in line with the interests of the SIG 3 times, against the interests of the SIG 2, and abstains on 1 vote => the candidate voted in line with the SIG on 3/5 votes => 60. Likewise, if a candidate does not answer the survey or vote on any of the legislation the SIG uses on the scorecard, omit the candidate from the rating set. (Exceptions to this rule exist, usually when the SIG specifies that refusing to answer the survey translates to a low score, as the NRA does)
Deletions:
Additions:
~~- do not count vote abstentions, or refusing to answer a questionnaire. If an interest group uses a voting record to formulate their rating and a candidate abstains from a vote or if a candidate does not vote on a piece of legislation, omit that vote from the total number of votes possible. Likewise, if a candidate does not give a response to a question on a SIG's survey, omit the question from the total number of right answers possible. Example: if there are 6 votes and the candidate votes in line with the interests of the SIG 3 times, against the interests of the SIG 2, and abstains on 1 vote => the candidate voted in line with the SIG on 3/5 votes => 60. Likewise, if a candidate does not answer the survey or vote on any of the legislation the SIG uses on the scorecard, omit the candidate from the rating set. (Exceptions to this rule exist, usually when the SIG specifies that refusing to answer the survey translates to a low score, as the NRA does)
Revision [10908]
Edited on 2014-05-30 10:52:19 by KatherineMatthews [reorganization, deleted duplicate info]Additions:
There are two ways the department import ratings into the Project Vote Smart website. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create an excel spreadsheet with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. Either way, the first step is to make sure that the admin database has a profile for the relevant special interest group. Go to admin.votesmart.org and click on SIGs in the left hand column. Search for a SIG with the drop-down menus. //If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor.// If a profile does not exist, check with supervisor before creating one by selecting "Add New Special Interest Group." The field boxes are explained below.
~- Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name); leave "Use Their Rating" and "Major Group" unchecked
~- Update address and URL information once a year
~- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- “Description†is taken from SIG's mission statement. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases. The group description must be in quotes for the website
~- “Note†is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work. Once a SIG has an admin profile, the new rating needs a place to go within the SIG. Click on "Add New Rating." The field boxes are explained below.
~- “Year†is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
~- Always select “yes†for “Specify a Name?â€
~- Most of the time, “Name†will be “Positions,†unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title(ex: National Journal – Liberal on Foreign Policy)
~- “Rating Format†depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~-“Numeric (0-100)†- scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- “Grade†- scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with – and +, in this case, use “Openâ€)
~~- “Rating String†- scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- “Open†- all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
~- Check the box titled “Use Their Rating†whenever using “Numeric (0-100) Rating Formatâ€
~- “Rating Description,†“Rating Text Name,†and “Text†do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose “Supported the Interests (Standard)†on the “Rating Text Name†drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. “Rating Description and “Text†will automatically fill in
~- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- “Session†depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
~- Save rating with “Save†button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
==**MANUAL INPUT**==
This is likely the first method that research staff and interns learn how to use when importing ratings. Manual input is beneficial because it allows people to become familiar with the admin database and with checking their work thoroughly. Click on the year of the new rating. The field boxes are explained below.
~- “SIG rating†- enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
~- “Our rating†- enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and “Use Their Rating†box is checked, leave “Our rating†blank
~- In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
~~1.Go to admin home page
~~2.Search by name
~~3.If needed, limit by State
~~4.Find candidate ID to the left of the candidate's name
~~5.Copy and paste into “Candidate ID†box on SIG's rating page and click “Add by IDâ€
~- After manually inputting all ratings, click “Delete Empty Ratingsâ€
~- Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
==**BULK INPUT**==
This method allows us to post more ratings on our website because it cuts down on the time it takes to input scorecards. There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
**Preparing a Set of Ratings for Import**
~- Use the "Location of Ratings" page on ratings database spreadsheet to select a set of ratings with the status 'available'- please do more recent ratings first, then we'll work on older stuff. Be sure to change the rating's status from 'available' to 'processing.'
~- Open an Excel document
~- Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~~- //If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. If this happens you must get the appropriate roster from admin before doing manual entry.
~~~- From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office
~~~- Select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu)
~~~- Click on 'Go' to see the roster
~~~- Copy the roster and use the 'Paste Special' feature to paste the roster into an Excel document
~~~- Delete any extraneous information (e.g., the 'active' status) and begin entering scores manually//
~- Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~- Select Text and click "OK"
~- In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster. To see a few of the Excel functions that make life a little easier, look at the [[CandidateListImport PCT instructions for preparing Candidate Lists for import]]
~- Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~- The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~- Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
~- SIG Rating
~- Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~- Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
~- [[MatchIDs Match IDs]], unless your supervisor tells you IT will be taking care of it
~- Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
~- Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
~~- Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~~- Use the "Paste Special" function
~~- Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn't work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~- Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~~- Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~~- Select the data in the concatenated column
~~- Copy the data
~~- In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~~- Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~~- Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
- Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
- Follow formatting procedures like you would any other import
~- Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name); leave "Use Their Rating" and "Major Group" unchecked
~- Update address and URL information once a year
~- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- “Description†is taken from SIG's mission statement. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases. The group description must be in quotes for the website
~- “Note†is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work. Once a SIG has an admin profile, the new rating needs a place to go within the SIG. Click on "Add New Rating." The field boxes are explained below.
~- “Year†is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
~- Always select “yes†for “Specify a Name?â€
~- Most of the time, “Name†will be “Positions,†unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title(ex: National Journal – Liberal on Foreign Policy)
~- “Rating Format†depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~~-“Numeric (0-100)†- scorecards with 0-100 scales
~~- “Grade†- scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with – and +, in this case, use “Openâ€)
~~- “Rating String†- scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~~- “Open†- all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
~- Check the box titled “Use Their Rating†whenever using “Numeric (0-100) Rating Formatâ€
~- “Rating Description,†“Rating Text Name,†and “Text†do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose “Supported the Interests (Standard)†on the “Rating Text Name†drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. “Rating Description and “Text†will automatically fill in
~- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
~- “Session†depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
~- Save rating with “Save†button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
==**MANUAL INPUT**==
This is likely the first method that research staff and interns learn how to use when importing ratings. Manual input is beneficial because it allows people to become familiar with the admin database and with checking their work thoroughly. Click on the year of the new rating. The field boxes are explained below.
~- “SIG rating†- enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
~- “Our rating†- enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and “Use Their Rating†box is checked, leave “Our rating†blank
~- In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
~~1.Go to admin home page
~~2.Search by name
~~3.If needed, limit by State
~~4.Find candidate ID to the left of the candidate's name
~~5.Copy and paste into “Candidate ID†box on SIG's rating page and click “Add by IDâ€
~- After manually inputting all ratings, click “Delete Empty Ratingsâ€
~- Save ratings with "Save" button, unless otherwise directed by supervisor
==**BULK INPUT**==
This method allows us to post more ratings on our website because it cuts down on the time it takes to input scorecards. There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
**Preparing a Set of Ratings for Import**
~- Use the "Location of Ratings" page on ratings database spreadsheet to select a set of ratings with the status 'available'- please do more recent ratings first, then we'll work on older stuff. Be sure to change the rating's status from 'available' to 'processing.'
