Vote Entering: PVSWiki

- **Roll Call Number** - Ensure that roll call numbers are included for all Key Votes statuses, where applicable. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[RollCallNumbers guide for roll call numbers]]**.

- **Roll Call Number** - Ensure that roll call numbers are included for all statuses, where applicable. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[RollCallNumbers guide for roll call numbers]]**.

- Roll Call Number if applicable {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}

~~- Roll Call Number on Key Vote stages, if applicable~~

- Roll Call Number on Key Vote stages, if applicable

~~- Roll Call Number if applicable~~

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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 **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.
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.
When working on vote entry, you should have the following resources open and available:
-Bill Report
-Bill History
-Press File
-Bill Text
{{anchor name="Bill Report"}}====__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.
The information in the Bill Report Google Doc is necessary for an entry into Admin. Different types of information have different purposes.
-The purpose of the following items should be self-explanatory:
-Comments: Staff provides comments on bills that those working on the bill should be cognizant of, such as disclaimer highlights, previous Key Vote statuses, or problems with the bill history.
{{anchor name="Bill Folder"}}====__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.
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 **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.
{{anchor name="BillHistory"}}===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.
{{anchor name="VoteBreakdown"}}===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.
[[https://admin.votesmart.org/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.
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.
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.
- Roll Call Number if applicable
- Voice Vote Checkbox if applicable
- Title (Repeated)
- Categories {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes and Governor Stages Only"}}
- Tags {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes and Governor Stages Only"}}
- Official Title
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 **[[KeyVotesTempHighlight 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.
Once you have basic sense of Admin you can use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin 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.
When you are more familiar with Admin you may find more use from this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that succinctly list the data needed for each stage of a bill.
This refers to the checks performed prior to a vote being released to the live website.
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.
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:
- **Votes** - Members that share a surname can often trip up a person entering votes. House Speakers and Senate Presidents also benefit from additional scrutiny as they are often listed out of order or by their title.
- **Sponsors and Cosponsors** - Ensure that each sponsor and co-sponsor is assigned the correct role, in addition to checking for accuracy in the list. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors sponsors and cosponsors guide]]**.
- **Other Statuses** - Check non-Key Vote statuses to make sure they were entered according to standards and that the data is accurate. It's also best to check the state legislature website to see if any other stages we would cover have occurred since the vote was entered.
- **Bill Text** - Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the bill folder and uploaded in Admin. If you think an incorrect version has been uploaded, replace it with the correct one.
- **Categories and Tags** - Double check categories and tags to ensure all those applicable have been added.
- **Title and Synopsis** - Though these will be updated once the summary is written, check for partisanship, clarity, and concision.
- **Roll Call Number** - Ensure that roll call numbers are included for all statuses, where applicable. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[RollCallNumbers guide for roll call numbers]]**.
- **Notes** - Ensure that any applicable notes have been added.
- **Rank Number** - Pay close attention to the introduced status, and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first). For further information, refer to the **[[RankGuide guide for ranks]]**.
- **Key Vote Check Box** - Double check to make sure this box is checked for the selected Key Votes. If this box does not get checked, then it won't appear on the Key Votes page of the website.
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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with a complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where they stand on an issue. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best as possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Vote Entry Checklist” that you should **always** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.
At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, how a bill page looks live on our website, and how to write in our style. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, input your name and date on the applicable entry on the Bill Report Google Doc and delete your In Progress Status so another intern can check your work.
When working on a vote entry, you should have the following resources open and available:
-Bill Report Google Doc (shared with you at the beginning of the internship)
-Bill History Sheet(s) (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in **[[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes UTBox]]**)
-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox)
-Bill Text (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox)
{{anchor name="Bill Report Google Doc"}}====__The Bill Report Google Doc__====
Each Key Vote will have its own entry in the Bill Report Google Doc (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one entry). The Google Doc will automatically save your entries and is essential to track the progress of Key Votes as they move from check to check. Each state has its own sheet on the State Bill Report, which you can navigate between at the bottom of the Google Doc.
{{anchor name="Content"}}===Content===
Each entry in the Google Doc has information in separate, differently-colored sections as follows::
-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. There should **always** be an entry in this column to denote which check the Key Vote needs next (e.g. "Original Summary" or "Vote Entry First Check"). If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.
-The {{color fg="black" bg="#00CCFF" text="blue"}} columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:
-Selection Date
-Key Vote Stage(s) (ex: Senate Passage with Amdt & House Concurrence)
-Categories
-Tags
-Notes to be applied to either the entire bill or just a single stage
-Comments that anyone working on that bill (vote entering or summary writing) will have to be aware of as it might have an impact on your work
-The {{color fg="black" bg="green" text="green"}} columns contain each stage of the Vote Entry: original entry, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until all of these checks have been completed. (NOTE: The Congressional Bill Report will not have a Vote Entry section, since a staff member always does this.)
-The {{color fg="black" bg="#ffa500" text="orange"}} columns make up each stage of the Vote Summary: original summary, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until granted permission by a staff member.
- The {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}} columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.
Additionally, some Key Votes will be marked as priority work, which staff and interns should complete before any other Key Votes. These priority votes are located in the first tab on the State Bill Report.

Now that you are aware of the contents of the State Bill Report Google Doc, let’s discuss how they are necessary for an entry into Admin.
-Hopefully, the purpose of the following items are apparent:
-Categories: Vote Smart has a list of categories that a Key Vote might fall into. These categories help us tie all of our research together and help a website user find the information he or she is searching for. Consequently, staff will come up with relevant categories for that specific bill and interns will enter those into Admin
-Tags: Tags serve a similar function as categories. Tags consisting of more than one word will always be separated by a dash(-). For example: “minimum-wages”
-Notes: Vote Smart provides our readers with Notes to assist the reader in his or her understanding of complex legislative terms, legislative processes, etc. These can be applied to the entire bill, a specific stage, or both.
-Comments: Staff provides comments on bills that the vote enterer or summary checker should **always ** be cognizant of, including, but not limited to, disclaimer highlights, or a previous Key Vote that had been selected for that bill to indicate that there should already be an existing Admin entry for that bill
{{anchor name="UTBox Bill Folder"}}====__UTBox Bill Folder__====
Vote Smart's Key Votes Department utilizes the cloud service known as **[[https://utexas.app.box.com/login UTBox]]** to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary.
Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills,” where you will find a folder for each state (along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process). Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:
As it relates to the Entering Votes process, **the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis**. Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. 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 **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.
{{anchor name="BillHistory"}}===Bill History Sheet===
The Bill History sheet is located inside the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox and provides the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, Major House stage(s), Major Senate stage(s), Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Senate stage, hypothetically, could be our only Key Vote.
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 typical Bill History sheet]]**. It is **always necessary** to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
{{anchor name="VotingRecord"}}===Voting Record Sheet===
The Voting Record sheet is located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox and provides the "Yeas", "Nays", and "Did Not Votes" for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a voting records sheet in UTBox. (Note: although you may see descriptions like "abstained," "absent," "excused," etc., they will all be listed as "Did Not Vote" on our website and will be entered in Admin as such.) Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally (ex: 118-56).
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 typical Voting Record Sheet]]** typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also highlight the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer **[[RollCallNumbers roll call numbers]]**. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.
As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; Admin funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered should be gathered from both the digital folder and state bill report Google Doc.
Once logged in to Admin, click on "Congress Track" on the left hand side. Once there, you will want to search the bill you are working on to see if, for any reason, there has already been an entry made for that bill. 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.
The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering. This is just an introduction to Admin. The more in-depth Guide follows.
- Notes on the Entire Bill
- Roll Call Number
- Voice Vote Checkbox
- Title (Repeated) {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}
- Categories
- Tags
- Referred to Committee Action
- Official Titles
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, because this is the vote entering process we do not yet have a summary ready for that Key Vote. To let our readers know why there is no summary yet published, 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.
Therefore, at the vote entering process, we will enter this **[[KeyVotesTempHighlight Temporary Highlight]]** in the highlights entry field box for our Key Votes. Notice that there are four consecutive "X"s in our temporary highlight. Those need to be replaced with the bill number you are working on. Once the bill goes through the staff summary check, that temporary highlight will be replaced with our final summary.
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin. Please take your time to review this. There is a lot of information to digest including some new terms, but remember that we only expect you to be familiar with this material so that you can refer to it when you need it. You will definitely understand this process better with time.
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. You are expected to **ALWAYS** have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check.
This refers to the checks performed prior to a vote being released to the live website, after which a summary is written (additional checks are required before that goes live as well).
{{anchor name="process"}}===Process===
The following three checks are necessary before the vote is released live:
- First check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individual (intern or staff) who entered the vote.
- Second check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individuals (intern or staff) who entered the vote **or** performed the first check.
- Staff check: This must be performed by a staff member who neither entered the vote nor performed a previous check. After releasing the vote live, the staff member will also do a quick check to ensure that the content is presentable on the website. Then, it is moved on to the original summary writing stage.
A vote check should go through the exact same research and data entering steps that are used for creating a vote entry. A vote check should be approached with the same gravity and attention to detail as is given to a vote entry. However, there are some special notes to keep in mind when performing a vote check:
~1) The primary goal for 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 inputted but accurate.
~2) The secondary goal for a vote check is to make sure you double check not only what is already in Admin, but, once you believe you are finished with your vote check, double check your own work. Run-through it again and match it up with the checklist to see if you missed anything. Double check the voting record sheet with what's in Admin and see if they match up properly.
When performing a vote check, always perform the check as if you were entering the vote yourself. You should check the information that was entered at every step of the vote entering process, including, but not limited to, the following information:
- **Votes** - When checking the votes, acutely scrutinize members who share the same surname, House Speakers and Senate Presidents (their name's are often listed out of order and/or only contain their title - Mr./Ms./Mrs. Speaker or Mr./Ms./Mrs. President), and members who might not be present on the vote breakdown (states that omit those absent or abstaining, "Yea" votes, etc.).
- **Sponsors and Cosponsors** - This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors sponsors and cosponsors guide]]**.
- **Other Statuses** - In addition to checking to make sure the individual correctly included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote (ie governor status). This might require you to visit the state legislative website. If you come across something you suspect needs to be included, notify staff.
- **Bill Text** - Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in Admin. If you think the incorrect version has been provided, notify staff.
- **Categories and Tags** - Double check categories and tags to ensure that those listed on the Bill Report Google Doc were inputted.
- **Title and Synopsis** - When entering votes, interns are generally advised not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention will be paid to this during the summary writing process. Nevertheless, check for partisanship, and look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- **Roll Call Number** - In addition to checking the roll call number for the Key Vote status, also check the other statues. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[RollCallNumbers guide for roll call numbers]]**.
- **Notes** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed on the Bill Report Google Doc were input. Interns can recommend that staff add a note that applies to the entire bill or one specific stage.
- **Disclaimer Highlight** - Some stages require a disclaimer highlight. The most common disclaimer highlight is for lawmakers who changed his or her vote after the roll call. For further information, refer to the **[[DisclaimerHighlights disclaimer highlight section]]** of the summary writing guide.
- **Rank Number** - Pay close attention to the introduced status, and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first). For further information, refer to the **[[RankGuide guide for ranks]]**.
- **Key Vote Check Box** - Double check to make sure this box is checked for the selected Key Votes. If this box does not get checked, then it won't appear on our Key Votes website page.
{{anchor name="faq"}}====__FAQs__====
Check out our **[[FrequentlyAskedQuestions Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election. Please let a staffer know if you have any suggestions to add to our FAQs!
As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entry Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and it will cut down on your time navigating Admin.
Finally, in any task with Admin, be it vote entries or other projects, only staff is ever authorized to release information live to the website. We ask this 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. Therefore, it is best that interns and staff employ caution when entering votes.

Additionally, some Key Votes will be marked as priority work, which staff and interns should complete before any other Key Votes. These priority votes are located in the first tab on the State Bill Report.

Additionally, some Key Votes will be marked as priority work, which staff and interns should complete before any other Key Votes. These priority votes will be denoted by a {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}} highlight.

