Vote Entering

Frequently Used Links: Vote Entry Checklist | Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors | Synopsis Intro Phrases | Key Votes Homepage | Training Guide | FAQs
Vote Entering - Table of Contents
Introduction
The Bill Report
Bill Folder
Admin
Vote Checks
FAQs
RESOURCES
Final Note

In Key Votes, we supply our readers with a complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select. Only Key Votes will merit a voting record and a summary. This page contains information about how to maneuver through our online data entry portal known as “Admin,” how and where to retrieve the necessary data, and how to input the information. For quick references we provide an easy-to-use “Vote Entry Checklist.” You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under Vote Entering Guide. You can also return to the Intern Training Guide from this page. Use the links in the table of contents to jump down to any section, and click the header name to jump back up to the table of contents.


Introduction


Overview of the Process

Vote Smart employees and interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each bill we select. This includes every stage the bill went through, from introduce to veto override, as well as inputting the voting record for each Key Vote status within that bill history. This process is crucial to creating a comprehensive picture of the bill. As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each vote entry will be checked by a staff member. Within Admin, only staff members are authorized to release content live to the website. After you have finished working on the vote entry, enter your name and the date in the applicable cell on the Bill Report and update your In Progress status so a staff member can check your work.

What You Will Need

When working on vote entry, you should have the following resources open and available: Other useful pages include:

The Bill Report

Each Key Vote will have its own entry in the Bill Report (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one entry). The Bill Report will automatically save your entries, and it is essential to tracking work in the department. Each state has its own sheet on the State Bill Report.

How Content Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process

The information in the Bill Report Google Doc is necessary for an entry into Admin. Different types of information have different purposes.

Bill Folder

All information regarding selected bills is stored in the Google Drive. Individual bill folders can be found in state folders or Congressional session folders, depending on the origin of the bill.

Press File and Bill Text

Within the Key Votes folder, locate the “State Bills” folder. Here you will find a folder for each state. Within each individual state folder there are folders labeled with years. Within the folder for this year there are folders for each bill selected for the year. Within each bill folder, you will find the following documents:
As it relates to the vote entry process, the press file and bill text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis. For each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the press file and skim the bill text to help with the temporary title and synopsis. For a description of the press file and bill text, and for an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the Summary Writing Guide.

Bill History

The bill history is taken directly from the state legislature website and is our road map for covering the bill. A bill's entry in Admin should cover each full chamber vote on the bill itself throughout the bill's history, as well as any executive stage. Stages selected as Key Votes will be indicate on the Bill Report and by file names in the bill folder.

Sponsors will most often be listed on the bill history. It is important to return to the state legislature website at the time of vote entry to ensure that the most current list of sponsors is entered.

Vote Breakdown

The vote breakdown is also taken directly from the state legislature website. Some states make the full voting record available with the bill history, while in other it will only be available in the House or Senate journal. The vote breakdown will detail how each individual member voted at that time. It may also contain votes that were changed or cast after the roll call. If the state in question uses roll call numbers they will be listed on the vote breakdown.

Admin

Admin is where we enter in all of our data; it funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered should be gathered from both the bill folder and state bill report.

Creating a New Vote Entry

Once logged in to Admin, click on "Congress Track" on the left hand side. Select the correct state and year from the drop down menus and search the bill number to make sure there is not already an entry for it. If no previous entry exists, in the lower half of the page, select the relevant state and then click "Add New for". Don't click the "Add New for" button without selecting a state. It's a common mistake.

Data Entry Fields in Admin

The following is a list of data fields that must be filled out during any vote entry. This is just an introduction to Admin. The more in-depth Guide follows.
  • Title
  • Date Introduced
  • Bill Type
  • Bill Number
  • Chamber (Level)
  • Stage
  • Outcome
  • Status Date
  • Roll Call Number if applicable - Key Votes Only
  • Key Vote Checkbox - Key Votes Only
  • Voice Vote Checkbox if applicable
  • Rank
  • Yeas
  • Nays
  • Title (Repeated)
  • Highlights - Key Votes Only
  • Synopsis - Key Votes Only
  • Categories - Key Votes and Governor Stages Only
  • Tags - Key Votes and Governor Stages Only
  • Bill Text - Key Votes Only
  • Notes on a Specific Stage
  • Committee Actions
    • Sponsorships
  • View Votes/Actions
    • Sponsorships
    • Voting Records - Key Votes Only
    • Governor Action

Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because they are no longer in use:
  • Official Title
  • Official Synopsis
  • Budget Docs

Other entry fields located in Admin are active but should not be used by staff or interns for State Key Votes:

Temporary Highlight

One of the data entry fields listed above is the "highlights" field. We will be inserting content into that field for Key Votes only. However, during the vote entering process we will not yet have a summary ready for that Key Vote. To let our readers know why there is no summary, we will enter a "temporary highlight" informing the readers that we are still working on it and that we are trying to get it up as quickly as possible. We also provide contact information if they have any questions.

During the vote entry process, copy and paste this Temporary Highlight in the highlights field for Key Votes. Be sure to replace the 4 X's with the number of the bill you are working on.

Entering Votes in Admin Guide

Once you have basic sense of Admin you can use this Entering Votes in Admin Guide to assist you in vote entry. Each section contains a screenshot guide to help make things more concrete. This will be useful the first few times you work on vote entry as there is a lot of information to digest.

Vote Entry Checklist

When you are more familiar with Admin you may find more use from this Vote Entry Checklist that succinctly list the data needed for each stage of a bill.

Vote Checks

This refers to the checks performed prior to a vote being released to the live website.

Goals

A vote check involves all the same steps as a vote entry. It should be treated with the same attention to detail to ensure that live vote entries are completely accurate. The goal of a vote check is to make sure that the version in Admin is accurate, nonpartisan, follows the Vote Entry Checklist, and has an error-less voting record. Always make sure the dates, numbers, categories, tags, bill texts, etc. are not only present but accurate.

Tips & Guidelines

Vote checks should be performed essentially as if you were entering the vote yourself. Be sure to check every aspect of data that was initially entered. This includes the following:

Resources

Amendment Votes
Roll Call Numbers
Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State
Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules
Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights
Common Bill Titles
Synopsis Intro Phrases
Temporary Highlight


FINAL NOTE

Please remember that only staff is ever authorized to release information live to the website. This is because our emphasis is to always be accurate, especially in our voting records. We do not want a Representative or Senator to express to us or the media that Vote Smart is misinforming the public. All interns and staff should use caution when entering votes.















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