~- Open an Excel document
~- Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~~- //If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. If this happens you must get the appropriate roster from admin before doing manual entry.
~~~- From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office
~~~- Select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu)
~~~- Click on 'Go' to see the roster
~~~- Copy the roster and use the 'Paste Special' feature to paste the roster into an Excel document
~~~- Delete any extraneous information (e.g., the 'active' status) and begin entering scores manually//
~- Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~- Select Text and click "OK"
~- In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster. To see a few of the Excel functions that make life a little easier, look at the [[CandidateListImport PCT instructions for preparing Candidate Lists for import]]
~- Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~- The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~- Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
~- SIG Rating
~- Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~- Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
~- [[MatchIDs Match IDs]], unless your supervisor tells you IT will be taking care of it
~- Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
~- Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
~~- Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~~- Use the "Paste Special" function
~~- Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn't work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~- Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~~- Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~~- Select the data in the concatenated column
~~- Copy the data
~~- In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~~- Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~~- Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
- Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
- Follow formatting procedures like you would any other import
Deletions:
- Update address and URL information once a year
- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
- “Description†is taken from SIG's mission statement. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases
- “Note†is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
- “Year†is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
- Always select “yes†for “Specify a Name?â€
- Most of the time, “Name†will be “Positions,†unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title. (ex: National Journal – Liberal on Foreign Policy)
- “Rating Format†depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~-“Numeric (0-100)†- scorecards with 0-100 scales
~- “Grade†- scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with – and +, in this case, use “Openâ€)
~- “Rating String†- scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~- “Open†- all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
- Check the box titled “Use Their Rating†whenever using “Numeric (0-100) Rating Formatâ€
- “Rating Description,†“Rating Text Name,†and “Text†do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose “Supported the Interests (Standard)†on the “Rating Text Name†drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. “Rating Description and “Text†will automatically fill in
- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
- “Session†depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
- Save rating with “Save†button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
- “SIG rating†- enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
- “Our rating†- enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and “Use Their Rating†box is checked, leave “Our rating†blank
- In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
~1.Go to admin home page
~2.Search by name
~3.If needed, limit by State
~4.Find candidate ID to the left of the candidate's name
~5.Copy and paste into “Candidate ID†box on SIG's rating page and click “Add by IDâ€
-After manually inputting all ratings, click “Delete Empty Ratingsâ€
Manual Input
Bulk Input
This method allows us to post more ratings on our website because it cuts down on the time it takes to input scorecards. There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
==**PREPARING A SET OF RATINGS FOR IMPORT (Staff and Interns)**==
~-Use the "Location of Ratings" page on ratings database spreadsheet to select a set of ratings with the status 'available'- please do more recent ratings first, then we'll work on older stuff. Be sure to change the rating's status from 'available' to 'processing.'
~-Open an Excel document
~-Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~~-//If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. If this happens you must get the appropriate roster from admin before doing manual entry.
~~~-From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office
~~~-Select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu)
~~~-Click on 'Go' to see the roster
~~~-Copy the roster and use the 'Paste Special' feature to paste the roster into an Excel document
~~~-Delete any extraneous information (e.g., the 'active' status) and begin entering scores manually//
~-Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~-Select Text and click "OK"
~-In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster. To see a few of the Excel functions that make life a little easier, look at the [[CandidateListImport PCT instructions for preparing Candidate Lists for import]]
~-Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~-The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~-Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
~-SIG Rating
~-Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~-Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
~-[[MatchIDs Match IDs]], unless your supervisor tells you IT will be taking care of it
~-Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
~-Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
~~-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~~-Use the "Paste Special" function
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn't work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~~-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~~-Select the data in the concatenated column
~~-Copy the data
~~-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~~-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
-Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
-Follow formatting procedures like you would any other import
==**CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY (Staff Only)**==
//Be sure to update the database when you find new contact information.//
~-Login to admin
~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~-Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state
~-Click on search
~~-It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~-Find the group you have new ratings for
~~-If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group
~~-If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor
~-Click on add new rating (near the bottom)
~-Enter the year or years using the full year (e.g., 2007-2008)
~~-To know the full range of the scores, you will have to look at the methodology behind the scores. More often than not, SIGs will provide this information either before or after the scores have been presented.
~-Select the ratings format
~~-We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating
~~-The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
~-(as of February 2013, we are no longer following this step) In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR]. But before you select a blurb, you ought to read the methodology behind the scores (sometimes called 'methodology', other times called 'how we calculated the scores' or some variation of that)
~-Select the session. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating, or rates officials who do not hold voting offices). If you use the exact wording from a SIG on the name of a rating, please put it in double quotations. If we create a name to best suit the rating, ie Lifetime Score or Positions, then do not use double quotations.
~-Check the information and click save
~**Adding New Groups**
~~-BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
~~-Login to admin
~~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~~-At the top, click on add new special interest group
~~-Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
~~-Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
~~-If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
~~-If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's [[Categories1 Description of Categories]] page
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group's mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
~~-Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
~~-Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
Revision [10905]
Edited on 2014-05-29 11:58:50 by KatherineMatthews [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
There are two ways the department import ratings into the Project Vote Smart website. The first is to manually input each rating for individual candidates. The second is to create an excel spreadsheet with all the ratings for all candidates and send the spreadsheet to IT to import in bulk. Either way, it is important to get to know the admin website. Below is an explanation of the field boxes on the SIG admin page:
__Special Interest Group:__
Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory
- Update address and URL information once a year
- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
- “Description†is taken from SIG's mission statement. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases
- “Note†is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
__Ratings:__
- “Year†is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
- Always select “yes†for “Specify a Name?â€
- Most of the time, “Name†will be “Positions,†unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title. (ex: National Journal – Liberal on Foreign Policy)
- “Rating Format†depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~-“Numeric (0-100)†- scorecards with 0-100 scales
~- “Grade†- scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with – and +, in this case, use “Openâ€)
~- “Rating String†- scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~- “Open†- all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
- Check the box titled “Use Their Rating†whenever using “Numeric (0-100) Rating Formatâ€
- “Rating Description,†“Rating Text Name,†and “Text†do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose “Supported the Interests (Standard)†on the “Rating Text Name†drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. “Rating Description and “Text†will automatically fill in
- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
- “Session†depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
- Save rating with “Save†button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
__Candidate or Elected Official:__
- “SIG rating†- enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
- “Our rating†- enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and “Use Their Rating†box is checked, leave “Our rating†blank
- In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
~1.Go to admin home page
~2.Search by name
~3.If needed, limit by State
~4.Find candidate ID to the left of the candidate's name
~5.Copy and paste into “Candidate ID†box on SIG's rating page and click “Add by IDâ€
-After manually inputting all ratings, click “Delete Empty Ratingsâ€
Manual Input
Bulk Input
This method allows us to post more ratings on our website because it cuts down on the time it takes to input scorecards. There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100% are the most preferred way to enter ratings. The Vote Smart Board understands that this occasionally requires some whittling square ratings into our round hole formula. At one time we were able to do this with all but 4 or 5 rating organizations where staff judgement simply could not translate the organization's rating method into a percentage of times that politician supported the organizations advocacy position. The reason for conversion is that if we simply reprint every organization's rating as is they are all over the board with their formulas and it becomes essentially useless to Jane and John Doe voter. So the line we have to walk is between what constitutes used and useful service to the voter and what constitutes basic fairness to the rating organization. It is a difficult thing to do and why we have the inoculating language on our website.