-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. There should **always** be an entry in this column to denote which check the Key Vote needs next (e.g. "Original Summary" or "Vote Entry First Check"). If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.
Additionally, some Key Votes will be marked as priority work, which staff and interns should complete before any other Key Votes. These priority votes will be denoted by a {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}} highlight.

-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. There should **always** be an entry in this column to denote which check the Key Vote needs next (e.g. "Needs Original Summary" or "Needs Vote Entry First Check"). If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. There should always be an entry in this column to denote which check the Key Vote needs next (e.g. "Needs Original Summary" or "Needs Vote Entry First Check"). If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-Selection Date
-Key Vote Stage(s) (ex: Senate Passage with Amdt & House Concurrence)
-Categories
-Tags
-Notes to be applied to either the entire bill or just a single stage
-Comments that anyone working on that bill (vote entering or summary writing) will have to be aware of as it might have an impact on your work
-The {{color fg="black" bg="green" text="green"}} columns contain each stage of the Vote Entry: original entry, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until all of these checks have been completed. (NOTE: The Congressional Bill Report will not have a Vote Entry section, since a staff member always does this.)
-The {{color fg="black" bg="#ffa500" text="orange"}} columns make up each stage of the Vote Summary: original summary, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until granted permission by a staff member.
- The {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}} columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.

-Selection Date
-Bill Number
-Key Vote Stage(s) (ex: Senate Passage with Amdt & House Concurrence)
-Categories
-Tags
-Notes to be applied to either the entire bill or just a single stage
-Comments that anyone working on that bill (vote entering or summary writing) will have to be aware of as it might have an impact on your work
-The {{color fg="black" bg="green" text="green"}} columns contain each stage of the Vote Entry: original entry, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until all of these checks have been completed. (NOTE: The Congressional Bill Report will not have a Vote Entry section, since a staff member always does this.)
-The {{color fg="black" bg="orange" text="orange"}} columns make up each stage of the Vote Summary: original summary, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until granted permission by a staff member.
- The {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}} columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.

- The {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}} columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.

- The {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}}red columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.

-The {{color fg="black" bg="orange" text="orange"}} columns make up each stage of the Vote Summary: original summary, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until granted permission by a staff member.
- The {{color fg="black" bg="red" text="red"}}red columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.

-The orange columns make up each stage of the Vote Summary: original summary, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until granted permission by a staff member.
- The red columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.

-The {{color fg="black" bg="green" text="green"}} columns contain each stage of the Vote Entry: original entry, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until all of these checks have been completed. (NOTE: The Congressional Bill Report will not have a Vote Entry section, since a staff member always does this.)

-The green columns contain each stage of the Vote Entry: original entry, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until all of these checks have been completed. (NOTE: The Congressional Bill Report will not have a Vote Entry section, since a staff member always does this.)

-The {{color fg="black" bg="#00CCFF" text="blue"}} columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color fg="black" bg="light blue" text="blue"}} columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color fg="black" bg="blue" text="blue"}} columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.
-The {{color fg="black" bg="blue" text="blue"}} columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="Yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.
-The {{color text="blue" c="blue"}} columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color fg="black" bg="yellow" text="Yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-The ''yellow'' “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-The {{color text="yellow" c="yellow"}} “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-The ''yellow'' “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-The {{color text="blue" c="blue"}} columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color text="blue" c="blue"}} blue columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color text="text" c="blue"}}blue columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

-The {{color text="text" c="color"}}blue columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:

~~-The blue columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:~~

-The ''yellow'' “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

-The yellow “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.

{{anchor name="guide"}}===Entering Votes in Admin Guide===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===Vote Entry Checklist===

{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Entering Votes in Admin Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Vote Entry Checklist**===

{{anchor name="BillHistory"}}===Bill History Sheet===
{{anchor name="VotingRecord"}}===Voting Record Sheet===

{{anchor name="BillHistory"}}===**Bill History Sheet**===
{{anchor name="VotingRecord"}}===**Voting Record Sheet**===

-**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]**

~~-Vote Entry Checklist~~

-**[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin The Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]**

-**[[EnteringVotesinAdminGuide The Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]**

-**[[EnteringVotesinAdminGuide]]**

-**[[Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]**

~~-Entering Votes in Admin Guide~~

-Bill Report Google Doc (shared with you at the beginning of the internship)
-Bill History Sheet(s) (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in **[[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes UTBox]]**)
-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox)

-**Bill Report Google Doc** (shared with you at the beginning of the internship)
-Bill History Sheet(s) (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in **UTBox**)
-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in **[[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes UTBox]]**)

~-{{anchor target="Press File and Bill Text" text="Press File & Bill Text"}}

~~~-{{anchor target="Press File & Bill Text" text="Press File & Bill Text"}}~~

~-{{anchor target="Press File & Bill Text" text="Press File & Bill Text"}}

~~~-{{anchor target="utbox" text="Press File & Bill Text"}}~~

=={{anchor target="UTBox Bill Folder" text="UTBox Bill Folder"}}==

~~=={{anchor target="UTBoxBillFolder" text="UTBox Bill Folder"}}==~~

=={{anchor target="UTBoxBillFolder" text="UTBox Bill Folder"}}==

~~=={{anchor target="DigitalBillFolder" text="UTBox Bill Folder"}}==~~

=={{anchor target="DigitalBillFolder" text="UTBox Bill Folder"}}==

~~=={{anchor target="DigitalBillFolder" text="The UTBox Bill Folder"}}==~~

=={{anchor target="DigitalBillFolder" text="The UTBox Bill Folder"}}==

~~=={{anchor target="DigitalBillFolder" text="The Digital Bill Folder"}}==~~

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, how a bill page looks live on our website, and how to write in our style. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, input your name and date on the applicable entry on the Bill Report Google Doc and delete your In Progress Status so another intern can check your work.
-**Bill Report Google Doc** (shared with you at the beginning of the internship)
-Bill History Sheet(s) (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in **UTBox**)
{{anchor name="Bill Report Google Doc"}}====__The Bill Report Google Doc__====
Each Key Vote will have its own entry in the Bill Report Google Doc (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one entry). The Google Doc will automatically save your entries and is essential to track the progress of Key Votes as they move from check to check. Each state has its own sheet on the State Bill Report, which you can navigate between at the bottom of the Google Doc.
Each entry in the Google Doc has information in separate, differently-colored sections as follows::
-The yellow “In Progress” column is where you will look first to find open Key Votes to work on. If you are working on a Key Vote, make sure to write your name in this column so that two interns do not work on one Key Vote at the same time.
-The blue columns act as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered and will be input by a staff member after a Key Vote is selected. It lists the following information:
-Selection Date
-Bill Number
-Key Vote Stage(s) (ex: Senate Passage with Amdt & House Concurrence)
-Categories
-Tags
-Notes to be applied to either the entire bill or just a single stage
-Comments that anyone working on that bill (vote entering or summary writing) will have to be aware of as it might have an impact on your work
-The green columns contain each stage of the Vote Entry: original entry, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until all of these checks have been completed. (NOTE: The Congressional Bill Report will not have a Vote Entry section, since a staff member always does this.)
-The orange columns make up each stage of the Vote Summary: original summary, first check, second check, and staff check. No intern should move on to the next section until granted permission by a staff member.
- The red columns should not be approached until staff permission is given. These make up the Web Check stage, where a Key Vote that is live on the website is checked for grammar, formatting, and additional stages.
Now that you are aware of the contents of the State Bill Report Google Doc, let’s discuss how they are necessary for an entry into Admin.
{{anchor name="UTBox Bill Folder"}}====__UTBox Bill Folder__====
{{anchor name="Press File and Bill Text"}}===Press File and Bill Text===
-Bill History
-Voting Record(s)
The Bill History sheet is located inside the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox and provides the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, Major House stage(s), Major Senate stage(s), Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Senate stage, hypothetically, could be our only Key Vote.
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 typical Bill History sheet]]**. It is **always necessary** to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
The Voting Record sheet is located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox and provides the "Yeas", "Nays", and "Did Not Votes" for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a voting records sheet in UTBox. (Note: although you may see descriptions like "abstained," "absent," "excused," etc., they will all be listed as "Did Not Vote" on our website and will be entered in Admin as such.) Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally (ex: 118-56).
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 typical Voting Record Sheet]]** typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also highlight the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer **[[RollCallNumbers roll call numbers]]**. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.
As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; Admin funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered should be gathered from both the digital folder and state bill report Google Doc.
Once logged in to Admin, click on "Congress Track" on the left hand side. Once there, you will want to search the bill you are working on to see if, for any reason, there has already been an entry made for that bill. 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.
- **Categories and Tags** - Double check categories and tags to ensure that those listed on the Bill Report Google Doc were inputted.
- **Notes** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed on the Bill Report Google Doc were input. Interns can recommend that staff add a note that applies to the entire bill or one specific stage.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, how a bill page looks live on our website, and how to write in our style. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.
-Physical Bill Folder (At this point, ask staff to hand you a practice physical bill folder so you can reference it as you go through this wiki page. After finishing your reading, notify staff and we'll move you on to your first vote entering training bill)
-Bill History Sheet(s) (located as a printout inside the physical bill folder)
{{anchor name="physicalbillfolder"}}====__The Physical Bill Folder__====
Each Key Vote will have its very own physical bill folder created by staff (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one physical bill folder). The physical bill folder is a manila file folder and is the medium for each and every Key Vote that we select. Our Department’s livelihood can be found in these manila folders.
Each folder has information on its lip, the front of it, and inside of it, as follows:
-The lip of the folder acts as a quick guide to which Key Vote(s) is being covered. It lists the following information:
-State Abbreviation
-Key Vote Stage(s) (ex: Senate Passage with Amdt & House Concurrence)
-A printed out form taped on the front of the folder lists other information useful for entering votes in Admin:
-Chamber(s)
-Selection Date
-Categories
-Tags
-Notes to be applied to either the entire bill or just a single stage
-Comments that anyone working on that bill (vote entering or summary writing) will have to be aware of as it might have an impact on your work
-Finally, entry fields for individual names (printed only!) that worked on a given stage along the Key Vote process
-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and marked sheets (staff will highlight necessary information). These two items are supplied for Key Votes only and offer the most robust data for our Admin entry and therefore are critical to the Vote Entering process. They are emphasized and expanded in the following section, along with examples.
-Bill History
-Voting Records
Now that you are aware of the contents of a physical bill folder, let’s discuss how they are necessary for an entry into Admin.
The Bill History sheet is located inside the physical folder and provides the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, Major House stage(s), Major Senate stage(s), Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Senate stage, hypothetically, could be our only Key Vote.
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 typical Bill History sheet]]**. On the first page, staff has highlighted sponsorships. Though this may be convenient, the list is likely to be missing newly added sponsors so it is **always necessary** to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
The Voting Record sheet is located inside the physical folder as well and provides the "Yeas", "Nays", and "Did Not Votes" for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a printed out voting records sheet. (Note: although you may see descriptions like "abstained," "absent," "excused," etc., they will all be listed as "Did Not Vote" on our website and will be entered in Admin as such.) Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally (ex: 118-56).
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 typical Voting Record Sheet]]** typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also circle the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer **[[RollCallNumbers roll call numbers]]**. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.
{{anchor name="DigitalBillFolder"}}====__The Digital Bill Folder__====
{{anchor name="utbox"}}===Press File and Bill Text===
As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; Admin funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered should be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.
Once logged in to Admin, click on "Congress Track" on the left hand side. Once there, you will want to search the folder/bill you are working on to see if, for any reason, there has already been an entry made for that folder/bill. 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.
- **Categories and Tags** - Double check categories and tags to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted.
- **Notes** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted. Interns can recommend that staff add a note that applies to the entire bill or one specific stage.

Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin. Please take your time to review this. There is a lot of information to digest including some new terms, but remember that we only expect you to be familiar with this material so that you can refer to it when you need it. You will definitely understand this process better with time.

Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin. There is a lot of information to digest including some new terms, but remember that we only expect you review this material so that hopefully something sticks. You will definitely understand this process better with time.

Check out our **[[FrequentlyAskedQuestions Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election. Please let a staffer know if you have any suggestions to add to our FAQs!

Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election. Please let a staffer know if you have any suggestions to add to our FAQs!

//{{color c="navy" text="Frequently Used Links:""}}// __[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]__ | __[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]]__ | __[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]__ | __[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes Homepage]]__ | __[[UTInternTraining Training Guide]]__ | __[[FrequentlyAskedQuestions FAQs]]__

//{{color c="navy" text="Frequently Used Links:""}}// __[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]__ | __[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]]__ | __[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]__ | __[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes Homepage]]__ | __[[UTInternTraining Training Guide]]__ | __[[FaqsEnteringVotes FAQs]]__

~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Vote Entry Checklist"}}
One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with a complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where they stand on an issue. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best as possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Vote Entry Checklist” that you should **always** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.
-Vote Entry Checklist
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Vote Entry Checklist**===
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. You are expected to **ALWAYS** have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check.
~1) The primary goal for 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 inputted but accurate.
As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entry Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and it will cut down on your time navigating Admin.

~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Entering Votes in Admin Checklist"}}
One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with a complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where they stand on an issue. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best as possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should **always** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.
-Entering Votes in Admin Checklist
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Entering Votes in Admin Checklist**===
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes in Admin Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. You are expected to **ALWAYS** have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check.
~1) The primary goal for a vote check is to make sure that the version in Admin is accurate, nonpartisan, follows the Entering Votes in Admin Checklist, and has an error-less voting record. Always make sure the dates, numbers, categories, tags, bill texts, etc. are not only inputted but accurate.
As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entering Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and it will cut down on your time navigating Admin.

//{{color c="navy" text="Frequently Used Links:""}}// __[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]__ | __[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]]__ | __[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]__ | __[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes Homepage]]__ | __[[UTInternTraining Training Guide]]__ | __[[FaqsEnteringVotes FAQs]]__

//{{color c="navy" text="Frequently Used Links:""}}// __[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]__ | __[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]]__ | __[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]__ | __[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]__

//{{color c="navy" text="Frequently Used Links:""}}// __[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]__ | __[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]]__ | __[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]__

**{{color c="blue" text="Frequently Used Links:""}}** [[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]] | [[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]] | [[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]

~~Frequently Used Links: [[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]] | [[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]] | [[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]~~

- Title (Repeated) {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}

As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; Admin funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered should be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.

As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; Admin funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered is to be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.

As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; Admin funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered, is to be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.

-State Abbreviation

~~-State Abbr~~

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with a complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where they stand on an issue. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best as possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should **always** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with a complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up his or her representatives to see where he or she stands on an issue. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best as possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should **always** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up his or her representatives to see where he or she stands on an issue. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best as possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should **always** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

-Physical Bill Folder (At this point, ask staff to hand you a practice physical bill folder so you can reference it as you go through this wiki page. After finishing your reading, notify staff and we'll move you on to your first vote entering training bill)

-Physical Bill Folder (At this point, ask staff to hand you a practice physical bill folder so you can reference as you go through this wiki page. After finishing your reading, notify staff and we'll move you on to your first vote entering training bill)

Frequently Used Links: [[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]] | [[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors]] | [[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up his or her representatives to see where he or she stands on an issue. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best as possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should **always** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up his or her representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should **always ** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

-Physical Bill Folder (At this point, ask staff to hand you a practice physical bill folder so you can reference as you go through this wiki page. After finishing your reading, notify staff and we'll move you on to your first vote entering training bill)

-Physical Bill Folder (At this point, ask staff to hand you a practice physical bill folder so you can reference as you go through this wiki page. After finishing this Vote Entering Guide, notify staff and we'll move you on to your first vote entering training bill)

~~-Physical Bill Folder~~

Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin. There is a lot of information to digest including some new terms, but remember that we only expect you review this material so that hopefully something sticks. You will definitely understand this process better with time.

Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin. There is a lot of information to digest, but remember that we only expect you review this material so that hopefully something sticks. You will definitely understand this process better with time.

~-{{anchor target="introverbs" text="Intro Verbs"}}
~-{{anchor target="synopsis" text="Intro Synopsis Phrases"}}

~-{{anchor target="introverbs" text="Introductory Verbs"}}
~-{{anchor target="synopsis" text="Synopsis Intro Phrases"}}

~-{{anchor target="statutes" text="State Resources Links"}}
{{anchor name="statutes"}}[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]

~-{{anchor target="statutes" text="State Resources"}}
{{anchor name="statuses"}}[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]

