VotumNetworked Voting System

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

Votum – Contents 2

1. Short Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3

2. Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3

3. Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

4. System Requirements for the Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

5. Installation of the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

6. Functions/Settings of the Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

6.1 Voting Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

6.2 Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10

6.3 Reports Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18

6.4 Configuration before a voting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20

7. How to carry out a Voting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 21

Votum – Mounting 3

1. Short Description

Votum is a voting system consisting of a voting device and the supplied software. The voting device is available in three versions:

• Votum KL in horizontal design for installation into tables• Votum KV in vertical design for installation into armrests and/or tables• Votum KU in horizontal design as a desktop unit

The voting device is powered via standard PoE network switches to which it is connected with a standard Cat5 patch cable. The supplied soft-ware is used for the configuration and carrying out of votings. The voting devices have three buttons (yes, no, abstain) for votings. When a voting has been started with the software, all LEDs above the buttons will illuminate. When the participant has pressed a button, in non-secretvotings the LED above the appropriate button will illuminate, in secret votings all LEDs will illuminate. If a participant is not allowed to vote, allLEDs are flashing.The voting results can be displayed on external screens or video projectors and entered in a database.

2. Mounting

Votum KL and Votum KV

• Cut an appropriate hole into the table top or armrest for the voting device. Refer to the drawing for the cutout dimensions. • Put the voting device into this cutout and attach it in the table with the supplied mounting accessories.

Cutout dimensions for Votum KL Cutout dimensions for Votum KV

Votum KL voting buttons

Votum – Installation 4

4. System Requirements for the Software

Due to system variability of computer hardware it is not possible to determine general system requirements for the optimum operation.

Hardware requirementsIntel or AMD processor > 2 GHz Memory 1 GB at minimumHard disk capacity > 300 MB Monitor and graphics card with 1024x768 pixel and 32-bit colourRJ45 socket to connect a PoE switch

Software requirementsOperating system from WindowsXP SP3

5. Installation of the Software

• Install the software on a PC according to the instructions of the installation program.

• Start the software. The main screen will be opened. The software is provided with two tabs with different functions: Voting and Setting. The icon provides a quick access to the windows Reports and UI Settings and to close the program.

• After the first start of the software, the voting devices must be added to the configuration table so that they are recognised. Select the Settings tab and the menu item Network Config. The Network Configuration window will be opened. Highlight the devicesin the lower field Devices reported by Driver of the Network Configuration window and click on Add selected devices into configuration table in the bar above. The devices are added to the Configured seats/devices table.

3. Connection

• Connect the voting device via the RJ45 socket with a Cat5 cable to the PoE switch. • Connect the PoE switch to a PC/server.• Connect a DHCP server to the first PoE switch for an automatic allocation of the IP addresses of the individual voting devices.

Setup example of a Votum system

Switch/Router with DHCP Server(or software DHCP server on PC, e.g. Tiny DHCP,DHCPSrvhttp://ruttkamp.gmxhome.de/dhcpsrv/dhcpsrv2.1zip)

10/100MBit Switch with PoE functionality(e.g. Cisco Small Business SRW248G4P-EU, Netgear FS 108P ProSafe etc.)

Standard Cat5 patch cabling

Votum KL/KV/KU

Standard PC(2 GHz, Windows XP/SP3or Windows 7)

Votum – Voting 5

6. Functions/Settings of the Software

6.1 Voting Tab

Voting

StartSelect Start to start a voting. All LEDs of the voting devices will illuminate.

When you select Start, the following drop-down menu will open:

Registration will start a new voting where the participants can register themselves by pressing any of the buttons of the voting device. Thisaction will be saved as registered event instead of Yes, No or Abstain.

Agenda Voting will start a normal voting about the items of the agenda.

StopSelect Stop when you want to stop the current voting.

CancelSelect Cancel when you want to cancel the current voting or delete carried out votings.

Agenda

TopicSelect Topic. A window will be opened which will display the items of the agenda in a chronological sequence that has been entered underLists / Agenda.

Agenda VotingSelect Agenda Voting to start a voting with the items of the agenda that has been entered under Lists / Agenda.

Votum – Voting 6

Votum – Voting 7

Parameters

TimeoutOpen the Timeout pop-up window and select the time after which the voting is to be finished. You can also enter a time (User specified).