~**To prep rating strings for bulk import**
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn't work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group's mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
__Special Interest Group:__
Most of the Special Interest Group field boxes are self-explanatory
- Update address and URL information once a year
- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
- “Description†is taken from SIG's mission statement. If the description needs more information, take other direct quotes from SIG's website. Do not fabricate any phrases
- “Note†is filled in at our discretion and for our benefit. If a rating is really complicated or the next person might not understand how you computed a score, write it down
__Ratings:__
- “Year†is whatever the SIG specifies as the year. For instance, if the only available date is the date of a press release accompanying the scorecard, take the year of that date. Conversely, if the SIG specifies a scorecard based on the actions of legislators during 2013-2014, take 2013-2014 as the year.
- Always select “yes†for “Specify a Name?â€
- Most of the time, “Name†will be “Positions,†unless the SIG presents a scorecard with a distinct title. (ex: National Journal – Liberal on Foreign Policy)
- “Rating Format†depends on the format of the SIG scorecard. PVS converts all ratings into a 0-100 format with the purpose of uniformity and simplicity. However, interest groups can rate candidates and elected officials on a variety of scales, including: A+, A, A-...F; smiley faces, sad faces; colors; etc.
~-“Numeric (0-100)†- scorecards with 0-100 scales
~- “Grade†- scorecards with specific scale of ABCDF (does not include those scales that grade with – and +, in this case, use “Openâ€)
~- “Rating String†- scorecards that use a series of positive, negative, and neutral symbols. Some examples: a series of pluses and minuses, a series of yes and no, a series of vote directions.
~- “Open†- all scorecards with scales that don't fit the above categories
- Check the box titled “Use Their Rating†whenever using “Numeric (0-100) Rating Formatâ€
- “Rating Description,†“Rating Text Name,†and “Text†do not show up on PVS's website. For consistency and in the case that these field boxes get released to the PVS website, choose “Supported the Interests (Standard)†on the “Rating Text Name†drop-down menu, unless the SIG specifies a certain way they collect and produce ratings. “Rating Description and “Text†will automatically fill in
- Keep Cats and Tags as relevant as possible, according to Research Department's standards
- “Session†depends on the session of congress, if specified by the SIG. Consult a legislative calendar if not sure
- Save rating with “Save†button, unless otherwise specified by supervisor
__Candidate or Elected Official:__
- “SIG rating†- enter the SIG ratings using characters that match the SIG scale as best you can
- “Our rating†- enter the value of the converted rating. If “Numeric (0-100)†and “Use Their Rating†box is checked, leave “Our rating†blank
- In the case that the SIG rates someone whose name does not automatically appear in the list of politicians, add by candidate ID. (Automatic list is of current elected officials)
~1.Go to admin home page
~2.Search by name
~3.If needed, limit by State
~4.Find candidate ID to the left of the candidate's name
~5.Copy and paste into “Candidate ID†box on SIG's rating page and click “Add by IDâ€
-After manually inputting all ratings, click “Delete Empty Ratingsâ€
Manual Input
Bulk Input
This method allows us to post more ratings on our website because it cuts down on the time it takes to input scorecards. There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100% are the most preferred way to enter ratings. The Vote Smart Board understands that this occasionally requires some whittling square ratings into our round hole formula. At one time we were able to do this with all but 4 or 5 rating organizations where staff judgement simply could not translate the organization's rating method into a percentage of times that politician supported the organizations advocacy position. The reason for conversion is that if we simply reprint every organization's rating as is they are all over the board with their formulas and it becomes essentially useless to Jane and John Doe voter. So the line we have to walk is between what constitutes used and useful service to the voter and what constitutes basic fairness to the rating organization. It is a difficult thing to do and why we have the inoculating language on our website.
~**To prep rating strings for bulk import**
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn't work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-It's possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group's mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
Deletions:
There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life's too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
~-**__NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.__** There will be times when researchers from other organizations will ask us for scorecards. Many organizations take down their web pages with old scorecards, making finding archived scores very difficult. If we have the scores they're looking for, we will give a copy to the researcher. If we fax or mail ratings, it looks pretty unprofessional to send a scorecard with our notes and other doodles on them
~-Attach a yellow tracking sheet and place the scorecard in the ratings bin
Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100% are the most preferred way to enter ratings. The Vote Smart Board understands that this occasionally requires some whittling square ratings into our round hole formula. At one time we were able to do this with all but 4 or 5 rating organizations where staff judgement simply could not translate the organization's rating method into a percentage of times that politician supported the organizations advocacy position. The reason for conversion is that if we simply reprint every organization's rating as is they are all over the board with their formulas and it becomes essentially useless to John and Jane Doe voter. So the line we have to walk is between what constitutes used and useful service to the voter and what constitutes basic fairness to the rating organization. It is a difficult thing to do and why we have the inoculating language on our website.
~**To prep rating strings**
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn�t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-It�s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group�s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
Revision [8155]
Edited on 2013-03-23 16:47:28 by KristenVicedomini [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100% are the most preferred way to enter ratings. The Vote Smart Board understands that this occasionally requires some whittling square ratings into our round hole formula. At one time we were able to do this with all but 4 or 5 rating organizations where staff judgement simply could not translate the organization's rating method into a percentage of times that politician supported the organizations advocacy position. The reason for conversion is that if we simply reprint every organization's rating as is they are all over the board with their formulas and it becomes essentially useless to John and Jane Doe voter. So the line we have to walk is between what constitutes used and useful service to the voter and what constitutes basic fairness to the rating organization. It is a difficult thing to do and why we have the inoculating language on our website.
Deletions:
Revision [8150]
Edited on 2013-03-23 14:13:58 by KristenVicedomini [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
~-Use the "Location of Ratings" page on ratings database spreadsheet to select a set of ratings with the status 'available'- please do more recent ratings first, then we'll work on older stuff. Be sure to change the rating's status from 'available' to 'processing.'
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life's too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we've even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any "affirmative" votes (in support of the group's interests, but not necessarily a yes vote) get a "+", any votes against the SIG's interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*"). Be careful- even if the group uses plus and minus symbols, it doesn't necessarily mean they define these symbols the same way we do, and we may have to convert it.
If the group gives a "final grade" as well as a string, we will use that group's final grade. Otherwise we convert their string's using a standard formula. Currently the asterisk does not get counted when converting a string to a percentage, but it is still useful for understanding the rating.