~-{{anchor target="sponsors" text="Guide to Finding Sponsors & Cosponsors"}}

~~~-{{anchor target="sponsors" text="Guide to Finding Sponsors"}}~~

~-{{anchor target="summaryr" text="Summary Writing Guide"}}
{{anchor name="summaryr"}}[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing GUide]]

=={{anchor target="resources" text="RESOURCES"}}==

~~=={{anchor target="resources" text="Resources"}}==~~

=={{anchor target="introduction" text="Introduction"}}==

~~=={{anchor target="introduction" text="**Introduction**"}}==~~

=={{anchor target="introduction" text="**Introduction**"}}==

~~=={{anchor target="introduction" text="Introduction"}}==~~

- **Rank Number** - Pay close attention to the introduced status, and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first). For further information, refer to the **[[RankGuide guide for ranks]]**.

- **Rank Number** - Pay close attention to the introduced status, and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first). For further information, refer to the **[[Ranks ranks wiki page]]**.

~~- **Rank Number** - Pay close attention to the introduced status, and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first).~~

~-{{anchor target="createentry" text="Creating a New Vote Entry"}}
As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; Admin funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered, is to be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.
{{anchor name="createentry"}}===Creating a New Vote Entry===
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin. There is a lot of information to digest, but remember that we only expect you review this material so that hopefully something sticks. You will definitely understand this process better with time.
- Staff check: This must be performed by a staff member who neither entered the vote nor performed a previous check. After releasing the vote live, the staff member will also do a quick check to ensure that the content is presentable on the website. Then, it is moved on to the original summary writing stage.
~2) The secondary goal for a vote check is to make sure you double check not only what is already in Admin, but, once you believe you are finished with your vote check, double check your own work. Run-through it again and match it up with the checklist to see if you missed anything. Double check the voting record sheet with what's in Admin and see if they match up properly.
- **Sponsors and Cosponsors** - This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors sponsors and cosponsors guide]]**.
- **Other Statuses** - In addition to checking to make sure the individual correctly included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote (ie governor status). This might require you to visit the state legislative website. If you come across something you suspect needs to be included, notify staff.
- **Bill Text** - Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in Admin. If you think the incorrect version has been provided, notify staff.
- **Title and Synopsis** - When entering votes, interns are generally advised not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention will be paid to this during the summary writing process. Nevertheless, check for partisanship, and look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- **Roll Call Number** - In addition to checking the roll call number for the Key Vote status, also check the other statues. For further information, refer to the state-specific **[[RollCallNumbers guide for roll call numbers]]**.
- **Notes** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted. Interns can recommend that staff add a note that applies to the entire bill or one specific stage.
- **Disclaimer Highlight** - Some stages require a disclaimer highlight. The most common disclaimer highlight is for lawmakers who changed his or her vote after the roll call. For further information, refer to the **[[DisclaimerHighlights disclaimer highlight section]]** of the summary writing guide.
As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entering Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and it will cut down on your time navigating Admin.

~-{{anchor target="createentry" text="How to Create Entry in Admin"}}
As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; it funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered, is to be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.
{{anchor name="createentry"}}===Where and How to Create a New Entry===
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin.
- Staff check: This must be performed by a staff member who **neither **entered the vote **nor **performed a previous check, after which each status shall be released live. The check must be performed in Admin, however the staff member also must do a quick check to ensure that the content is presentable on the live website after releasing the vote live.
~2) The secondary goal for a vote check is to make sure you double check not only what is already in Admin, but, once you believe you are finished with your vote check, double check your own work. Run-through it again and match it up with the checklist to see if you missed anything. Double check the voting record sheet and what is in Admin, and see if they match up properly.
- **Sponsors and Cosponsors** - This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific sponsors and cosponsors guide.
- **Other Statuses** - In addition to checking to make sure the individual correctly included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote (ie governor status).
- **Bill Text** - Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in Admin by seeing what stage is mentioned at the top of the bill text (usually, a description is given). If you think the incorrect version has been provided, notify staff.
- **Title and Synopsis** - Interns are generally advised, when entering votes, not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention should be paid to this during the summary writing process. Nevertheless, check for partisanship, and look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- **Roll Call Number** - In addition to checking the roll call number for the Key Vote status, also check the other statues. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide for roll call numbers.
- **Notes** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted. Interns can recommend that staff add a note if it applies to the entire bill or one specific stage.
- **Disclaimer Highlight** - Some stages require a disclaimer highlight. The most common disclaimer highlight is for lawmakers who changed their vote after the roll call. For further information, refer to the disclaimer highlight section of the summary writing guide.
As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entering Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and will cut down on your time navigating Admin.

Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 typical Bill History sheet]]**. On the first page, staff has highlighted sponsorships. Though this may be convenient, the list is likely to be missing newly added sponsors so it is **always necessary** to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
The Voting Record sheet is located inside the physical folder as well and provides the "Yeas", "Nays", and "Did Not Votes" for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a printed out voting records sheet. (Note: although you may see descriptions like "abstained," "absent," "excused," etc., they will all be listed as "Did Not Vote" on our website and will be entered in Admin as such.) Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally (ex: 118-56).
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 typical Voting Record Sheet]]** typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also circle the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer **[[RollCallNumbers roll call numbers]]**. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.

Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 typical Bill History sheet]]**. On the first page, staff has highlighted sponsorships. Though this may be convenient, the list is likely to be missing newly added sponsors so it is always best to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
The Voting Record sheet is located inside the physical folder and provides the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a printed out voting records sheet. (Note: although you may see descriptions like "abstained," "absent," "excused," etc., they will all be listed as "Did Not Vote" on our website and will be entered in Admin as such.) Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally.
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 typical Voting Record Sheet]]** typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also circle the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer roll call numbers. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.

-Comments: Staff provides comments on bills that the vote enterer or summary checker should **always ** be cognizant of, including, but not limited to, disclaimer highlights, or a previous Key Vote that had been selected for that bill to indicate that there should already be an existing Admin entry for that bill

-Comments: Staff provides comments on bills that the vote enterer or summary checker should always be cognizant of, including, but not limited to, disclaimer highlights, or a previous Key Vote that had been selected for that bill to indicate that there should already be an existing Admin entry for that bill

-State Abbr
-Key Vote Stage(s) (ex: Senate Passage with Amdt & House Concurrence)
-Notes to be applied to either the entire bill or just a single stage
-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and marked sheets (staff will highlight necessary information). These two items are supplied for Key Votes only and offer the most robust data for our Admin entry and therefore are critical to the Vote Entering process. They are emphasized and expanded in the following section, along with examples.
-Voting Records
-Notes: Vote Smart provides our readers with Notes to assist the reader in his or her understanding of complex legislative terms, legislative processes, etc. These can be applied to the entire bill, a specific stage, or both.

-Key Vote Stage (ex: House Concurrence)
-Vote Smart-specific “Notes” for either the entire bill or just a single stage
-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and marked sheets (staff will highlight necessary information). These two items offer the most robust data for our Admin entry and therefore are critical to the Vote Entering process. They are emphasized and expanded in the following section, along with examples.
-Voting Records for each Key Vote stage(s)
-Notes: Vote Smart provides our readers with Notes that help the reader understand legislative terms, legislative processes, etc., that might require a brief explanation. These can be applied to the entire bill, a specific stage, or both.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, how a bill page looks live on our website, and how to write in our style. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.
-Entering Votes in Admin Guide
-Entering Votes in Admin Checklist
-State Legislature Bill page for finding updates to sponsorships, finding out who is the House Speaker or Senate President, and for help in figuring out what the bill is trying to accomplish
-The lip of the folder acts as a quick guide to which Key Vote(s) is being covered. It lists the following information:

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.
-Admin Vote Entering Guide
-Admin Vote Entering Checklist
-State Legislature Bill page for finding updates to sponsorships, finding out who is the House Speaker, and for help in figuring out what the bill is trying to accomplish
-The lip of the folder acts as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered. It lists the following information:

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up his or her representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should **always ** utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up his or her representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up his or her representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.
At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes in Admin Checklist]]** that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.
At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. The process goes: Original Vote Entry, First Vote Check, Second Vote Check, and Staff Check. Within Admin, **only staff members are authorized to release content live to the website**. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. The process goes: Original Vote Entry, First Vote Check, Second Vote Check, and Staff Check. Within Admin, **only staff members are authorized to release content live to the website**. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes in Admin Checklist]]** that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist]]** that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

-Vote Smart Legislation page on **[[http://votesmart.org/bills votesmart.org/bills]]**

-Vote Smart Legislation page on **[[http://votesmart.org votesmart.org]]**

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. You can also return to the **[[UTInternTraining 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main **[[CategoryKeyVotes Key Votes wiki page]]**, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. 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.

The Voting Record sheet is located inside the physical folder and provides the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a printed out voting records sheet. (Note: although you may see descriptions like "abstained," "absent," "excused," etc., they will all be listed as "Did Not Vote" on our website and will be entered in Admin as such.) Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally.

The Voting Record sheet is located inside the physical folder and provides the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a printed out voting records sheet. Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally.

The Voting Record sheet is locate inside the physical folder and provides the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a printed out voting records sheet. Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally.

Once logged in to Admin, click on "Congress Track" on the left hand side. Once there, you will want to search the folder/bill you are working on to see if, for any reason, there has already been an entry made for that folder/bill. 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.

Once logged in to Admin, click on "Congress Track" on the left hand side. Once there, you will want to search the folder/bill you are working on to see if, for any reason, there has already been an entry made for that folder/bill. 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.

~-{{anchor target="summaryr" text="Summary Writing Guide"}}
~-{{anchor target="tempr" text="Temporary Highlight"}}
{{anchor name="summaryr"}}[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing GUide]]
{{anchor name="tempr"}}[[KeyVotesTempHighlight Temporary Highlight]]

~~- Title {{color c="gray" text="- Introduced, Key Vote, and Gov Statuses Only"}}~~

- Rank

~~- Rank - Ranks establish the status order as it appears on our website~~

Therefore, at the vote entering process, we will enter this **[[KeyVotesTempHighlight Temporary Highlight]]** in the highlights entry field box for our Key Votes. Notice that there are four consecutive "X"s in our temporary highlight. Those need to be replaced with the bill number you are working on. Once the bill goes through the staff summary check, that temporary highlight will be replaced with our final summary.

Therefore, at the vote entering process, we will enter this **[[KeyVotesTempHighlight Temporary Highlight]]** in the highlights entry field for our Key Votes. Notice that there are four consecutive "X"s in our temporary highlight. Those need to be replaced with the bill number you are working on. Once the bill goes through the staff summary check, that temporary highlight will be replaced with our final summary.

~-{{anchor target="temphighlights" text="Temporary Highlight"}}

Therefore, at the vote entering process, we will enter this **[[KeyVotesTempHighlight Temporary Highlight]]** in the highlights entry field for our Key Votes. Notice that there are four consecutive "X"s in our temporary highlight. Those need to be replaced with the bill number you are working on. Once the bill goes through the staff summary check, that temporary highlight will be replaced with our final summary.

Therefore, at the vote entering process, we will enter this **[[KeyVotesTempHighlight Temporary Highlight]]** in the highlights entry field for our Key Votes. Notice that there is are four consecutive "X"s in our temporary highlight. Those need to be replaced with the bill number you are working on. Once the bill goes through the staff summary check, that temporary highlight will be replaced with our final summary.

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, because this is the vote entering process we do not yet have a summary ready for that Key Vote. To let our readers know why there is no summary yet published, 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.

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, because this is the vote entering process we do not yet have a summary ready for that Key Vote. To let our readers know why there is no summary yet published, we will enter a "temporary highlight" informing the readers that we still are working on it, trying to get it up as quickly as possible, and contact information if they have any questions.

- Title {{color c="gray" text="- Introduced, Key Vote, and Gov Statuses Only"}}

~~- Title {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes and Gov Statuses Only"}}~~

- Referred to Committee Action
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, because this is the vote entering process we do not yet have a summary ready for that Key Vote. To let our readers know why there is no summary yet published, we will enter a "temporary highlight" informing the readers that we still are working on it, trying to get it up as quickly as possible, and contact information if they have any questions.

- Referred to Committee Actions
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, because this is the vote entering process we do not yet have a summary ready for that Key Vote. To let our readers know why there is no summary yet published, we will enter a "temporary highlight" informing the readers that we still are working on it, trying to get it up as quickly as possible, and contact information if they have any questions.

- Committee Actions
- Sponsorships
- Referred to Committee Actions
- View Votes/Actions
- Sponsorships
- Voting Records {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}
- Governor Action

- Committee Actions (including sponsorships and referred to committee statuses)
- View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered) {{color c="gray" text="- Introduced, Key Votes, and Gov Statuses Only"}}

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, because this is the vote entering process we do not yet have a summary ready for that Key Vote. To let our readers know why there is no summary yet published, we will enter a "temporary highlight" informing the readers that we still are working on it, trying to get it up as quickly as possible, and contact information if they have any questions.
Therefore, at the vote entering process, we will enter this **[[KeyVotesTempHighlight Temporary Highlight]]** in the highlights entry field for our Key Votes. Notice that there is are four consecutive "X"s in our temporary highlight. Those need to be replaced with the bill number you are working on. Once the bill goes through the staff summary check, that temporary highlight will be replaced with our final summary.

One of the data entry fields listed above is the "Highlights" field. We will be inserting content into that field, however, because this is the vote entering process and we do not yet have a summary ready for that

- Key Vote Checkbox {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}
- Title {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes and Gov Statuses Only"}}
- Highlights {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}
- Synopsis {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}
- Bill Text {{color c="gray" text="- Key Votes Only"}}
- View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered) {{color c="gray" text="- Introduced, Key Votes, and Gov Statuses Only"}}

- Key Vote Checkbox - {{color c="gray" text="KV Only"}}
- Title (Key Votes and Governor Status Only)
- Highlights (Key Votes Only)
- Synopsis (Key Votes Only)
- Bill Text (Key Votes Only)
- View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered) (Introduced, Key Vote, and Governor Statuses Only)

- Key Vote Checkbox - {{color c="gray" text="KV Only"}}

~~- Key Vote Checkbox (Key Votes Only)~~

- View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered) (Introduced, Key Vote, and Governor Statuses Only)

~~- View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered)~~

- Key Vote Checkbox (Key Votes Only)
- Title (Key Votes and Governor Status Only)
- Highlights (Key Votes Only)
- Synopsis (Key Votes Only)
- Bill Text (Key Votes Only)
{{anchor name="temphighlights"}}===Temporary Highlight===
One of the data entry fields listed above is the "Highlights" field. We will be inserting content into that field, however, because this is the vote entering process and we do not yet have a summary ready for that

- Key Vote Checkbox
- Highlights
- Synopsis
- Bill Text

A vote check should go through the exact same research and data entering steps that are used for creating a vote entry. A vote check should be approached with the same gravity and attention to detail as is given to a vote entry. However, there are some special notes to keep in mind when performing a vote check:
~1) The primary goal for a vote check is to make sure that the version in Admin is accurate, nonpartisan, follows the Entering Votes in Admin Checklist, and has an error-less voting record. Always make sure the dates, numbers, categories, tags, bill texts, etc. are not only inputted but accurate.
~2) The secondary goal for a vote check is to make sure you double check not only what is already in Admin, but, once you believe you are finished with your vote check, double check your own work. Run-through it again and match it up with the checklist to see if you missed anything. Double check the voting record sheet and what is in Admin, and see if they match up properly.

- **Notes** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted. Interns can recommend that staff add a note if it applies to the entire bill or one specific stage.

- **Notes** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted. Interns can recommend that staff add a noteto see if any apply to this stage (or all stages).

- **Note** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted. Interns can recommend that staff add a noteto see if any apply to this stage (or all stages).

{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Entering Votes in Admin Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Entering Votes in Admin Checklist**===

{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Admin Vote Entering Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Admin Vote Entering Checklist**===

As it relates to the Entering Votes process, **the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis**. Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. 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 **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

As it relates to the Entering Votes process, **the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis**. Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Entering Votes in Admin Guide"}}
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Entering Votes in Admin Checklist"}}
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes in Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin.
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Entering Votes in Admin Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. You are expected to **ALWAYS** have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check.

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Admin Vote Entering Guide"}}
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Admin Vote Entering Checklist"}}
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes Into Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin.
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. You are expected to **ALWAYS** have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check.

-Admin Vote Entering Guide
-Admin Vote Entering Checklist

~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Direct Link]]
~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Direct Link]]

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Admin Vote Entering Guide"}}
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Admin Vote Entering Checklist"}}

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Admin Vote Entering - Guide"}}
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Admin Vote Entering - Checklist"}}

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Admin Vote Entering - Guide"}}
~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Direct Link]]
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Admin Vote Entering - Checklist"}}
~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Direct Link]]

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Admin Vote Entering Guide"}}
~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin ->Direct Link]]
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Admin Vote Entering Checklist"}}
~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist ->Direct Link]]

~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin ->Direct Link]]
~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist ->Direct Link]]