Correction When you activate the Correction field, the participant can change his/her vote before the end of the voting.

activated deactivated

Secret VotingWhen you activate the Secret Voting field, the voting is secret, i.e. the LEDs of the voting devices do not display how the appropriate participant has voted.

activated deactivated

ChoicesIn the Choices pop-up window you can select, if it is a parliamentary voting or a multiple choice voting with a maximum of three possibilities.

TypeIn the Type pop-up window you can select the display of the majority distribution.

Votum – Voting 8

Lists

AgendaSelect the Agenda tab to enter the list of items of the agenda. The date will be entered automatically. In the Topic column you can enter the number of the topic, in the Subject column you can enter the subject and in the Short Description column you can enter a short description.Activate the Required check box, when a voting of this item is necessary. When there was a voting about an item of the agenda, it will auto-matically be deleted from the agenda. Topic and Date are mandatory fields and must not be empty. If invalid values had been entered accidentally, they can be deleted by pressingthe Esc key. Highlight the entire line if you want to delete it by pressing the Del key.

ParticipantsSelect the Participants tab to enter the list of participants.In the # column you can enter the participant ID, the first name in the First name column, the last name in the Last name column and thegroup of participant in the Party column. In the Voting restricted to column you can select if the participant can vote about all or individualoptions in a multiple choice voting. #, First name and Last name are mandatory fields. Accidentally entered invalid values can be deleted by pressing the Esc key. Highlight theentire line if you want to delete it by pressing the Del key.

= current topic

= here you can enter a new topic

Votum – Voting 9

Reports

ReportsIf you select Reports, you can open a window to display the voting results and parameters. Furthermore, the Reports tab will be displayedbetween the Voting and Settings tabs.

SeatsIn the Seats tab you can recognise the configured seats/devices. In the Label column, you can see the seat number. In the Voting restrictedto column, you can see if the participant has voted all or individual options in a multiple choice voting. When the Enabled check box is ticked, the participant is allowed to vote. If participants are not allowed to vote, the tick must be removed fromthe Enabled check box. All LEDs of the voting device of the participant concerned will flash and a voting is not possible.

ListsIn the Lists menu item you can open a window, where you can access the Agenda, Participants and Seats tabs for entries.

Votum – Settings 10

6.2 Settings Tab

In the Settings tab the conference room with seats is displayed on the left hand side. On the right hand side the remaining time of the startedvoting and the intermediate result is displayed. The final result is only displayed when the voting is in progress or just completed.

Display of the seats

The voting device is not active or missing.

The seat in the Seats table is not activated.

The voting device is present and activated.

During the voting the icon of the seat will be displayed in the colour of the last given vote. If a participant is allocated to that seat, a small picture of a card will be displayed. Seats can be quickly enabled or disabled by double-clicking on them with the mouse.

Green means that it was voted with YES at that seat.

Votum – Settings 11

Screens

UI SettingsIf you select UI Settings, you will open a window with the Main and Screens tabs.

MainIn the Background Picture drop-down menu you can load another background picture. Click and select the appropriate picture. If you wouldlike to replace the loaded picture by the picture defined by the program, click .

In the Language drop-down menu you can select the desired language to be displayed.

New Info ScreenSelect New Info Screen if you want to open a new information screen on an external display. Then the opened window must be moved to theappropriate display and maximised.

New Press ScreenSelect New Press Screen if you want to open a new press information screen on an external display. The opened window must be moved tothe appropriate display and maximised.

If you select New Press Screen when there is no voting active, the following picture will be displayed:

Enter the title (e.g. name of the company) into the Client field of the UI Settings window. The preset picture can easily be replaced by another picture in the .png format from the images sub-folder of the location where Votum has been installed.

During an active voting the following pictures is displayed:

Votum – Settings 12

After the voting has ended, the result of the voting by roll call is displayed:

Afterwards the final results will be displayed:

Votum – Settings 13

Screens In the Screens tab you can select the colour and size of the Info screen and the Press screen to display on an external screen or video projector.

Info screen SettingsIn the Caption color drop-down menu you can select the colour of the headline as it is to be displayed in the Info screen and under Size youcan select the size of the headline.

