1.1. Import to VIQ

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vMQbHcjVF4

There are two ways of importing files into VoterIQ.

A. Transferring files from VLO to VoterIQ.

B. Importing files from a computer into VoterIQ. This method is used for third-party data or to import custom data en masse into VoterIQ.

 

 Transferring files from VLO to VoterIQ.

 

Before starting the upload process:

 

1) Confirm that the file in question has been generated and purchased in VLO.

 

To complete the upload process:

 

2) Under the VoterIQ tab, select "New File" or "Add File".

 

 

3) In the "New File" screen, select "Transfer file generated from VoterListsOnline".

4) On the same screen, select the appropriate file from the table of purchased files.

5) Enter a name in the "Name" field. This is the name the file will have in VoterIQ and does not have to match the file's name in VLO.

6) Click the "Save" button to transfer the file to VoterIQ.

 

 

 

Importing files from a computer into VoterIQ. 

 

Before starting the upload process:

 

1) File MUST be in .csv or .dbf format.

2) Remove ALL columns from the file EXCEPT:

     a) Any columns of custom data, and:

     b) Columns to be used as matching.

3) Make sure that any custom fields in the file have corresponding custom datapoints in VoterIQ.

4) Make sure that the column headers in the file match VoterIQ/VLO datapoint fieldnames exactly.

5) Make sure that the file is in a .zip archive.

 

To complete the upload process:

 

6) Under the VoterIQ tab, select "New File" or "Add File".

 

 

7) In the "New File" screen, select "Import my own file and match to voter data".

8) Click "Browse" to select your zip archive for the appropriate file.

9) Enter a name in the "Name" field. This is the name the file will have in VoterIQ and does not have to match the file's name on your computer.

10) Select the state from the dropdown.

11) Select the matching criteria you are planning to use from the available list by clicking the checkboxes next to the appropriate fieldnames. Click the green '+' button to set the criteria as matching criteria. More than one fieldname can be selected at a time. If you are using api_id you will not need any other criteria.

12) Select the custom data points you are uploading using the same process you used to add matching criteria.

13) Click the "Save" button to upload the file into VoterIQ.

 

1.2. VIQ Import Notes

Choosing the best matching criteria

API_ID is the preferred matching criterion, since this is a unique identifier applied to every voter in the VLO database. However, if this field is not in your file, you'll need to select other matching criteria.

1) 'firstname','lastname', 'voter_id'. - the VOTER_ID field is a state-applied analogue of the API_ID field. If this is included, a high match rate can be obtained by using this field along with first and last name matching. However, don't expect a perfect match rate. API_ID is the only reliable way to achieve a 100% match.

2) 'firstname', 'lastname', 'address', 'city'. - If API_ID or VOTER_ID aren't available, then you'll need to search by contact information. Using ADDRESS and CITY fields alongside first and last name matching will let you search by registered home address.

3) 'firstname', 'lastname', 'maddress', 'mcity'. - If you have a large number of PO Boxes in your file you might want to match by MADDRESS and MCITY instead of ADDRESS and CITY. This will search by mailing address rather than home address.

Ensuring the quality of your data

We strongly recommend ensuring the quality of your file before importing. There are three general steps you can take that should improve your percentage of matches when you are importing a file that doesn't include API IDs.

1) Voters are listed in the VLO database by the name they used when registering to vote. Nicknames, middle names, and any other names besides their registered name  won't match. Check whether you need to update the 'firstname' field to hold first names instead of nicknames (e.g., change 'Bill' to 'William' and 'Dave' to 'David'). Also, check for obvious spelling errors (e.g., 'Ramdolph' should be 'Randolph').

2) Include addresses where they are absent. If you can't get an address for that individual, remove them. For instance, there are twenty-six individuals named David Horn in NY. If you can't find an address for David Horn and attempt to match on name alone you are almost guaranteed to match to the wrong individual.

3) Remove any rows that don't contain data. For instance, remove any rows marked "Test".

 

1.3. Creating a Walklist -- Full Walkthrough

The first step is to create and purchase the list of voters. To do that, go to the "Queries" tab and create the list you need. Based on your email, something like the following may work for you:

1. Jurisdiction > County > Pinal

2. Jurisdiction > Resident City/Zip Code > Load-Reload > [select both "Maricopa" entries]

3. Party > Party Code > Republican

4. Vote History > [select "Voted" in the "Primary/14" and "Primary/12 cells". set "Voting Frequency Type" to "All"]

If you click "Recalculate" after selecting the above criteria, you should get a count of about 1300 unique voters. Add or modify these criteria as desired. When done, click "Checkout" and follow the checkout process. When the file is complete, navigate to the "My Files" tab, select the file, and click "Purchase". You won't need to download the file.