~~~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Direct Link]]~~

~~-[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Direct Link]]

~~~~-[[VoteEnteringGuide Direct Link]]~~

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Admin Vote Entering Guide"}}
~~-[[VoteEnteringGuide Direct Link]]
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Admin Vote Entering Checklist"}}
{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Admin Vote Entering Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Admin Vote Entering Checklist**===

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Vote Entering Guide"}}
~- ~-[[VoteEnteringGuide Direct Link]]"}}
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Vote Entering Checklist"}}
{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Vote Entering Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Vote Entering Checklist**===

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Admin Vote Entering Guide"}}
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Admin Vote Entering Checklist"}}
{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Admin Vote Entering Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Admin Vote Entering Checklist**===

~-{{anchor target="guide" text="Vote Entering Guide"}}
~-{{anchor target="checklist" text="Vote Entering Checklist"}}
{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Vote Entering Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Vote Entering Checklist**===

-

Vote Smart's Key Votes Department utilizes the cloud service known as **[[https://utexas.app.box.com/login UTBox]]** to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary.

Vote Smart's Key Votes Department utilizes the cloud service known as [[https://utexas.app.box.com/login UTBox]] to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary.

~-{{anchor target="utbox" text="Press File & Bill Text"}}
Vote Smart's Key Votes Department utilizes the cloud service known as [[https://utexas.app.box.com/login UTBox]] to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary.
{{anchor name="utbox"}}===Press File and Bill Text===
Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills,” where you will find a folder for each state (along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process). Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:

~-{{anchor target="utbox" text="UTBox - Press File & Bill Text"}}
{{anchor name="utbox"}}===Press File and Bill Text in UTBox===
Vote Smart utilizes the cloud service known as UTBox to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary. Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills,” where you will find a folder for each state (along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process). Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:

~-{{anchor target="Content" text="Content"}}
{{anchor name="Content"}}===Content===

~-{{anchor target="content" text="Content"}}
{{anchor name="content"}}===Content===

~-{{anchor target="process" text="Process"}}
{{anchor name="physicalbillfolder"}}====__The Physical Bill Folder__====
{{anchor name="content"}}===Content===
{{anchor name="howtouseinfo"}}===How Content Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process===
{{anchor name="BillHistory"}}===**Bill History Sheet**===
{{anchor name="VotingRecord"}}===**Voting Record Sheet**===
{{anchor name="DigitalBillFolder"}}====__The Digital Bill Folder__====
{{anchor name="utbox"}}===Press File and Bill Text in UTBox===
{{anchor name="Admin"}}====__Admin__====
{{anchor name="createentry"}}===Where and How to Create a New Entry===
{{anchor name="datafields"}}===Data Entry Fields in Admin===
{{anchor name="guide"}}===**Vote Entering Guide**===
{{anchor name="checklist"}}===**Vote Entering Checklist**===
{{anchor name="votechecks"}}====__Vote Checks__====
{{anchor name="process"}}===Process===
{{anchor name="goals"}}===Goals===
{{anchor name="tips"}}===Tips & Guidelines===
{{anchor name="faq"}}====__FAQs__====
{{anchor name="resources"}}====__Resources__====
{{anchor name="amendment"}}[[AmendmentVotes Amendment Votes]]
{{anchor name="rollcall"}}[[RollCallNumbers Roll Call Numbers]]
{{anchor name="sponsors"}}[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State]]
{{anchor name="statuses"}}[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]
{{anchor name="synopsis"}}[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]
{{anchor name="introverbs"}}[[IntroductoryVerbs Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights]]
{{anchor name="common"}}[[CommonBillTitles Common Bill Titles]]
{{anchor name="final"}}====__FINAL NOTE__====

~-{{anchor target="processandstorage" text="Process"}}
{{anchor name="introduction"}}====__The Physical Bill Folder__====
===Content===
===How Content Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process===
===**Bill History Sheet**===
===**Voting Record Sheet**===
====__The Digital Bill Folder__====
===Press File and Bill Text in UTBox===
====__Admin__====
===Where and How to Create a New Entry===
===Data Entry Fields in Admin===
===**Vote Entering Guide**===
===**Vote Entering Checklist**===
====__Vote Checks__====
===Process===
===Goals===
===Tips & Guidelines===
====__FAQs__====
====__Resources__====
[[AmendmentVotes Amendment Votes]]
[[RollCallNumbers Roll Call Numbers]]
[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State]]
[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]
[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]
[[IntroductoryVerbs Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights]]
[[CommonBillTitles Common Bill Titles]]
====__FINAL NOTE__====

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a Key Vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

-A printed out form taped on the front of the folder lists other information useful for entering votes in Admin:

~~-A printed out form taped on the front of the folder lists other information useful for entering votes in admin:~~

- Second check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individuals (intern or staff) who entered the vote **or** performed the first check.
- Staff check: This must be performed by a staff member who **neither **entered the vote **nor **performed a previous check, after which each status shall be released live. The check must be performed in Admin, however the staff member also must do a quick check to ensure that the content is presentable on the live website after releasing the vote live.
- **Key Vote Check Box** - Double check to make sure this box is checked for the selected Key Votes. If this box does not get checked, then it won't appear on our Key Votes website page.

- Second check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individuals (intern or staff) who entered the vote or performed the first check.
- Third check ("staff check"): This must be performed by a staff member who neither entered the vote nor performed a previous check, after which each status shall be released live. For further information, refer to the releasing votes and summaries guide. The check must be performed in admin, however the staff member also must do a quick check to ensure that the content is presentable on the live website after releasing the vote live.
- **Key Vote Check Box**. If the check is being performed via the internal web it will be immediately clear if the key vote check box has either not been selected (no search results) or been selected for the wrong status (votes other than those selected will appear in the search results).

Each Key Vote will have its very own physical bill folder created by staff (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one physical bill folder). The physical bill folder is a manila file folder and is the medium for each and every Key Vote that we select. Our Department’s livelihood can be found in these manila folders.
===Content===
Each folder has information on its lip, the front of it, and inside of it, as follows:

Each Key Vote will have its very own physical bill folder created by staff (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one physical bill folder). The physical bill folder is a manila file folder and is the medium for each and every Key Vote that we select. Our Department’s livelihood can be found in these manila folders. Each folder has information on its lip, the front of it, and inside of it, as follows:
===Content===

- **Bill Text** - Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in Admin by seeing what stage is mentioned at the top of the bill text (usually, a description is given). If you think the incorrect version has been provided, notify staff.
- **Categories and Tags** - Double check categories and tags to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted.
- **Title and Synopsis** - Interns are generally advised, when entering votes, not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention should be paid to this during the summary writing process. Nevertheless, check for partisanship, and look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- **Roll Call Number** - In addition to checking the roll call number for the Key Vote status, also check the other statues. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide for roll call numbers.
- **Note** - Double check the notes to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted. Interns can recommend that staff add a noteto see if any apply to this stage (or all stages).
- **Disclaimer Highlight** - Some stages require a disclaimer highlight. The most common disclaimer highlight is for lawmakers who changed their vote after the roll call. For further information, refer to the disclaimer highlight section of the summary writing guide.
- **Rank Number** - Pay close attention to the introduced status, and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first).

- **Bill Text** - Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in admin. If you think the incorrect version has been selected and you can't find the correct version, a bill text may have to be constructed. This process may be commenced at this stage. For further information, refer to the entering votes addendum guide on constructing bill texts.
- **Categories and Tags**. Double check categories and tags to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted.
- **Title and Synopsis**. Interns are generally advised, when entering votes, not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention should be paid to this during the second and third check. Check for partisanship, as well look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- **Roll Call Number**. In addition to checking the roll call number for the key vote status, also check the other statues for web. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide.
- **Note** - Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,
- **Disclaimer Highlight**. Some notes require a disclaimer highlight, which can be added during this step. The most common note that requires a disclaimer highlight is a substitute bill, or substitute amendment, depending on the state. Generally, this is something that's added by a staff member on the third check. For further information, refer to the disclaimer highlight section of the summary writing guide.
- **Rank Number**. Pay close attention to the introduced status (make sure they are not included a rank number for that status), and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first).
-

When performing a vote check, always perform the check as if you were entering the vote yourself. You should check the information that was entered at every step of the vote entering process, including, but not limited to, the following information:
- **Votes** - When checking the votes, acutely scrutinize members who share the same surname, House Speakers and Senate Presidents (their name's are often listed out of order and/or only contain their title - Mr./Ms./Mrs. Speaker or Mr./Ms./Mrs. President), and members who might not be present on the vote breakdown (states that omit those absent or abstaining, "Yea" votes, etc.).
- **Sponsors and Cosponsors** - This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific sponsors and cosponsors guide.
- **Other Statuses** - In addition to checking to make sure the individual correctly included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote (ie governor status).
- **Bill Text** - Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in admin. If you think the incorrect version has been selected and you can't find the correct version, a bill text may have to be constructed. This process may be commenced at this stage. For further information, refer to the entering votes addendum guide on constructing bill texts.
- **Categories and Tags**. Double check categories and tags to ensure that those listed in the front of the physical folder were inputted.
- **Note** - Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,

When performing a vote check, always perform the check as if you were entering the vote yourself. You should check the information that was entered at every step of the vote entering process, including, but not limited to, the following:
- **Votes assigned to members of the legislature**. When checking the votes, acutely scrutinize members who share the same surname, Speakers of the House and Senate Presidents (their name's are often listed out of order and/or only contain their title - Mr./Ms./Mrs. Speaker or Mr./Ms./Mrs. President), and members who might not be present on the vote breakdown (states that omit those absent or abstaining, "Yea" votes, etc.).
- **Sponsors and cosponsors**. This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific sponsors and cosponsors guide.
- **Other statuses for web**. In addition to checking to make sure the individual included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote.
- **Bill text**. Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in admin. If you think the incorrect version has been selected and you can't find the correct version, a bill text may have to be constructed. This process may be commenced at this stage. For further information, refer to the entering votes addendum guide on constructing bill texts.
- **Categories and Tags**. Double check categories and tags to ensure that any possibilities were addressed. Review [[IdiomsandExamples the Idioms and Examples page]] to make sure that no tags were overlooked.
- **Note.** Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,

The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering. This is just an introduction to Admin. The more in-depth Guide follows.
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes Into Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that points out where things are and the nuances of Admin.

The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering. This is just an introduction to Admin. The more in-depth process follows.
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes Into Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that explains where things are and the nuances of Admin.

-

~~~- -~~

~- -

-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and marked sheets (staff will highlight necessary information). These two items offer the most robust data for our Admin entry and therefore are critical to the Vote Entering process. They are emphasized and expanded in the following section, along with examples.

-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and sheets (staff will highlight necessary information). These two items offer the most robust data for our Admin entry and therefore are critical to the Vote Entering process. They are emphasized and expanded in the following section, along with examples.

~-{{anchor target="processandstorage" text="Process"}}
===Process===

~-{{anchor target="processandstorage" text="Process & Storage"}}
===Process & Storage===

~-{{anchor target="howtouseinfo" text="How Content Will Be Used"}}

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~-{{anchor target="whatitis" text="What It Is & What Is In It"}}
~-{{anchor target="whatitis2" text="What It Is"}}
===What It Is===

~~The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are critical to the Vote Entering process:~~

-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and sheets (staff will highlight necessary information). These two items offer the most robust data for our Admin entry and therefore are critical to the Vote Entering process. They are emphasized and expanded in the following section, along with examples.

~~-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and sheets (staff will highlight necessary information):~~

===How Content Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process===
-

===How this Information Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process===
The Key Votes folder cabinet should contain the following hanging folders to organize this process:
- "In Progress": Used to store physical folders in which the individual responsible for entering the vote, writing the summary, or performing a check was unable to complete this process prior to leaving for the day.
- "1st Check": Used to store physical folders after the vote has been entered by an individual.
- "2nd Check": Used to store physical folders after the vote has been entered by an individual, and a first check has been performed by another individual.
- "Staff Check": Used to store physical folders after a second check has been performed and is awaiting a third check by a staff member.
- "Summary Needed": Used to store physical folders after a staff member has performed a third check and the vote(s) is released live.
When performing a vote check, the individual can make any changes that need to be made - they can amend the bill folders (physical and electronic), bill summary sheet, and admin entry. If there are a significant number of errors, however, the work may be returned to the individual who entered the vote for correction, upon the approval of a staff member who may want the individual who entered the vote to make the corrections as part of a training process.
Upon completing a vote check, send the folder to the appropriate place in the Key Votes bin. If you completed a first check, send it to the second check folder. If you completed a second check, send it to the third/staff check folder. If you completed a third check, release the statuses to the live web and send the folder to the "Summary Needed" folder.

===Content===

~~===What It Is & What Is In It===~~

===**Bill History Sheet**===
===**Voting Record Sheet**===

===Bill History Sheet===
===Voting Record Sheet:===

===**Vote Entering Checklist**===

~~===Vote Entering Checklist===~~

===**Vote Entering Guide**===

~~===Vote Entering Guide===~~

Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. You are expected to **ALWAYS** have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check.

Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. **You are expected to ALWAYS have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check**.

- Notes on a Specific Stage

~~- Notes on a Specific Status~~

As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; it funnels data to our live website. The data that will be entered, is to be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.

As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; it funnels data to our live website. The data will be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.

As it relates to the Entering Votes process, **the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis**. Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

As it relates to the Entering Votes process, **the Press File and Bill Text are ONLY necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis**. Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then 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, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.
**Note about vote entries: Only staff members are authorized to release content live to the website.**

Vote Smart utilizes the cloud service known as UTBox to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary. Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills,” where you will find a folder for each state (along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process). Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:
As it relates to the Entering Votes process, **the Press File and Bill Text are ONLY necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis**. Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

Vote Smart utilizes the cloud service known as UTBox to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary. Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills,” where you will find a folder for each state along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process. Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:
**As it relates to the Entering Votes process, the Press File and Bill Text are ONLY necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis.** Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 typical Bill History sheet]]**. On the first page, staff has highlighted sponsorships. Though this may be convenient, the list is likely to be missing newly added sponsors so it is always best to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
Here is a **[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 typical Voting Record Sheet]]** typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also circle the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer roll call numbers. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.