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life's too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we've even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any "affirmative" votes (in support of the group's interests, but not necessarily a yes vote) get a "+", any votes against the SIG's interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*"). Be careful- even if the group uses plus and minus symbols, it doesn't necessarily mean they define these symbols the same way we do, and we may have to convert it.
If the group gives a "final grade" as well as a string, we will use that group's final grade. Otherwise we convert their string's using a standard formula. Currently the asterisk does not get counted when converting a string to a percentage, but it is still useful for understanding the rating.
Deletions:
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life�s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we�ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any �affirmative� votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG�s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*").
Revision [7788]
Edited on 2013-02-22 16:54:52 by KatyDupre [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
~-Use the "Location of Ratings" page on ratings database spreadsheet to select a set of ratings with the status 'available'- please do more recent ratings first, then we�ll work on older stuff. Be sure to change the rating's status from 'available' to 'processing.'
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life�s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we�ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any �affirmative� votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG�s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*").
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn�t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-It�s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~-(as of February 2013, we are no longer following this step) In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR]. But before you select a blurb, you ought to read the methodology behind the scores (sometimes called 'methodology', other times called 'how we calculated the scores' or some variation of that)
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating, or rates officials who do not hold voting offices). If you use the exact wording from a SIG on the name of a rating, please put it in double quotations. If we create a name to best suit the rating, ie Lifetime Score or Positions, then do not use double quotations.
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group�s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life�s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we�ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any �affirmative� votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG�s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*").
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn�t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-It�s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~-(as of February 2013, we are no longer following this step) In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR]. But before you select a blurb, you ought to read the methodology behind the scores (sometimes called 'methodology', other times called 'how we calculated the scores' or some variation of that)
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating, or rates officials who do not hold voting offices). If you use the exact wording from a SIG on the name of a rating, please put it in double quotations. If we create a name to best suit the rating, ie Lifetime Score or Positions, then do not use double quotations.
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group�s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
Deletions:
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life’s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we’ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any ‘affirmative’ votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG’s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*").
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-It’s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~-In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR]. But before you select a blurb, you ought to read the methodology behind the scores (sometimes called 'methodology', other times called 'how we calculated the scores' or some variation of that)
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating, or rates officials who do not hold voting offices).
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
Revision [7070]
Edited on 2012-10-12 11:09:27 by JasonChow [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
Ratings should, if possible, be converted to a percentage. Before converting, please talk to your supervisor - some groups prefer we do not convert their ratings.
~Original Rating: Scores based on a range. Ex: Lowest Score 40, Highest Score 95
~Calculation: 100 * (x-A) / (B-A) = Converted % (where x = Candidate Score, A = Lowest Score in Range, B = Highest Score in Range)
~Original Rating: Scores based on a range. Ex: Lowest Score 40, Highest Score 95
~Calculation: 100 * (x-A) / (B-A) = Converted % (where x = Candidate Score, A = Lowest Score in Range, B = Highest Score in Range)
Deletions:
Revision [6226]
Edited on 2012-05-30 09:54:28 by ChrisLynn [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Deletions:
Revision [6225]
Edited on 2012-05-30 09:40:31 by ChrisLynn [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
[[GuideforPreparingRatingsforImport2012 Guide for Interns 2012]]
Deletions:
Revision [6224]
Edited on 2012-05-30 09:40:06 by ChrisLynn [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
[[2012GuideforPreparingRatingsforImport Guide for Interns 2012]]
Deletions:
Revision [6223]
Edited on 2012-05-30 09:22:32 by ChrisLynn [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
[[2012GuideforPreparingRatingsforImport Summer 2012 Guide for Interns]]
Revision [4881]
Edited on 2011-03-17 12:04:52 by KristenVicedomini [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
~-[[MatchIDs Match IDs]], unless your supervisor tells you IT will be taking care of it
Revision [4880]
Edited on 2011-03-17 12:01:41 by KristenVicedomini [org clean up + added admin field box explanations]Additions:
~-Identifying information for each candidate provided by the SIG (this varies by the scorecard, but may include some combination of names, states, offices, and districts)
Deletions:
~~-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, the office name will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~-District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
~-Official’s Last Name
~~-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
Additions:
~-Use the "Location of Ratings" page on ratings database spreadsheet to select a set of ratings with the status 'available'- please do more recent ratings first, then we’ll work on older stuff. Be sure to change the rating's status from 'available' to 'processing.'
~-Attach a yellow tracking sheet and place the scorecard in the ratings bin
~-Attach a yellow tracking sheet and place the scorecard in the ratings bin
Deletions:
~-Update the "Location of Ratings" spreadsheet with the appropriate color code
~-Place the scorecard in the ratings bin
Additions:
~**To prep rating strings**
~~-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~~-Use the "Paste Special" function
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~~-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~~-Select the data in the concatenated column
~~-Copy the data
~~-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~~-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
//Be sure to update the database when you find new contact information.//
~**Adding New Groups**
~~-BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
~~-Login to admin
~~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~~-At the top, click on add new special interest group
~~-Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
~~-Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
~~-If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
~~-If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's [[Categories1 Description of Categories]] page
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
~~-Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
~~-Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
~~-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~~-Use the "Paste Special" function
~~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~~-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~~-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~~-Select the data in the concatenated column
~~-Copy the data
~~-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~~-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
//Be sure to update the database when you find new contact information.//
~**Adding New Groups**
~~-BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
~~-Login to admin
~~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~~-At the top, click on add new special interest group
~~-Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
~~-Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
~~-If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
~~-If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's [[Categories1 Description of Categories]] page
~~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
~~-Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
~~-Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
Deletions:
~-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~-Use the "Paste Special" function
~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~-Select the data in the concatenated column
~-Copy the data
~-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
**Be sure to update the database when you find new contact information.**
**Adding New Groups**
~-BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
~-At the top, click on add new special interest group
~-Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
~-Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
~-If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
~-If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's [[Categories1 Description of Categories]] page
~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
~-Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
~-Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
Additions:
There are two critical steps in importing ratings. First, an Excel document must be created with the data that will be imported into admin. Second, there must be a place to import the ratings in admin - there must be a rating entry where the information will be stored.
==**PREPARING A SET OF RATINGS FOR IMPORT (Staff and Interns)**==
**Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import**
**Converting Ratings**
**Rating Strings**
**To prep rating strings**
==**CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY (Staff Only)**==
**Adding New Groups**
==**PREPARING A SET OF RATINGS FOR IMPORT (Staff and Interns)**==
**Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import**
**Converting Ratings**
**Rating Strings**
**To prep rating strings**
==**CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY (Staff Only)**==
**Adding New Groups**
Deletions:
==Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import:==
**CONVERTING RATINGS**
**RATING STRINGS**
==To prep rating strings:==
**CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY**
**ADDING NEW GROUPS**
Additions:
~-**__NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.__** There will be times when researchers from other organizations will ask us for scorecards. Many organizations take down their web pages with old scorecards, making finding archived scores very difficult. If we have the scores they're looking for, we will give a copy to the researcher. If we fax or mail ratings, it looks pretty unprofessional to send a scorecard with our notes and other doodles on them
Deletions:
Additions:
~-**__NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.__**
Deletions:
Additions:
~-Select Text and click "OK"
Deletions:
Additions:
~-In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster. To see a few of the Excel functions that make life a little easier, look at the [[CandidateListImport PCT instructions for preparing Candidate Lists for import]]
~~-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~~-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, the office name will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~~-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~-**_NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD._**
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we’ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any ‘affirmative’ votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG’s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*").
