--- title: "Managing Segmented Electors" slug: "managing-segmented-electors" description: "Import electors via formatted CSV files, map voter data, and use elector segmentation to assign dynamic ballots by membership or region." updated: 2024-09-30T16:39:37Z published: 2024-09-30T16:39:37Z canonical: "help.simplyvoting.com/managing-segmented-electors" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.simplyvoting.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Managing Segmented Electors After you’ve created your election, in the **Electors** section you can start adding eligible electors either **manually** one by one, or you can **import** electors in full by setting up and formatting a **.CSV** file with your elector data in it. When elector segmentation is enabled, you may specify **segments** for each elector. ## Typical Uses of Segmentation Users typically need to segment electors because various groups of electors receive unique and dynamic ballots based on their segmentation categorization. For instance, an organization may have organization-wide positions like *President*, *Vice President*, and *Secretary* that are voted upon by all eligible electors. An organization, however, also may have other representatives that are unique to electors in a specific geographic region or of a specific membership type, such as *Midwest Representative* or*Associate Member Representative*. Thus electors who are segmented as *Midwest* or as *Associate* may have one or more positions or items on their ballot specific to the segmentation, in addition to the positions that are open to all eligible electors. Sometimes organization may have very specific segmentation needs (*e.g. Associate Midwest Representative*), such that they must create positions to be voted upon by voters who have been caterogized and segmented as having both a *Midwest* segment as well as an *Associate* segment. For example, using **segment one** as *"membership type"* and **segment two** as *"geographic region,*" a user could define position questions with the following types of access: - Questions which all “*Associate*” electors may vote on, regardless of their geographic region. - Questions which all “*Associate*” electors from “*Midwest*” may vote on. - Questions which all electors from “*Midwest*” may vote on, regardless of their membership type. - Questions which all Electors may vote on, regardless of their membership type or the geographic region. Segmentation for Purposes Other Than Question Restrictions Some organizations may not need to use segmentation to actually restrict access to certain questions on the ballot. For instance, some organization may categorize electors into segments, but only end up actually using segmentation for greater insight into turnout among segments. Additionally, some organizations may benefit from categorizing electors into segments so they can easily target specific segments with unique email blast content. ## .CSV File Formatting With a properly formatted **.CSV** file, using a common spreadsheet software, each **column** corresponds to a category of elector data, and each **row** corresponds to a unique, individual elector. The order of data in the file is not important. Additional columns may be needed if you have opted for other Premium Features, and other columns may also be ignored for import into the Voting System. In the above example, each elector has a two columns (*e.g. "Type" and "Location"* ) corresponding to their membership type and geographic location segmentation. Electors in Multiple Segments Within a Segment Column Users can also segment electors into multiple segment values within a column. To do this, add a semi-colon (*e.g. Associate;Retired*) between any segment values within a column. For example, “*Lilly Shaw*” is both an "*Associate member*" as well as a "*Retired member*" within the "*Type*" segment. Character limitations in segmentation fields The total number of characters in a segmentation field cannot exceed **255**, including semicolons and spaces. Cell that contains more than 255 characters will be truncated down to 255 characters upon import. If your segment names are too long, consider using abbrevations or acronyms to avoid going over the character limit. For example, a segment named "*FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES*" could be renamed "*ARTS&SC*" to use fewer characters. If you have a large number of segments, consider consolidating multiple segment into one, if possible. For more information about chacter limitations, visit the [FAQ article](/v1/docs/character-limits). ## Importing an Elector .CSV File Once you are ready to import your elector data into the election, navigate to the **Electors** section and click on the **Import Electors** button. In the pop-up window that appears, **browse** and locate the desired **.CSV file**. If your first row contains column headers, leave the relevant box checkmarked. Click the **Import** button to begin the process. Once you've started working with your .CSV file, the Voting System's importer will display the first few rows of your file for review. Now you must "map" the elector data in your file, to the available Voting System fields by using the **dropdowns** at the bottom of the pop-up window. Map the corresponding data in your file as necessary, and **ignore** any irrelevant data not necessary for import. When ready, click the **Import** button to continue with the importing process. If you receive an "**Invalid .CSV file**" pop-up, you may have attempted to import a spreadsheet in a different file format, which is prohibited. A sample mapping might look like the example below. Upon import completion, a green **Success Message** will appear with statistics regarding the recent import. If any **issues** are found, they will be displayed in the message. If you anticipate needing to add, delete, or update electors en masse during an election’s voting period, please [contact support](/v1/docs/contacting-support) to discuss unlocking additional import operations.