In the Text color drop-down menu you can select the colour of the text as it is to be displayed in the Info screen and under Size you can select the size of the text.

In the Background color drop-down menu you can select the colour of the background.

Press screen SettingsIn the Caption color drop-down menu you can select the colour of the headline as it is to be displayed in the Press screen and under Sizeyou can select the size of the headline.

In the Text color drop-down menu you can select the colour of the text as it is to be displayed in the Press screen and under Size you can select the size of the text.

In the Background color drop-down menu you can select the colour of the background.

In the Chart Settings section you can select the size of the chart and where to place it. Select the appropriate option: top left, top right, bottom right, bottom left. Under Size you can select the size of the chart. Move the cursor closer to “-” if you want to make the chart smaller, move the cursor closer to “+” if you want to make the chart bigger.

Votum – Settings 14

Chart

Bar ChartSelect Bar Chart if you want to display the voting result as a bar chart.

Pie ChartSelect Pie Chart if you want to display the voting result as a pie chart.

Top LeftSelect Top-left if you want to place the chart top left.

Top RightSelect Top-right if you want to place the chart top right.

Bottom LeftSelect Bottom-left if you want to place the chart at the bottom left.

Bottom RightSelect Bottom-right if you want to place the chart at the bottom right.

ZoomHere you can select the size of the chart. Move the cursor closer to “-” or select “-” if you want to make the chart smaller or move the cursorcloser to “+” or select “+” if you want to make the chart bigger.

Votum – Settings 15

Net

Network configSelect Network config to open the Network Configuration window. In the upper part of the window you will see a table of the configuredseats/devices. All voting devices must be in this table to receive the commands of the program properly. If a device is not listed, although connected, it will remain in the deactivated mode.

If the system is not yet configured, the devices can be found in the lower Connected but not configured table. From there you can move thedevices to the upper Configured seats / devices table, where they will be found in future.

Each device has the following properties:

Label – This is the identification number which will be displayed on the screen. At the beginning the cell is marked in pink to indicate that anidentification number has not yet been entered and the integrated identification is used as identification number.

Device – This is the alias of the respective Votum voting device

Participant – Participants can be allocated to each seat or device. For a voting by names select the respective participant from the drop-downmenu. For an anonymous voting select (all).

Description – A short description or designation

Online – displays the current status of the voting device and is not part of the existing configuration. (An update is not made continuously andthe user must click the Refresh Button .) Furthermore, the background is red or green for an easier recognition.

Enabled – Seat/device can be enabled or disabled for a voting.

Visible – If the check box is ticked, the respective seat on the screen is displayed by a circle. If there are many seats (e.g. 100) to arrange in the Voting Tab window, you can do this via the icon Arrange Icons.

X – Horizontal coordinate of the displayed circleY – Vertical coordinate of the displayed circle

In the lower part of the window there is a list of the network devices (depending on the selected filter). Depending on the status of the listeddevices, different actions are possible:• If the device is connected, you can select it from the upper table. • If the device is configured, but not connected, you can select it from the upper table or remove it from the configuration. • If the device is connected, but not available in the configuration, you can add it to the table. • Furthermore, you can delete all selected devices in the configuration table.

Votum – Settings 16

Devices ConfigurationSelect Devices Configuration to list and configure the connected devices. You will receive information about the voting devices and their parameters such as MAC address, Client IP, Type : ID, Version, Alias, IP, Mask, Server and Application.

NotesScenario 1: All configured seats are allocated to determined participants. This is how to carry out a voting by name. The reports will contain a summary ofthe votes and an individual vote by name. Scenario 2:None of the seats has been allocated to participants. This is how to carry out an anonymous voting. The reports will contain just a summary ofthe votes. Scenario 3:Some of the seats have been allocated to participants. The reports will contain a summary of the votes and the individual votes of the participants per seat.

How to remove seats / devicesDeactivated devices can be removed when the filter “Configured but not connected” is selected. Highlight the appropriate device and click theicon to remove the device.

How to localise deactivated devicesAll deactivated devices in the lower part of the list can be localised in the configuration table above. Click on the device to be localised in thelower part of the list. Click on the icon to localise the selected device. The appropriate row is highlighted in the upper part. As soon as youknow where the device is found, you can check hardware and cables.