~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
~-In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR]. But before you select a blurb, you ought to read the methodology behind the scores (sometimes called 'methodology', other times called 'how we calculated the scores' or some variation of that)
~-Select the session. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating, or rates officials who do not hold voting offices).
~~-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~~-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, the office name will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~~-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~-**_NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD._**
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we’ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group's interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any ‘affirmative’ votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG’s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get an asterisk ("*").
~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials" name and other identifying information, of course) can be deleted
~-In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR]. But before you select a blurb, you ought to read the methodology behind the scores (sometimes called 'methodology', other times called 'how we calculated the scores' or some variation of that)
~-Select the session. To do this, you'll need to know how many years the legislature is in session - pretty easy for Congress, not so straightforward for state legislatures...
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating, or rates officials who do not hold voting offices).
Deletions:
~-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~-**NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.**
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we’ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group’s interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any ‘affirmative’ votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG’s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get a "*".
~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials’ name an other information, of course) can be deleted
~-In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
~-Select the session
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
Additions:
~~~-Click on 'Go' to see the roster
Deletions:
Additions:
~~-//If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. If this happens you must get the appropriate roster from admin before doing manual entry.
~~~-From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office
~~~-Select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu)
~~~-Click on 'Go' to see that roster
~~~-Copy the roster and use the 'Paste Special' feature to paste the roster into an Excel document
~~~-Delete any extraneous information (e.g., the 'active' status) and begin entering scores manually//
~~~-From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office
~~~-Select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu)
~~~-Click on 'Go' to see that roster
~~~-Copy the roster and use the 'Paste Special' feature to paste the roster into an Excel document
~~~-Delete any extraneous information (e.g., the 'active' status) and begin entering scores manually//
Deletions:
Additions:
==To prepare a set of ratings for import:==
~~-//If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. If this happens you must get the appropriate roster from admin before doing manual entry. From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office. Then select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu). Click on 'Go' to see that roster.//
~~-//If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. If this happens you must get the appropriate roster from admin before doing manual entry. From the "Search officials and candidates, Biography Section" of admin, toggle the "by Office Held" drop-down menu to the appropriate office. Then select the state (use 'National' for members of Congress or to search several states at once) and the appropriate year (the 'Active' drop-down menu). Click on 'Go' to see that roster.//
Deletions:
~-If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
Additions:
~-If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's [[Categories1 Description of Categories]] page
Deletions:
Additions:
~-Use the "Location of Ratings" document to select a set of ratings - please do more recent ratings first, then we’ll work on older stuff
~-Open an Excel document
~-Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~-If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
~-Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~-Select Text and click "Enter"
~-In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
~-Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~-The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~-District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
~-Official’s Last Name
~-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~-SIG Rating
~-Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~-Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
==Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import:==
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life’s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
~-**NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.**
~-Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
~-Update the "Location of Ratings" spreadsheet with the appropriate color code
~-Place the scorecard in the ratings bin
~-Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
~Original Rating: A, B, C, D, F
~Calculation: 100/(5-1) = 25
~Conversion Scale A=100; B= 75;C=50; D=25; F=0
==To prep rating strings:==
~-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~-Use the "Paste Special" function
~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~-Select the data in the concatenated column
~-Copy the data
~-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials’ name an other information, of course) can be deleted
~-Login to admin
~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~-Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state
~-Click on search
~~-It’s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~-Find the group you have new ratings for
~~-If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group
~~-If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor
~-Click on add new rating (near the bottom)
~-Enter the year or years using the full year (e.g., 2007-2008)
~~-To know the full range of the scores, you will have to look at the methodology behind the scores. More often than not, SIGs will provide this information either before or after the scores have been presented.
~-Select the ratings format
~~-We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating
~~-The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
~-In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
~-Select the session
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
~-Check the information and click save
~-Move your cursor over the entry you just created. You may need to right click on the year and select "properties" - a rating ID will appear. Please be sure to update your import document to include the rating ID (e.g., you may now have a document named "ACLU_2009_RID1234")
~-BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
~-Login to admin
~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~-At the top, click on add new special interest group
~-Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
~-Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
~-If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
~-If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's Description of Categories page
~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
~-Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
~-Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
~-Open an Excel document
~-Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~-If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
~-Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~-Select Text and click "Enter"
~-In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
~-Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~-The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~-District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
~-Official’s Last Name
~-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~-SIG Rating
~-Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~-Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
==Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import:==
~-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life’s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
~-**NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.**
~-Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
~-Update the "Location of Ratings" spreadsheet with the appropriate color code
~-Place the scorecard in the ratings bin
~-Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
~Original Rating: A, B, C, D, F
~Calculation: 100/(5-1) = 25
~Conversion Scale A=100; B= 75;C=50; D=25; F=0
==To prep rating strings:==
~-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
~-Use the "Paste Special" function
~-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
~-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
~-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
~-Select the data in the concatenated column
~-Copy the data
~-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
~-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
~-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials’ name an other information, of course) can be deleted
~-Login to admin
~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~-Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state
~-Click on search
~~-It’s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
~-Find the group you have new ratings for
~~-If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group
~~-If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor
~-Click on add new rating (near the bottom)
~-Enter the year or years using the full year (e.g., 2007-2008)
~~-To know the full range of the scores, you will have to look at the methodology behind the scores. More often than not, SIGs will provide this information either before or after the scores have been presented.
~-Select the ratings format
~~-We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating
~~-The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
~-In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
~-Select the session
~~-This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
~-Check the information and click save
~-Move your cursor over the entry you just created. You may need to right click on the year and select "properties" - a rating ID will appear. Please be sure to update your import document to include the rating ID (e.g., you may now have a document named "ACLU_2009_RID1234")
~-BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
~-Login to admin
~-Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
~-At the top, click on add new special interest group
~-Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
~-Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
~-If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
~-If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's Description of Categories page
~-The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
~-Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
~-Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
Deletions:
~Open an Excel document
~Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
~Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~Select Text and click "Enter"
~In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
~Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
~Official’s Last Name
~For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~SIG Rating
~Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import:
-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life’s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
-**NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.**
-Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
-Update the "Location of Ratings" spreadsheet with the appropriate color code
-Place the scorecard in the ratings bin
-Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
Original Rating: A, B, C, D, F
Calculation: 100/(5-1) = 25
Conversion Scale A=100; B= 75;C=50; D=25; F=0
To prep rating strings:
-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
-Use the "Paste Special" function
-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
-Select the data in the concatenated column
-Copy the data
-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials’ name an other information, of course) can be deleted
1. Login to admin
2. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
3. Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state
4. Click on search
a. It’s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
5. Find the group you have new ratings for
a. If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group
b. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor
5. Click on add new rating (near the bottom)
6. Enter the year or years using the full year (e.g., 2007-2008)
a. To know the full range of the scores, you will have to look at the methodology behind the scores. More often than not, SIGs will provide this information either before or after the scores have been presented.