**[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 This is an example]]** of a typical Bill History sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted sponsorships. Though this may be convenient, the list is likely to be missing newly added sponsors so it is always best to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
**[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 This is an example]]** of a typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also circle the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer roll call numbers. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.

The Bill History sheet is located inside the physical folder and provides the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, Major House stage(s), Major Senate stage(s), Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Senate stage, hypothetically, could be our only Key Vote.
**[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CMG5BU2g1NFpTblE&authuser=1 This is an example]]** of a typical Bill History sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted sponsorships. Though this may be convenient, the list is likely to be missing newly added sponsors so it is always best to visit the state website for the updated sponsors list. On the second page, staff has highlighted and marked the stages that make up our bill history from 1 to 5. Those with an asterisk and a "Key Vote" label are our Key Votes.
The Voting Record sheet is locate inside the physical folder and provides the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes for the Key Vote that has been selected. Only the Key Votes will have a printed out voting records sheet. Other non-Key Vote votes will not require the Yeas, Nays, and Did Not Votes to be inputted into Admin, but they will require the simple vote tally.
**[[https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxKD95i22S6CSUhaSUFRdl9XSGs&authuser=1 This is an example]]** of a typical Voting Record Sheet. On the first page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the first Key Vote. Though not present here, staff will also circle the listed roll call number or sequence number for states that offer roll call numbers. On the second page, staff has highlighted the Yeas and Nays tally for the second Key Vote. All states offer this type of document, but how the votes are sorted (by last name, by district, etc.) varies.

The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our **entire** status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Second Chamber hypothetically could have been our only Key Vote
The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote (and only the Key Vote) that has been selected

-Tags: Tags serve a similar function as categories. Tags consisting of more than one word will always be separated by a dash(-). For example: “minimum-wages”

~~-Tags: Tags serve a similar function as categories. If it consists of more than one word, they will always be separated by a dash(-). For example: “minimum-wages”~~

The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering. This is just an introduction to Admin. The more in-depth process follows.

~~The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering. This is a just an introduction to Admin. The more in-depth process follows.~~

===Process & Storage===
===Goals===
===Tips & Guidelines===

==Process & Storage==
==Goals==
==Tips & Guidelines==

This refers to the checks performed prior to a vote being released to the live website, after which a summary is written (additional checks are required before that goes live as well).
==Process & Storage==
The following three checks are necessary before the vote is released live:
The Key Votes folder cabinet should contain the following hanging folders to organize this process:
==Goals==
==Tips & Guidelines==

This refers to the checks performed prior to a vote being released to the live website, after which a summary is written (additional checks are required before that goes live as well). The following three checks are necessary before the vote is released live:
The votes bin/cabinet should contain the following hanging folders to organize this process (the titles are in quotations because this is what should be written on the labels):

===What It Is & What Is In It===
===How this Information Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process===
===Bill History Sheet===
===Press File and Bill Text in UTBox===
===What It Is===
===Where and How to Create a New Entry===
===Data Entry Fields in Admin===
===Vote Entering Guide===
===Vote Entering Checklist===

===What It Is & What Is In It:===
===How this Information Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process:===
===Bill History Sheet:===
===Press File and Bill Text in UTBox:===
===What It Is:===
===Where and How to Create a New Entry:===
===Data Entry Fields in Admin:===
===Vote Entering Guide:===
===Vote Entering Checklist:===

As mentioned in the Introduction above, **[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]** is where we enter in all of our data; it funnels data to our live website. The data will be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.
Once logged in to Admin, click on "Congress Track" on the left hand side. Once there, you will want to search the folder/bill you are working on to see if, for any reason, there has already been an entry made for that folder/bill. 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.

~~As mentioned in the Introduction above, Admin is where we enter in all of our data; it funnels data to our live website. The data will be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.~~

=={{anchor target="Admin" text="Admin"}}==
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=={{anchor target="votechecks" text="Vote Checks"}}==
~-{{anchor target="processandstorage" text="Process & Storage"}}
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=={{anchor target="faq" text="FAQs"}}==
=={{anchor target="resources" text="Resources"}}==
~-{{anchor target="rollcall" text="Roll Call Numbers"}}
~-{{anchor target="sponsors" text="Guide to Finding Sponsors"}}
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~-{{anchor target="common" text="Common Bill Titles"}}
~-{{anchor target="amendment" text="Amendment Votes"}}
=={{anchor target="final" text="Final Note"}}==>>
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that succinctly breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. **You are expected to ALWAYS have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check**.
====__FAQs__====
Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election. Please let a staffer know if you have any suggestions to add to our FAQs!

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~- >>
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. **You are expected to ALWAYS have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check**.
====__FAQ's__====
Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election. Please let a staffer know if you have any suggestions to add to our FAQ's!