More functions

RefreshThere is not made an update of the properties of a device continuously. In case of hardware changes, the user has to click the Refresh icon afterwards.

DeleteWhen you click the Delete icon, the selected row in the configuration table above will be deleted. This is done when there were changes in thehardware configuration.

ArrangeWith the Arrange icon you can arrange the seats that are marked with Visible in the appropriate row.

Votum – Settings 17

InformationIn this area you will find information of the voting devices such as MAC address, IP address, type, version and description.

SettingsIn the Settings area you can configure the voting device so that it will operate with an IP address allocated by the DHCP server or with a statically allocated address. The Votum server address can be received by announce or fixed.

Initially all devices are configured to receive their settings automatically, i.e. they have both IP by DHCP and Server IP by Announcechecked. If you want to assign a static IP address to a device, remove the check from the IP by DHCP check box and enter a valid IP addressand network mask into the IP and Mask fields. When IP by DHCP is not checked, then the IP field will automatically be filled with the current IP of the device and the Mask field with the appropriate mask value.

If you want to specify a fixed IP address for the Votum server, then you must remove the check from the Server IP by Announce check boxand enter a valid IP address in the Server IP field. Initially the field will automatically be filled with the IP address of the network interface cardon which the device was found.

Using static server IP addresses are a preferred way to shorten the initial connection delays on power up or when more than one Votum system is operated in the same LAN network.

CommandsIf you check the Test Mode box, the LED’s on the device will start to illuminate. This can be useful, when you would like to locate the devicein a rank of many seats.

Press the Reboot device button when you want to reboot the device. When you press the Reload from device button, the current settingsare re-read from the non-volatile memory of the device.

When you close the Devices Configuration window, all devices with configuration changes will reboot in order for the new changes to comeinto effect.

By pressing the Ctrl or Shift key while clicking, you can select several rows. When more than one device is selected, the additional subsectionStatic address range will appear allowing for IP addresses to be allocated to a group of devices. If there is no DHCP server in the network,then static IP addresses of the devices are mandatory.

How to allocate an IP address to a group of devices:

1. Select one device with the Ctrl button and click.Select several devices with the Shift button and click.Select all devices with Ctrl + A.

2. Enter the first IP address into the First IP field.

3. Enter the appropriate network mask into the Mask field.

4. Click on the Assign button.

Votum – Reports 18

6.3 Reports Tab

In the Reports tab you can determine how detailed the voting results are to be displayed in a table.

Grouping

FlatIf you activate Flat, the voting results are displayed as a table.

AgeingIf you activate Ageing, the voting results are displayed in a list of the current day and the last week/s with the number of votings etc.

No groupingA division of the individual votes into groups is cancelled.

Group by partyThe given votes are grouped by parties.

Group by voteThe given votes are grouped according to Yes, No, Abstain.

Votum – Reports 19

Filtering

No filterNo filter. All votings are displayed.

TodayOnly votings of the current day are displayed.

This weekOnly votings are displayed, which have taken place this week.

Last weekOnly votings are displayed, which took place last week.

Current monthOnly votings are displayed, which have taken place in the current month.

CustomOnly votings are displayed, which have been defined in a certain period of time in the columns from and to.

Print & Export

PrintClick on this icon if you want to print the table.

Export PDFClick on this icon if you want to export the table as PDF file.

Export XLSClick on this icon if you want to export the table as Excel file.

Votum – Configuration 20

6.4 Configuration before a voting

After the installation of the software and before a voting, a configuration has to be carried out regarding the voting devices, network, hall back-ground and information screens.

Configuration of the voting devicesThe voting devices are pre-configured at the factory for the use with DHCP network addresses and datagrams. If there is an active DHCP server in the local network, all devices should automatically connect after a power-up. In this case no additional setup is required.

If there is no DHCP server active, a DHCP enabled router or a royalty-free DHCP server on the PC where the Votum software is installed can beused. In both cases network skills are required to achieve a correct configuration.

The Devices Configuration window implements a generic discovery and configuration mechanism and does not need devices to have an IPaddress. It will discover all devices in the local network, no matter if they are connected to the Votum driver or not. This feature allows static IPaddresses (or a range of addresses) to be allocated to the devices and to build a network setup without the need of a DHCP server.