The next step is to transfer the file to VoterIQ and add it to a project.

1. Select the "VoterIQ" tab and click the "New File" button.

2. Make sure "Transfer file generated from VoterListsOnline is selected". Then click on your purchased file from the list and click "Save".

3. Click the "Refresh" button in the top-left corner and you should see your file under the "Files" folder.

4. Now select "New Project". Enter a name for the project, select "Arizona" as the state, and check the box next to your file. Then click "Save".

At this point you're now ready to cut and assign turf. However, if you want to create datapoints for use in VoterIQ, you should create these and add them to your project before cutting turf. These datapoints can be used to record responses. Select "New Datapoint" to add a new datapoint. You can add datapoints to your project by selecting the project, checking the box next to the datapoint, and saving.

To cut your turf, take the following steps:

1. Select your project and click "Cut".

2. The voters will load onto a map in a new tab. In the top-left corner of the screen, you can select different ways to select these voters. If you want to add them all to your turf, click the button with a blue square to automatically draw a rectangle around all voters. Alternatively, you can use the black square, circle, or polygon buttons to select the voters you want to include.

3. The shape you select will appear in the top-left field with a number of options. Click on the zig-zag icon to create an optimized walklist for the area included in the shape.

4. You can click on any of the pins inside your selected area to select a starting point. In the Walk List section on the left, you can break up the list into multiple assignable sections by clicking the button next to any of the locations.

5. Once you've selected your turf, click the Save button in the top-left corner.

At this point you've created your walklist and are now ready to set final options and assign it. To assign your walklist:

1. Select your project and click "Assign". Select the turf from the list and then click "Go".

2. In the turf assignment window, you can set a due date, enter a message for your staff, customize a script for, and include attachments. The most important thing to do, however, is to select the people who will be canvassing the turf. To do this, select "Users" in the assignment menu.

3. Click the "Add" button. Click on the email address of the user you're adding and click "Select". You can do this multiple times.

4. If the email address you want to select doesn't appear in the list, click the "Create New" button and enter a valid email, first and last name, and phone number and click "Save". then select the email and click "Select".

5. For each user you add, you'll want to select the report format and permissions. Click on the e-mail, and set the desired permissions for that user. Select the report format from the "Report" dropdown. Enable printing the report by checking the "Print?" box. Enable updating datapoints in the system by checking the "Entry?" box. Enable re-assigning turf sections by checking the "Assign?" box.

6. When you're ready, click "Create Assignment". You can always re-select and update assignments by following the same steps as adding a new assignment.

Each email address you selected in steps 3-4 will receive an email detailing their assignment. There are two important links in this email:

-- "Click here for your task assignment". This link will allow the user to view the assignment in their browser window, manage the assignment (based on the permissions you gave the user), and print a paper walklist.

-- "Mobile Device WalkList Data Mining". This link will open up a mobile-friendly version of the walklist. If you have datapoints selected in your project, you can click on each entry in this walklist to record and upload responses.

2.1. New Features of Voter Lists 3.0

New features in VLO 3.0

1) Snip-It's: You can easily create a query string, and save it for use later in building a more complex query. For example, you could create a query Woman who voted in 2 of 3 Primaries – Snip it

Woman who are newly registered – Snip it. Woman who are profiled as "likely Conservatives" – Snip it.

You can then select the ones you want to combo, either "Union (OR)" or "Intersection (AND)", which will create a combo string that can append to your Query.

 

2) Voter counts are now generated in real time, unless you turn that feature off. 

3)      VLO Lite – an option on the left tool bar – really developed for use by Novices to Voter lists but also optimized for easy list generation on the go on a Tablet

4)      Mapping has a few new features that I would encourage you to play around with

5)      Spatial Mapping options – different visualization options

6)      Option to highlight an area on the map and display pinpoints for voters that when clicked display voter details.

7)      Both old and new versions of VLO have Voter Turnout Options under the Vote History tab.

*Coming in the future - the ability to select directly from the map of displayed voters*