~-{{anchor target="utbox" text="UTBox - Press File & Bill Text"}}
=={{anchor target="Admin" text="Admin"}}
~-{{anchor target="whatitis2" text="What It Is"}}
~-{{anchor target="createentry" text="How to Create Entry in Admin"}}
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===Vote Entering Checklist:===

~~~-{{anchor target="utbox" text="UTBox Content"}}~~

=={{anchor target="physicalbillfolder" text="The Physical Bill Folder"}}==
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===How this Information Will be Used for the Vote Entering Process:===

=={{anchor target="physicalbillfolder" text="Physical Bill Folder Content"}}==>>
===How this Information Will be Used for the Vote Entering process:===

Finally, in any task with Admin, be it vote entries or other projects, only staff is ever authorized to release information live to the website. We ask this 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. Therefore, it is best that interns and staff employ caution when entering votes.

Finally, in any task with Admin, be it vote entries or other projects, only staff is ever authorized to release information live to the website. We ask this 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. Therefore, interns and staff employing caution with vote entries and checks is best.

Finally, in any task with Admin, be it vote entries or other projects, only staff is ever authorized to release information live to the website. We ask this 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. So employing caution is best.

As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entering Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and will cut down on your time navigating Admin.

As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entering Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and will cut down your time figuring Admin out.

As mentioned throughout this page, you will find yourself using the Vote Entering Checklist on all vote entries and checks you work on. It is very useful and will make your process a lot smoother, and will cut down your time figuring Admin out.
Finally, in any task with Admin, be it vote entries or other projects, only staff is ever authorized to release information live to the website. We ask this 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. So employing caution is best.

Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election. Please let a staffer know if you have any suggestions to add to our FAQ's!

Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election.

Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because they are **no longer in use**:

~~Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because **they are no longer in use**:~~

===Vote Entering Guide:===

~~===Guide===~~

===Guide===
Now that you have acquired a sense of what Admin is and what it entails, use this **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes Into Admin Guide]]** to assist you in your Vote Entry. Within each section, you will find a handy screenshot guide that explains where things are and the nuances of Admin.
Though the Guide is thorough, we also provide the **[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Vote Entry Checklist]]** that breaks down exactly what data you need to enter for each stage of a bill. **You are expected to ALWAYS have this checklist handy when conducting a vote entry or check**.

====__Admin Guide and Checklist__====
[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes Into Admin]]
[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Checklist]]

===What It Is & What Is In It:===

~~===What It Is and What Is In It:===~~

[[EnteringVotesIntoAdmin Entering Votes Into Admin]]
[[EnteringVotesIntoAdminChecklist Checklist]]

~~Checklist~~

===Where and How to Create a New Entry:===

~~===Where and how to create a new entry:===~~

===What It Is and What Is In It:===
===How this Information Will be Used for the Vote Entering process:===
===What It Is:===
[[AmendmentVotes Amendment Votes]]

===What it is and what is in it:===
===How this information will be used for the Vote Entering process:===
===What it is:===
====__Amendment Votes__====
There are a few idiosyncrasies when it comes to entering amendment votes that you should be aware of. Overall, the process is very similar to that of a bill or resolution, but special attention must be paid to the following when preparing the folder and entering votes into admin:
- **[[AmendmentBillText Bill Text]]**
- **[[AmendmentBillNumber Bill Number]]**
- **[[ParentBill Parent Bill]]**
- **[[AmendmentSponsors Sponsor(s)]]**
- **[[AmendmentOtherStatuses Other Statuses]]**

- **Note.** Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,

- **Note. Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,

- **Roll Call Number**. In addition to checking the roll call number for the key vote status, also check the other statues for web. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide.

~~- **Roll Call Number. In addition to checking the roll call number for the key vote status, also check the other statues for web. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide.~~

- "Staff Check": Used to store physical folders after a second check has been performed and is awaiting a third check by a staff member.
- **Votes assigned to members of the legislature**. When checking the votes, acutely scrutinize members who share the same surname, Speakers of the House and Senate Presidents (their name's are often listed out of order and/or only contain their title - Mr./Ms./Mrs. Speaker or Mr./Ms./Mrs. President), and members who might not be present on the vote breakdown (states that omit those absent or abstaining, "Yea" votes, etc.).
- **Sponsors and cosponsors**. This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific sponsors and cosponsors guide.
- **Other statuses for web**. In addition to checking to make sure the individual included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote.
- **Bill text**. Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in admin. If you think the incorrect version has been selected and you can't find the correct version, a bill text may have to be constructed. This process may be commenced at this stage. For further information, refer to the entering votes addendum guide on constructing bill texts.
- **Categories and Tags**. Double check categories and tags to ensure that any possibilities were addressed. Review [[IdiomsandExamples the Idioms and Examples page]] to make sure that no tags were overlooked.
- **Title and Synopsis**. Interns are generally advised, when entering votes, not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention should be paid to this during the second and third check. Check for partisanship, as well look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- **Roll Call Number. In addition to checking the roll call number for the key vote status, also check the other statues for web. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide.
- **Note. Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,
- **Disclaimer Highlight**. Some notes require a disclaimer highlight, which can be added during this step. The most common note that requires a disclaimer highlight is a substitute bill, or substitute amendment, depending on the state. Generally, this is something that's added by a staff member on the third check. For further information, refer to the disclaimer highlight section of the summary writing guide.
- **Rank Number**. Pay close attention to the introduced status (make sure they are not included a rank number for that status), and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first).
- **Key Vote Check Box**. If the check is being performed via the internal web it will be immediately clear if the key vote check box has either not been selected (no search results) or been selected for the wrong status (votes other than those selected will appear in the search results).

- "3rd Check" or "Staff Check": Used to store physical folders after a second check has been performed and is awaiting a third check by a staff member.
- **//Votes assigned to members of the legislature//**. When checking the votes, acutely scrutinize members who share the same surname, Speakers of the House and Senate Presidents (their name's are often listed out of order and/or only contain their title - Mr./Ms./Mrs. Speaker or Mr./Ms./Mrs. President), and members who might not be present on the vote breakdown (states that omit those absent or abstaining, "Yea" votes, etc.).
- **//Sponsors and cosponsors//**. This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific sponsors and cosponsors guide.
- **//Other statuses for web//**. In addition to checking to make sure the individual included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote.
- **//Bill text//**. Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in admin. If you think the incorrect version has been selected and you can't find the correct version, a bill text may have to be constructed. This process may be commenced at this stage. For further information, refer to the entering votes addendum guide on constructing bill texts.
- **//Categories and Tags//**. Double check categories and tags to ensure that any possibilities were addressed. Review [[IdiomsandExamples the Idioms and Examples page]] to make sure that no tags were overlooked.
- **//Title and Synopsis//**. Interns are generally advised, when entering votes, not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention should be paid to this during the second and third check. Check for partisanship, as well look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- //Roll Call Number//. In addition to checking the roll call number for the key vote status, also check the other statues for web. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide.
- //Note//. Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,
- //Disclaimer Highlight//. Some notes require a disclaimer highlight, which can be added during this step. The most common note that requires a disclaimer highlight is a substitute bill, or substitute amendment, depending on the state. Generally, this is something that's added by a staff member on the third check. For further information, refer to the disclaimer highlight section of the summary writing guide.
- //Rank Number//. Pay close attention to the introduced status (make sure they are not included a rank number for that status), and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first).
- //Key Vote Check Box//. If the check is being performed via the internal web it will be immediately clear if the key vote check box has either not been selected (no search results) or been selected for the wrong status (votes other than those selected will appear in the search results).

Although a vote check requires a check of every step in the process, priority is given to the first four steps:
~- Votes assigned to individual members
~- Sponsors and cosponsors
~- Other statuses for web
~- Bill texts
Above all, ensure that these steps were performed correctly.

The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are critical to the Vote Entering process:

~~The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are critical to the Vote Entering process:~~

The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are critical to the Vote Entering process:

~~The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are critical to the Vote Entering process:~~

This refers to the checks performed prior to a vote being released to the live website, after which a summary is written (additional checks are required before that goes live as well). The following three checks are necessary before the vote is released live:
- First check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individual (intern or staff) who entered the vote.
- Second check: This must be performed by an individual (intern or staff) other than the individuals (intern or staff) who entered the vote or performed the first check.
- Third check ("staff check"): This must be performed by a staff member who neither entered the vote nor performed a previous check, after which each status shall be released live. For further information, refer to the releasing votes and summaries guide. The check must be performed in admin, however the staff member also must do a quick check to ensure that the content is presentable on the live website after releasing the vote live.
The votes bin/cabinet should contain the following hanging folders to organize this process (the titles are in quotations because this is what should be written on the labels):
- "In Progress": Used to store physical folders in which the individual responsible for entering the vote, writing the summary, or performing a check was unable to complete this process prior to leaving for the day.
- "1st Check": Used to store physical folders after the vote has been entered by an individual.
- "2nd Check": Used to store physical folders after the vote has been entered by an individual, and a first check has been performed by another individual.
- "3rd Check" or "Staff Check": Used to store physical folders after a second check has been performed and is awaiting a third check by a staff member.
- "Summary Needed": Used to store physical folders after a staff member has performed a third check and the vote(s) is released live.
When performing a vote check, always perform the check as if you were entering the vote yourself. You should check the information that was entered at every step of the vote entering process, including, but not limited to, the following:
- **//Votes assigned to members of the legislature//**. When checking the votes, acutely scrutinize members who share the same surname, Speakers of the House and Senate Presidents (their name's are often listed out of order and/or only contain their title - Mr./Ms./Mrs. Speaker or Mr./Ms./Mrs. President), and members who might not be present on the vote breakdown (states that omit those absent or abstaining, "Yea" votes, etc.).
- **//Sponsors and cosponsors//**. This includes more than adding sponsors and cosponsors that the individual missed, but also ensuring that they are being assigned the correct title. For further information, refer to the state-specific sponsors and cosponsors guide.
- **//Other statuses for web//**. In addition to checking to make sure the individual included all of the appropriate other statuses prior to vote selected for coverage, remember to check for additional statuses that may have occurred after the individual entered the vote.
- **//Bill text//**. Check to ensure that the correct version of the bill text was saved to the electronic folder and uploaded in admin. If you think the incorrect version has been selected and you can't find the correct version, a bill text may have to be constructed. This process may be commenced at this stage. For further information, refer to the entering votes addendum guide on constructing bill texts.
- **//Categories and Tags//**. Double check categories and tags to ensure that any possibilities were addressed. Review [[IdiomsandExamples the Idioms and Examples page]] to make sure that no tags were overlooked.
- **//Title and Synopsis//**. Interns are generally advised, when entering votes, not to spend too much time determining an appropriate title. Additional attention should be paid to this during the second and third check. Check for partisanship, as well look for ways to make the title more specific in terms of what the intent of the legislation is, but also ways to make it more succinct.
- //Roll Call Number//. In addition to checking the roll call number for the key vote status, also check the other statues for web. For further information, refer to the state-specific guide.
- //Note//. Check the list of notes available in admin to see if any apply to this stage (or all stages). Although, a note may have to be created or the state may have to be added to an existing note as well. For further information, refer to the entering votes guide addendum,
- //Disclaimer Highlight//. Some notes require a disclaimer highlight, which can be added during this step. The most common note that requires a disclaimer highlight is a substitute bill, or substitute amendment, depending on the state. Generally, this is something that's added by a staff member on the third check. For further information, refer to the disclaimer highlight section of the summary writing guide.
- //Rank Number//. Pay close attention to the introduced status (make sure they are not included a rank number for that status), and statuses that occurred on the same date (look at the bill history to determine which came first).
- //Key Vote Check Box//. If the check is being performed via the internal web it will be immediately clear if the key vote check box has either not been selected (no search results) or been selected for the wrong status (votes other than those selected will appear in the search results).
Although a vote check requires a check of every step in the process, priority is given to the first four steps:
~- Votes assigned to individual members
~- Sponsors and cosponsors
~- Other statuses for web
~- Bill texts
Above all, ensure that these steps were performed correctly.
When performing a vote check, the individual can make any changes that need to be made - they can amend the bill folders (physical and electronic), bill summary sheet, and admin entry. If there are a significant number of errors, however, the work may be returned to the individual who entered the vote for correction, upon the approval of a staff member who may want the individual who entered the vote to make the corrections as part of a training process.
Upon completing a vote check, send the folder to the appropriate place in the Key Votes bin. If you completed a first check, send it to the second check folder. If you completed a second check, send it to the third/staff check folder. If you completed a third check, release the statuses to the live web and send the folder to the "Summary Needed" folder.
There are a few idiosyncrasies when it comes to entering amendment votes that you should be aware of. Overall, the process is very similar to that of a bill or resolution, but special attention must be paid to the following when preparing the folder and entering votes into admin:
- **[[AmendmentBillText Bill Text]]**
- **[[AmendmentBillNumber Bill Number]]**
- **[[ParentBill Parent Bill]]**
- **[[AmendmentSponsors Sponsor(s)]]**
- **[[AmendmentOtherStatuses Other Statuses]]**

Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state. This is generally more of a problem in the few months after an election.

Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in Admin for a particular state.

Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in our roster for that state in Admin.

[[RollCallNumbers Roll Call Numbers]]
[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State]]
[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]
[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]
[[IntroductoryVerbs Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights]]
[[CommonBillTitles Common Bill Titles]]

**[[RollCallNumbers Roll Call Numbers]]**
**[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State]]**
**[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]**
**[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]**
**[[IntroductoryVerbs Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights]]**
**[[CommonBillTitles Common Bill Titles]]**

The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering. This is a just an introduction to Admin. The more in-depth process follows.
**[[RollCallNumbers Roll Call Numbers]]**
**[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State]]**
**[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]**
**[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]**
**[[IntroductoryVerbs Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights]]**
**[[CommonBillTitles Common Bill Titles]]**

The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering:
[[RollCallNumbers Roll Call Numbers]]
[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State]]
[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]
[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]
[[IntroductoryVerbs Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights]]
[[CommonBillTitles Common Bill Titles]]

Check out our **[[FaqsEnteringVotes Frequently Asked Questions]]** page on the Vote Entering process for help on certain questions, including, but not limited to, regarding incoming and outgoing representatives that may not be listed in our roster for that state in Admin.
[[RollCallNumbers Roll Call Numbers]]
[[FindingSponsorsandCosponsors Guide to Finding Sponsors and Co-Sponsors in Each State]]
[[StatutesandConstitutions Statutes, Constitutions, State Legislative Websites, and Rules]]
[[PVSSynopsisIntros Synopsis Intro Phrases]]
[[IntroductoryVerbs Intro Verbs for Titles and Highlights]]
[[CommonBillTitles Common Bill Titles]]

====__Admin Guide and Checklist__====

~~====__Admin Guide__====~~

====__Admin Guide__====

~~Guide~~

- Floating sponsorship boxes in the top of any Admin Key Vote page (Sponsorships are **ONLY** to be changed at the bottom of the Introduced status)

~~- Floating sponsorship boxes in the top of any Admin Key Vote page (Sponsorships are ONLY to be changed at the bottom of the Introduced status)~~

- Rank - Ranks establish the status order as it appears on our website
Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because **they are no longer in use**:
Other entry fields located in Admin are active but should not be used by staff or interns for State Key Votes:
- Floating sponsorship boxes in the top of any Admin Key Vote page (Sponsorships are ONLY to be changed at the bottom of the Introduced status)
- Law entry box
- URL entry box

- Rank - Ranks establish the status order as it appears on our website
Note: Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because **they are no longer in use**:

~~===How to log on:===~~

===Where and how to create a new entry:===
===Data Entry Fields in Admin:===
- Title
- Date Introduced
- Bill Type
- Bill Number
- Notes on the Entire Bill
- Chamber (Level)
- Stage
- Outcome
- Status Date
- Roll Call Number
- Key Vote Checkbox
- Voice Vote Checkbox
- Rank - Ranks establish the status order as it appears on our website
- Yeas
- Nays
- Title
- Highlights
- Synopsis
- Categories
- Tags
- Bill Text
- Notes on a Specific Status
- Committee Actions (including sponsorships and referred to committee statuses)
- View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered)
Note: Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because **they are no longer in use**:
- Official Titles
- Official Synopsis
- Budget Docs
====__Vote Checks__====
====__Amendment Votes__====
====__FAQ's__====
====__Resources__====
====__FINAL NOTE__====

===Where and how to create a new entry:====
===Data Entry Fields in Admin===
Title
Date Introduced
Bill Type
Bill Number
Notes on the Entire Bill
Chamber (Level)
Stage
Outcome
Status Date
Roll Call Number
Key Vote Checkbox
Voice Vote Checkbox
Rank - Ranks establish the status order as it appears on our website
Yeas
Nays
Title
Highlights
Synopsis
Categories
Tags
Bill Text
Notes on a Specific Status
Committee Actions (including sponsorships and referred to committee statuses)
View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered)
Note: Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because they are no longer in use:
Official Titles
Official Synopsis
Budget Docs
Vote Checks

====__Admin__====
===What it is:===
As mentioned in the Introduction above, Admin is where we enter in all of our data; it funnels data to our live website. The data will be gathered from both the physical and digital folders.
===How to log on:===
===Where and how to create a new entry:====
===Data Entry Fields in Admin===
The following list outlines the data fields you will be asked to enter throughout the span of any vote entering:
Title
Date Introduced
Bill Type
Bill Number
Notes on the Entire Bill
Chamber (Level)
Stage
Outcome
Status Date
Roll Call Number
Key Vote Checkbox
Voice Vote Checkbox
Rank - Ranks establish the status order as it appears on our website
Yeas
Nays
Title
Highlights
Synopsis
Categories
Tags
Bill Text
Notes on a Specific Status
Committee Actions (including sponsorships and referred to committee statuses)
View Votes/Actions (where sponsorships and votes are entered)
Note: Some entry fields located in Admin are not covered above because they are no longer in use:
Official Titles
Official Synopsis
Budget Docs
Guide
Checklist
Vote Checks

The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are critical to the Vote Entering process:

~~The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are crucial to the Vote Entering process:~~

-Tags: Tags serve a similar function as categories. If it consists of more than one word, they will always be separated by a dash(-). For example: “minimum-wages”

~~-Tags: Tags serve a similar function as categories. If it consists of more than one word, they will always be separated by a dash (-). For example: “minimum-wages”~~

===Bill History Sheet:===
===Voting Record Sheet:===

===Bill History:===
===Voting Record:===

===Bill History:===
The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our **entire** status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Second Chamber hypothetically could have been our only Key Vote

===Voting Record:===
The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote (and only the Key Vote) that has been selected

-**Bill History:** The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our **entire** status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Second Chamber hypothetically could have been our only Key Vote
-**Voting Record:** The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote (and only the Key Vote) that has been selected

-**Bill History:** The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our **entire** status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Second Chamber hypothetically could have been our only Key Vote.
-**Voting Record:** The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected

**-Bill History:** The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our **entire** status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, meaning full chamber votes on the entire bill. These include, but are not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; Note that of these, the Second Chamber hypothetically could have been our only Key Vote.
**-Voting Record:** The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected

**-Bill History:** The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, including but not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; of these, the Second Chamber might have been our only Key Vote
**-Voting Record:** The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected

The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are crucial to the Vote Entering process:
**-Bill History:** The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, including but not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; of these, the Second Chamber might have been our only Key Vote
**-Voting Record:** The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected

-The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are crucial to the Vote Entering process:
**-Bill History:** The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, including but not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; of these, the Second Chamber might have been our only Key Vote
**-Voting Record:** The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected

-The last two remaining items require emphasis as they are crucial to the Vote Entering process:

~~-The last remaining items require emphasis as they are crucial to the Vote Entering process:~~

-The last remaining items require emphasis as they are crucial to the Vote Entering process:
**-Bill History:** The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, including but not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; of these, the Second Chamber might have been our only Key Vote
**-Voting Record:** The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected

-Bill History: The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, including but not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; of these, the Second Chamber might have been our only Key Vote
-Voting Record: The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected

**As it relates to the Entering Votes process, the Press File and Bill Text are ONLY necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis.** Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

**As it relates to the Entering Votes process, the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis.** Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

===Press File and Bill Text in UTBox:===

~~===UTBox:===~~

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**As it relates to the Entering Votes process, the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis.** Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct and properly format a Title and Synopsis, visit the **[[SummaryWritingGuide Summary Writing Guide]]**.

**As it relates to the Entering Votes process, the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis.** Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct a Title and Synopsis, view the Summary Writing Guide.

-Press File
-Bill Text

Vote Smart utilizes the cloud service known as UTBox to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary. Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills,” where you will find a folder for each state along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process. Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:

Vote Smart utilizes the cloud service known as UTBox to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary. Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills.” There, you will find a folder for each state along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process. Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:

===How this information will be used for the Vote Entering process:===

~~===How this information will be used for the Entering Votes process:===~~

-Selection Date: This date is only used for internal purposes and will not be necessary for you to keep note of or input into Admin

~~-Selection Date: This date is used for internal purposes only and will not be necessary for you to keep note of or input into Admin~~

Each Key Vote will have its very own physical bill folder created by staff (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one physical bill folder). The physical bill folder is a manila file folder and is the medium for each and every Key Vote that we select. Our Department’s livelihood can be found in these manila folders. Each folder has information on its lip, the front of it, and inside of it, as follows:

Each Key Vote will have its very own physical bill folder created by staff (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one physical bill folder). The physical bill folder is a manila file folder and is the medium for each and every Key Vote that we select - our Department’s livelihood can be found in these manila folders. Each folder has information on its lip, the front of it, and inside of it, as follows:

{{anchor name="introduction"}}====__The Physical Bill Folder__====
===What it is and what is in it:===
Each Key Vote will have its very own physical bill folder created by staff (unless two Key Votes share the same bill text, in which case, they will share one physical bill folder). The physical bill folder is a manila file folder and is the medium for each and every Key Vote that we select - our Department’s livelihood can be found in these manila folders. Each folder has information on its lip, the front of it, and inside of it, as follows:
-The lip of the folder acts as a quick guide to which Key Vote is being covered. It lists the following information:
-State
-Bill Number
-Key Vote Stage (ex: House Concurrence)
-A printed out form taped on the front of the folder lists other information useful for entering votes in admin:
-Chamber(s)
-Selection Date
-Categories
-Tags
-Vote Smart-specific “Notes” for either the entire bill or just a single stage
-Comments that anyone working on that bill (vote entering or summary writing) will have to be aware of as it might have an impact on your work
-Finally, entry fields for individual names (printed only!) that worked on a given stage along the Key Vote process
-The inside of the folder will always hold the following printed and sheets (staff will highlight necessary information):
-Bill History
-Voting Records for each Key Vote stage(s)

===How this information will be used for the Entering Votes process:===
Now that you are aware of the contents of a physical bill folder, let’s discuss how they are necessary for an entry into Admin.
-Hopefully, the purpose of the following items are apparent:
-State
-Bill Number
-Key Vote Stage
-Chamber
-Intern/Staff Name Entry Fields
-Others need some explanation:
-Selection Date: This date is used for internal purposes only and will not be necessary for you to keep note of or input into Admin
-Categories: Vote Smart has a list of categories that a Key Vote might fall into. These categories help us tie all of our research together and help a website user find the information he or she is searching for. Consequently, staff will come up with relevant categories for that specific bill and interns will enter those into Admin
-Tags: Tags serve a similar function as categories. If it consists of more than one word, they will always be separated by a dash (-). For example: “minimum-wages”
-Notes: Vote Smart provides our readers with Notes that help the reader understand legislative terms, legislative processes, etc., that might require a brief explanation. These can be applied to the entire bill, a specific stage, or both.
-Comments: Staff provides comments on bills that the vote enterer or summary checker should always be cognizant of, including, but not limited to, disclaimer highlights, or a previous Key Vote that had been selected for that bill to indicate that there should already be an existing Admin entry for that bill
-Bill History: The Bill History sheet that is inside the folder will be the general layout of our entire status list for that bill. We will cover each major vote throughout the life of the bill, including but not limited to, the Introduced stage, First Chamber Passage stage, Second Chamber Passage stage, Governor Passage stage; of these, the Second Chamber might have been our only Key Vote
-Voting Record: The Voting Record sheet that is inside the folder provides the Yeas and Nays for the Key Vote(s), and only Key Vote(s), that has been selected
====__The Digital Bill Folder__====
===UTBox:===
Vote Smart utilizes the cloud service known as UTBox to house information so that staff and interns alike can upload, download, and preview files as necessary. Under the Key Votes folder, you will find a number of folders, including, but not limited to, “State Bills.” There, you will find a folder for each state along with a template for the Bill Summary Sheet that will only be necessary during the Writing Summary process. Within each individual state folder, there will be a folder for each Key Vote we have selected. Within each individual Key Vote folder, you will find the following documents provided by staff:
-Press File
-Bill Text
**As it relates to the Entering Votes process, the Press File and Bill Text are only necessary to fill out two fields in Admin: Title and Synopsis.** Therefore, for each Vote Entry you complete, be sure to take a good look at the Press File and skim the Bill Text to help in understanding what the bill at hand is trying to accomplish. For an explanation on how to construct a Title and Synopsis, view the Summary Writing Guide.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories for each Key Vote we select. This includes every stage the bill went through from Introduced on through Governor stage (if applicable), and further inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories (Introduced stage on through the Governor stage, if applicable) for each Key Vote we select, and, further, inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

-Vote Smart Legislation page on **[[http://votesmart.org votesmart.org]]**

~~-Vote Smart Legislation page on [[http://votesmart.org votesmart.org]]~~

-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in **[[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes UTBox]]**)

~~-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in [[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes **UTBox**]])~~

-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in [[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes **UTBox**]])
-**[[https://admin.votesmart.org/admin/ Admin]]**

-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in [[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes UTBox]])
-Admin

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under **[[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]**. 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under [[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]. 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under [[SummaryWritingGuide {{color c="blue" text="Vote Entering Guide"}}]]. 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under [[VoteEnteringGuide {{color c="blue" text="Vote Entering Guide"}}]]. 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on an issue at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under [[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]. 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on the issues at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under [[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]. 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.

{{anchor name="introduction"}}====__Introduction__====

~~{{anchor name="introduction"}} ====__Introduction__====~~

-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in [[https://utexas.app.box.com/files/0/f/1369843616/Key_Votes UTBox]])

~~-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox)~~

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories (Introduced stage on through the Governor stage, if applicable) for each Key Vote we select, and, further, inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories (Introduced stage on through the Governor stage, if applicable) for each Key Vote we select, and, further, inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process as well where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.

----
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=={{anchor target="physicalbillfolder" text="Physical Bill Folder Content"}}==>>

~~=={{anchor target="physicalbillfolder" text="Physical Bill Folder Content"}}>>~~

=={{anchor target="physicalbillfolder" text="Physical Bill Folder Content"}}>>