If there is more than one Votum software installed (e.g. different rooms in the same building), make sure that the appropriate devices are connected to the correct Votum software. Otherwise, the devices will connect to the first server detected after their power-up. The setup caneasily be done by opening the Devices Configuration window and removing the tick from the Server IP by Announce check box of eachdevice which should connect to this PC. By removing the tick the Server IP will be set to the IP of the NIC where the device was discovered. Whenthe device restarts (after closing the Devices Configuration window), it will connect to the right server.

Hall backgroundA suitable background picture can be configured in the Background picture field of the UI Settings window. The picture can be taken witha digital camera or it can be made with a program similar to MS Paint. The size and the resolution should be consistent with the main screenand additional screens or video projectors. Please note that in some windows the image is mirrored.

Network configurationAll voting devices must be in the configuration table to receive the commands of the program properly. If a device is not listed, although connected, it will remain in the deactivated mode. When the system is not yet configured, the devices can be found in the lower table Connected but not configured in the window Network Configuration.

The connected device:• has its IP address already set by the DHCP server or a static IP address.• knows to which server to connect either by announce or statically.• has already established a connection to the server.

For the network configuration it is normally enough to select all devices in the lower part of the Network Configuration window and clicking the Add button. After the devices are moved to the upper table, additional properties can be adjusted, such as Label, Participant, Enabled, Visible etc.

When Visible is activated, you can drag the icons of the seats with the mouse to the desired place in the background picture.

Information screensOpen the required number of information and press screens, move them to the appropriate external screens or projectors and maximise them.The program will preserve the location and state for the subsequent executions.

Votum – How to carry out a voting 21

7. How to carry out a Voting

• Create an agenda with the items to vote on (Voting / Lists / Agenda).

• Create a list of participants (Voting / Lists / Participants).

Votum – How to carry out a voting 22

• Check the connection status displayed in the status line of the main screen.

• All devices are online. This is the normal case. All configured devices are connected. Please note that it takes some time after the initial start to connect all devices.

• Some devices are offline. Check if all voting devices are connected/present.

• All devices are offline or the configuration table is empty (that isthe case immediately after the installation). Check the networkconnection of the computer, check the LAN condition or perform a network configuration. If the problem still exists, youmay consult your network administrator.

• Error connecting the driver. The driver is running as a system service on the PC where the Votum system is installed. Check thestatus of the Votum driver or consult your network administrator.

• Determine who is allowed to vote and who not (Settings / Net / NetworkConfig). If the participant is not allowed to vote, remove the tickfrom the Enabled check box.

Votum – How to carry out a voting 23

• Determine the type of voting (Voting / Parameter / Type), determine if the voting is secret or not (Voting / Parameter / Secret Voting), determine if the participant can correct his/her vote before the voting is finished (Voting / Parameter / Correction), determine if it is a parliamentary or multiple choice voting (Voting / Parameter / Choices) and determine the display of the majority distribution (Voting / Parameter / Type).

activated deactivated

activated deactivated

• Select the time of the voting (Voting / Timeout).

• If necessary, load a defined background picture (Settings / Main / Background Picture).

• Select if the voting result is to be displayed as a bar chart (Settings / Chart / Bar Chart) or a pie chart (Settings / Chart / Pie Chart). • If necessary, determine where the chart is to be displayed (Settings / Chart / Top Left or Top Right or Bottom Left or Bottom Right).• If necessary, determine the size of the chart (Settings / Chart / Zoom).

Votum – How to carry out a voting 24

• If the voting result is to be displayed on an external screen, you can determine the colour for the background, text and headline (Settings /Screens / Info screen Settings). For a separate press screen you can also determine background, text and headline (Settings / Screens /Press screen Settings).

• Check if all voting devices are connected/present (Settings / Net / Devices Configuration).

• Determine if an anonymous or voting by name is to be carried out (Settings / Net / Network config / Participants).

Votum – How to carry out a voting 25

• Start the voting (Voting / Start).

• When the voting is finished, the result will be displayed in the Results window. On top right in the Results bar there is a square. If you clickon it the display turns to the picture of the conference room and the selected bar or pie chart.

• The result can also be displayed on an external screen (Settings / Information Screen).

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