7. Select the ratings format
a. We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating
b. The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
8. In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
9. Select the session
a. This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
10. Check the information and click save
11. Move your cursor over the entry you just created. You may need to right click on the year and select "properties" - a rating ID will appear. Please be sure to update your import document to include the rating ID (e.g., you may now have a document named "ACLU_2009_RID1234")
1. BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
2. Login to admin
3. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
4. At the top, click on add new special interest group
5. Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
6. Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
7. If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
8. If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's Description of Categories page
9. The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
10. Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
11. Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
Additions:
==When you are ready to prepare a set of ratings for import:==
~Use the "Location of Ratings" document to select a set of ratings - please do more recent ratings first, then we’ll work on older stuff
~Open an Excel document
~Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
~Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~Select Text and click "Enter"
~In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
~Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
~Official’s Last Name
~For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~SIG Rating
~Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
~Use the "Location of Ratings" document to select a set of ratings - please do more recent ratings first, then we’ll work on older stuff
~Open an Excel document
~Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
~If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
~Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
~Select Text and click "Enter"
~In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
~Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
~The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
~If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
~Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
~District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
~Official’s Last Name
~For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
~SIG Rating
~Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
~Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
Deletions:
Use the "Location of Ratings" document to select a set of ratings - please do more recent ratings first, then we’ll work on older stuff
Open an Excel document
Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
-If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
Select Text and click "Enter"
In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
-District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
-Official’s Last Name
-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
-SIG Rating
-Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
-Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
Additions:
**Be sure to update the database when you find new contact information.**
Deletions:
No Differences
Additions:
**====Step 2. Preparing Ratings for Import====**
-**NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.**
**CONVERTING RATINGS**
**RATING STRINGS**
**CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY**
**ADDING NEW GROUPS**
-**NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.**
**CONVERTING RATINGS**
**RATING STRINGS**
**CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY**
**ADDING NEW GROUPS**
Deletions:
-NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.
CONVERTING RATINGS
RATING STRINGS
CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY
ADDING NEW GROUPS
Additions:
-Please be sure that strings correspond with what appears in scorecards
Deletions:
Right: "+--**-+"
Wrong: "++---**"
Wrong: "++---"
Wrong: "+---+"
Additions:
-Please be sure that strings correspond with scorecards. For example, if you see a rating that reads "+ - - NV NV - +"
Right: "+--**-+"
Wrong: "++---**"
Wrong: "++---"
Wrong: "+---+"
Right: "+--**-+"
Wrong: "++---**"
Wrong: "++---"
Wrong: "+---+"
Deletions:
Right: +--**-+
Wrong: ++---**
Wrong: ++---
Wrong: +---+
Additions:
**Step 2. Preparing Ratings for Import**
Upon discovering a new rating, the Ratings team used to enter each rating one at a time, accompanied by an elaborate and painstaking check process. Thankfully, technology allows us to work with IT on imports, making the process far less time consuming. It has also allowed the Project to post ratings that most accurately represent the groups and to have an archive of entire scorecards.
When you are ready to prepare a set of ratings for import:
Use the "Location of Ratings" document to select a set of ratings - please do more recent ratings first, then we’ll work on older stuff
Open an Excel document
Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
-If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
Select Text and click "Enter"
In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
-District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
-Official’s Last Name
-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
-SIG Rating
-Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
-Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import:
-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life’s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
-NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.
-Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
-Update the "Location of Ratings" spreadsheet with the appropriate color code
-Place the scorecard in the ratings bin
-Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
CONVERTING RATINGS
Ratings should, if possible, should be converted to a percentage. Before converting, please talk to your supervisor - some groups prefer we do not convert their ratings.
Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100 are the most preferred way to enter ratings.
Converting ratings can sometimes depend on the original SIG scores, but typically you will divide 100 by the number of ratings possible minus 1. This will give the number of points between ratings. Set the lowest rating at 0 and each rating should be set higher by the calculated number of points. Enter the numerical ratings and include the conversion scale in the ratings checking folder. Example:
RATING STRINGS
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we’ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group’s interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any ‘affirmative’ votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG’s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get a "*".
To prep rating strings:
-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
-Use the "Paste Special" function
-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
-Select the data in the concatenated column
-Copy the data
-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials’ name an other information, of course) can be deleted
Remember!
-Please be sure that strings correspond with scorecards. For example, if you see a rating that reads + - - NV NV - +
Right: +--**-+
Wrong: ++---**
Wrong: ++---
Wrong: +---+
-Follow formatting procedures like you would any other import
CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY
Be sure to update the database when you find new contact information.
1. Login to admin
2. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
3. Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state
4. Click on search
a. It’s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
5. Find the group you have new ratings for
a. If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group
b. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor
5. Click on add new rating (near the bottom)
6. Enter the year or years using the full year (e.g., 2007-2008)
a. To know the full range of the scores, you will have to look at the methodology behind the scores. More often than not, SIGs will provide this information either before or after the scores have been presented.
7. Select the ratings format
a. We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating
b. The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
8. In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
9. Select the session
a. This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
10. Check the information and click save
11. Move your cursor over the entry you just created. You may need to right click on the year and select "properties" - a rating ID will appear. Please be sure to update your import document to include the rating ID (e.g., you may now have a document named "ACLU_2009_RID1234")
ADDING NEW GROUPS
1. BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
2. Login to admin
3. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
4. At the top, click on add new special interest group
5. Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
6. Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
7. If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
8. If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's Description of Categories page
9. The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
10. Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
11. Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
Upon discovering a new rating, the Ratings team used to enter each rating one at a time, accompanied by an elaborate and painstaking check process. Thankfully, technology allows us to work with IT on imports, making the process far less time consuming. It has also allowed the Project to post ratings that most accurately represent the groups and to have an archive of entire scorecards.
When you are ready to prepare a set of ratings for import:
Use the "Location of Ratings" document to select a set of ratings - please do more recent ratings first, then we’ll work on older stuff
Open an Excel document
Use your cursor to copy the names of elected officials and their corresponding scores
-If it is not possible to copy and paste scores, they must be entered manually. Please see your supervisor if this happens
Right-click a cell in your spreadsheet and go to "Paste Special"
Select Text and click "Enter"
In an ideal world, your paste will look like you typed in everything neatly yourself. This is rare. You will be shown techniques on sorting the data properly, and making the import prep process faster
Save your spreadsheet in either the Fed or State Ratings folder, in the "To be Imported" stage
The following categories must be included in your spreadsheet:
-If Congressional ratings, the official’s state he or she represents
-Office information (a.k.a., which chamber the official belongs to. For Congress, you must use either "U.S. House" or "U.S. Senate"; for states, this will vary - the important thing is that the office information match what appears in admin exactly).