~~~-{{anchor target="samplebillsummaryprocess" text="Sample Bill Summary Process"}}>>~~

@@This space intentionally left blank@@

=={{anchor target="introduction" text="Introduction"}}==
~-{{anchor target="overviewjumpdown" text="Overview of the Process"}}
~-{{anchor target="whatyouwillneed" text="What You Will Need"}}
~-{{anchor target="samplebillsummaryprocess" text="Sample Bill Summary Process"}}>>

~~=={{anchor target="introduction" text="Introduction"}}==>>~~

>>==Vote Entering - Table of Contents==
=={{anchor target="introduction" text="Introduction"}}==>>

{{anchor name="whatyouwillneed"}}===What You Will Need===

~~{{anchor name="whatyouwillneed"}} ===What You Will Need===~~

**Note about vote entries: Only staff members are authorized to release content live to the website.**

~~**Note about vote entries: Only staff is authorized to release content live to the website.**~~

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories (Introduced stage on through the Governor stage, if applicable) for each Key Vote we select, and, further, inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process as well where each original vote entry will be checked by two interns and then a staff member. After you have finished working on the vote entry, sign the physical bill folder and place it in the hanging folder in the main cabinet for the next check.
**Note about vote entries: Only staff is authorized to release content live to the website.**

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories (Introduced stage on through the Governor stage, if applicable) for each Key Vote we select, and, further, inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process as well where each original vote entry will When having completed a
**Only staff is authorized to release content live to the website**

-State Legislature Bill page for finding updates to sponsorships, finding out who is the House Speaker, and for help in figuring out what the bill is trying to accomplish

-State Legislature Bill page for finding updates to sponsorships, finding out who is the speaker (oftentimes, voting records state “Mr(s). Speaker - Yea” so it is necessary to identify him or her), and for help in figuring out what the bill does

-Vote Smart Legislation page on [[http://votesmart.org votesmart.org]]

~~-Vote Smart Legislation page on votesmart.org~~

{{anchor name="whatyouwillneed"}} ===What You Will Need===
When working on a vote entry, you should have the following resources open and available:
-Physical Bill Folder
-Bill History Sheet(s) (located as a printout inside the physical bill folder)
-Press File (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox)
-Bill Text (located in the corresponding digital bill folder in UTBox)
-Admin
Other useful pages include:
-Vote Smart Legislation page on votesmart.org
-State Legislature Bill page for finding updates to sponsorships, finding out who is the speaker (oftentimes, voting records state “Mr(s). Speaker - Yea” so it is necessary to identify him or her), and for help in figuring out what the bill does

At this point, you should already be familiar with how a key vote is selected, and how a bill page looks live on our website. Vote Smart interns are responsible for manually inputting the bill histories (Introduced stage on through the Governor stage, if applicable) for each Key Vote we select, and, further, inputting all Yeas and Nays for each Key Vote status within that bill history. The absolute last thing we want to do is to haphazardly enter votes and end up assigning a lawmaker with a “Nay” vote when he or she should have been assigned a “Yea” vote. It is a tedious process that staff too completes, but is also tremendously crucial to supplying a comprehensive understanding of the bill. To help in accomplishing this goal, we utilize an online, internal database portal known as “Admin.” As with writing summaries, there is a check process as well where each original vote entry will When having completed a
**Only staff is authorized to release content live to the website**

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on the issues at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under [[VoteEnteringGuide Vote Entering Guide]]. 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.

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on the issues at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under Entering Votes Guide. 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.

{{anchor name="introduction"}} ====__Introduction__====
{{anchor name="overviewjumpdown"}} ===Overview of the Process===

One of the features of our Key Votes Department is voting records. We supply our readers with complete bill history and voting record information on the bills we select so that they are able to look up their representatives to see where he or she stand on the issues at hand. At Vote Smart, only Key Votes will merit a voting record and, subsequently, 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 as best possible. For convenient reference, we provide an easy-to-use “Entering Votes Into Admin Checklist” that you should always utilize when entering or checking votes. You can access that page and this parent page through the main Key Votes wiki page, under Entering Votes Guide. 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.

PVSWiki : VoteEnteringGuide

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