-District number/name (for U.S. Senate, this will be either "Jr" or "Sr")
-Official’s Last Name
-For large legislatures and chambers with officials sharing the same last name (e.g., New Hampshire), the official’s First Name
-SIG Rating
-Our Rating (only if scores must be converted)
-Any legislator that has not been rated will not need to be included on the import spreadsheet
Once you have prepared a spreadsheet for import:
-Print out the scorecard IN ITS ENTIRETY. In the past, some have printed only scores without printing the methodology or explanation as to which votes were used in the scoring. Life’s too short to live in the past, so please print out the whole thing!
-NEVER WRITE ON A SCORECARD.
-Create a new rating entry (see instructions below)
-Update the "Location of Ratings" spreadsheet with the appropriate color code
-Place the scorecard in the ratings bin
-Let your supervisor know you have completed a set of ratings and move on to the next task
CONVERTING RATINGS
Ratings should, if possible, should be converted to a percentage. Before converting, please talk to your supervisor - some groups prefer we do not convert their ratings.
Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100 are the most preferred way to enter ratings.
Converting ratings can sometimes depend on the original SIG scores, but typically you will divide 100 by the number of ratings possible minus 1. This will give the number of points between ratings. Set the lowest rating at 0 and each rating should be set higher by the calculated number of points. Enter the numerical ratings and include the conversion scale in the ratings checking folder. Example:
RATING STRINGS
Occasionally, you will see a set of votes that are coded in such a way that shows that a legislator voted with or against the interests of an organization, with no final number or grade at the end - we call this a rating string. This will manifest in various ways, sometimes in "+" or "-" form, sometimes "Y" or "N"; we’ve even seen smiley and frowning faces that represent the group’s interests. When you come across this for the first time, please let your supervisor know. Hopefully, you will never have to enter a rating string manually - if you do, please see your supervisor; do not try to prep this for import on your own without approval.
Admin will automatically convert a rating string to a percentage - it does this according to how many votes the legislator actually cast. Admin only understands "+" and "-" (but if only it could understand smiley faces!), so when you prepare rating strings for import, please make sure any ‘affirmative’ votes get a "+", any votes against the SIG’s interest get a "-" and any places where the legislator did not vote, was absent, or excused get a "*".
To prep rating strings:
-Copy names and corresponding strings into an Excel document
-Use the "Paste Special" function
-Be sure every "+" and "-" (or whatever) is in its own cell, along with other items you would normally separate categorically. If this doesn’t work, as your supervisor about the "Text to Columns" feature
-Use "=CONCATENATE" to begin the process of bringing the data into one cell. In parentheses, name every cell in which the data must be merged, separating cell numbers by a comma and no space. For instance, if you wanted to merge the data in cells F2 - J2, the command will be =CONCATENATE(F2,G2,H2,I2,J2)
-Use the drag feature to place this command in every cell thereafter (e.g., if you will use the same function in rows 2-200, you can drag down to row 200 and Excel will automatically re-number the concatenate command). You can also double click in the lower-right corner of the highlighted cell to autofill.
-Select the data in the concatenated column
-Copy the data
-In the next column over, use the "Paste Special" function
-Select "Values" under the paste heading and click OK
-Make sure that the data with the values only is what you import - everything else (except officials’ name an other information, of course) can be deleted
Remember!
-Please be sure that strings correspond with scorecards. For example, if you see a rating that reads + - - NV NV - +
Right: +--**-+
Wrong: ++---**
Wrong: ++---
Wrong: +---+
-Follow formatting procedures like you would any other import
CREATING A NEW RATING ENTRY
Be sure to update the database when you find new contact information.
1. Login to admin
2. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
3. Use the drop down menu to sort SIGs - use "National" for groups rating members of Congress; for state ratings, select the appropriate state
4. Click on search
a. It’s possible to narrow your search by using the "Category" drop down menu; however, some of our SIGs might be miscategorized. If you believe a SIG has been miscategorized, talk to your supervisor
5. Find the group you have new ratings for
a. If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group
b. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor
5. Click on add new rating (near the bottom)
6. Enter the year or years using the full year (e.g., 2007-2008)
a. To know the full range of the scores, you will have to look at the methodology behind the scores. More often than not, SIGs will provide this information either before or after the scores have been presented.
7. Select the ratings format
a. We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating
b. The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
8. In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
9. Select the session
a. This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
10. Check the information and click save
11. Move your cursor over the entry you just created. You may need to right click on the year and select "properties" - a rating ID will appear. Please be sure to update your import document to include the rating ID (e.g., you may now have a document named "ACLU_2009_RID1234")
ADDING NEW GROUPS
1. BE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS APPROVED THE NEW GROUP
2. Login to admin
3. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left)
4. At the top, click on add new special interest group
5. Enter the name and contact information. Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.
6. Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name)
7. If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category)
8. If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see the Key Votes department's Description of Categories page
9. The group description must be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the group’s mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
10. Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered
11. Click on save and let your supervisor know so he/she can check your work
Deletions:
Once a Rating has been found it needs to be entered.
**NEW GROUPS**
1. Be sure that your supervisor has approved the new group.
2. Login to admin.
3. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left).
4. At the top, click on add new special interest group.
5. Enter the name and contact information.
6. Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name).
7. If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category).
8. If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see [[NewCategories the Key Votes department's Description of Categories page]].
9. The group description needs to be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the groups mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
10. Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered.
11. Click on save.
ALSO NOTE: Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.)
**CONVERTING RATINGS**
Ratings should, if possible, should be converted to a percentage. For example, Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100 are the most preferred way to enter ratings.
Converting ratings is a simple but somewhat tedious process. First count the number of ratings possible. Divide 100 by the number of ratings minus 1. This will give the number of points between ratings. Set the lowest rating at 0 and each rating should be set higher by the calculated number of points. Enter the numerical ratings and include the conversion scale in the ratings checking folder. Example:
**NEW RATING**
1. Login to admin.
2. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left).
3. Click on search (this should bring up a list of all of the national SIGs).
4. Find the group you have new ratings for.
a. If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group.
b. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor (this happens when groups rate different concerns separately like social issues and foreign affairs).
5. Click on add new rating (near the bottom).
6. Enter the year or years using the full year (i.e. 2007-2008).
7. Select the ratings format.
a. We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating to a ratings score (see the above section on converting ratings).
b. The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
8. In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
9. Select the session.
a. Use first session for odd years and second session for even years.
b. Use full session for a whole congress (i.e. the 109th congress from 2005-2006).
c. This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
10. Check the information and click save.
11. Go up the page and click on the year(s) for the rating you just entered listed under Rating(s).
12. Go down the page to the list of candidates.
13. Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best.
a. Office means either house or senate.
b. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
14. Click on the first name (the name and not anything else).
15. In the box labeled SIG Rating, enter the rating for that elected official and click save (you need to click save; you cannot use the enter key).
16. Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th). If a representative becomes a senator, enter the rating he or she was given when he or she was a representative under the new senator's name.
17. Clicking on save will bring up the next elected official. Enter the rating and click on save again.
18. When you have entered all of the ratings, your supervisor will probably want you to print an error report.
a. Just above the names, under a. Just above the names, under "number of errors" enter 4 or 5 errors. The Click Generate Proofing Report.
b. Take the reports to your supervisor.
Additions:
8. If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor. For more information on which category to select, see [[NewCategories the Key Votes department's Description of Categories page]].
Deletions:
Additions:
**NEW GROUPS**
**CONVERTING RATINGS**
**NEW RATING**
**CONVERTING RATINGS**
**NEW RATING**
Deletions:
CONVERTING RATINGS
NEW RATING
Additions:
**Entering and Releasing Ratings**
Deletions:
Additions:
a. Just above the names, under a. Just above the names, under "number of errors" enter 4 or 5 errors. The Click Generate Proofing Report.
b. Take the reports to your supervisor.
b. Take the reports to your supervisor.
Deletions:
No Differences
No Differences
Additions:
a. Just above the names, under a. Just above the names, under
Deletions:
Additions:
16. Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th). If a representative becomes a senator, enter the rating he or she was given when he or she was a representative under the new senator's name.
17. Clicking on save will bring up the next elected official. Enter the rating and click on save again.
18. When you have entered all of the ratings, your supervisor will probably want you to print an error report.
a. Just above the names, under
17. Clicking on save will bring up the next elected official. Enter the rating and click on save again.
18. When you have entered all of the ratings, your supervisor will probably want you to print an error report.
a. Just above the names, under
Deletions:
Additions:
Entering and Releasing Ratings
Once a Rating has been found it needs to be entered.
NEW GROUPS
1. Be sure that your supervisor has approved the new group.
2. Login to admin.
3. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left).
4. At the top, click on add new special interest group.
5. Enter the name and contact information.
6. Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name).
7. If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category).
8. If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor.
9. The group description needs to be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the groups mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
10. Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered.
11. Click on save.
ALSO NOTE: Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.)
CONVERTING RATINGS
Ratings should, if possible, should be converted to a percentage. For example, Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100 are the most preferred way to enter ratings.
Converting ratings is a simple but somewhat tedious process. First count the number of ratings possible. Divide 100 by the number of ratings minus 1. This will give the number of points between ratings. Set the lowest rating at 0 and each rating should be set higher by the calculated number of points. Enter the numerical ratings and include the conversion scale in the ratings checking folder. Example:
Original Rating: A, B, C, D, F
Calculation: 100/(5-1) = 25
Conversion Scale A=100; B= 75;C=50; D=25; F=0
NEW RATING
1. Login to admin.
2. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left).
3. Click on search (this should bring up a list of all of the national SIGs).
4. Find the group you have new ratings for.
a. If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group.
b. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor (this happens when groups rate different concerns separately like social issues and foreign affairs).
5. Click on add new rating (near the bottom).
6. Enter the year or years using the full year (i.e. 2007-2008).
7. Select the ratings format.
a. We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating to a ratings score (see the above section on converting ratings).
b. The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
8. In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
9. Select the session.
a. Use first session for odd years and second session for even years.
b. Use full session for a whole congress (i.e. the 109th congress from 2005-2006).
c. This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
10. Check the information and click save.
11. Go up the page and click on the year(s) for the rating you just entered listed under Rating(s).
12. Go down the page to the list of candidates.
13. Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best.
a. Office means either house or senate.
b. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
14. Click on the first name (the name and not anything else).
15. In the box labeled SIG Rating, enter the rating for that elected official and click save (you need to click save; you cannot use the enter key).
16. Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th). If a representative becomes a senator, enter the rating he or she was given when he or she was a representative under the new senator
Once a Rating has been found it needs to be entered.
NEW GROUPS
1. Be sure that your supervisor has approved the new group.
2. Login to admin.
3. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left).
4. At the top, click on add new special interest group.
5. Enter the name and contact information.
6. Check the ratings group box (to the right of the name).
7. If the category is obvious, click on the category (i.e. the group name is American Civil Liberties Union, the click on civil liberties as the category).
8. If the category is not obvious, talk to your supervisor.
9. The group description needs to be in quotes for the website. The description is usually the groups mission statement, but if you do not know what to put, talk to your supervisor. The description is usually a short paragraph.
10. Check your spelling and the accuracy of the information you entered.
11. Click on save.
ALSO NOTE: Please make sure to fill in the appropriate boxes such as, Group Name, Groups Address, E-mail, URL, Contact Name, Rating value, etc.)
CONVERTING RATINGS
Ratings should, if possible, should be converted to a percentage. For example, Ratings scores ranging from 0 to 100 are the most preferred way to enter ratings.
Converting ratings is a simple but somewhat tedious process. First count the number of ratings possible. Divide 100 by the number of ratings minus 1. This will give the number of points between ratings. Set the lowest rating at 0 and each rating should be set higher by the calculated number of points. Enter the numerical ratings and include the conversion scale in the ratings checking folder. Example:
Original Rating: A, B, C, D, F
Calculation: 100/(5-1) = 25
Conversion Scale A=100; B= 75;C=50; D=25; F=0
NEW RATING
1. Login to admin.
2. Click on SIGs (in the menu on the left).
3. Click on search (this should bring up a list of all of the national SIGs).
4. Find the group you have new ratings for.
a. If you cannot find your group, follow the steps for a new group.
b. If the group is listed more than once, talk to your supervisor (this happens when groups rate different concerns separately like social issues and foreign affairs).
5. Click on add new rating (near the bottom).
6. Enter the year or years using the full year (i.e. 2007-2008).
7. Select the ratings format.
a. We prefer ratings in the numeric (0-100) form. If the rating is not in this form, check with your supervisor. They might have you convert the rating to a ratings score (see the above section on converting ratings).
b. The open option is generally used for groups that rate candidates on a points scale.
8. In the text field, enter the appropriate blurb (see the Appendix section or talk to your supervisor if you are not sure). The most common blurb is: [TITLE] [NAME] supported the interests of the [ORGANIZATION] [RATING] percent in [YEAR].
9. Select the session.
a. Use first session for odd years and second session for even years.
b. Use full session for a whole congress (i.e. the 109th congress from 2005-2006).
c. This field should be left blank if you are unsure or the rating does not fit into one of the above categories (i.e. the score is a lifetime rating).
10. Check the information and click save.
11. Go up the page and click on the year(s) for the rating you just entered listed under Rating(s).
12. Go down the page to the list of candidates.
13. Click on the sort rating list button that matches the SIG rating the best.
a. Office means either house or senate.
b. State means states in alphabetical order by postal abbreviation (NOT real alphabetical order).
14. Click on the first name (the name and not anything else).
15. In the box labeled SIG Rating, enter the rating for that elected official and click save (you need to click save; you cannot use the enter key).
16. Ask your supervisor for a list of names to watch for (i.e. when sons take the office their fathers used to have, like Bilirakis in the FL 9th). If a representative becomes a senator, enter the rating he or she was given when he or she was a representative under the new senator
