Results, Approval and Declaration Guide

1. Tally snapshot

After closing, the Commissioner generates a tally snapshot. It records version, ballot count, rejected ballot count, tally data, digest, signature, actor and recount information. Previous versions remain immutable evidence.

2. Reconciliation

Compare ballot envelopes with register participation markers and investigate rejected ballots or incidents. Do not publish a result that has not been reconciled under the election rules.

3. Recount

A recount requires a reason and creates a new current snapshot version. It does not overwrite the original. Preserve the reason and resulting differences.

4. Approval

Authorised roles include Commissioner, Deputy, Secretary, Returning Officer and Auditor under the current view. Each current membership records one decision for the snapshot. At least the configured number, with a model minimum of two, must approve before publication.

5. Publication

When approval conditions are met, the election becomes Published and public result pages become available. The previous-results archive lists only published elections.

The stored provisional_results_enabled flag is not currently a complete separate publication state. Describe results according to the implemented status and governing decision, not the label alone.

6. Exports

• CSV: position/question, candidate/option, votes and outcome.
• Certified results PDF: landscape table, ballot count, digest and signature.
• Generated result declaration: formal metadata, results, electronic approvals, incidents/recount text, signature blocks, candidate-agent acknowledgement, digest and signature.

7. Candidate-agent acknowledgement

The generated declaration creates two representative rows for every approved candidate, ordered by position and ballot order. Long tables continue across pages and repeat headers. Unused representative lines may remain blank.

8. Signed declaration

Commissioner, Secretary or Returning Officer may upload a validated signed PDF with reference and declared date. It is stored in protected media. The public declaration resolver serves the signed file where present, otherwise the generated declaration.

9. Ties and runoff

Candidate contests may produce ties. The Commissioner can create a draft runoff from tied positions through the controlled action. Review the new cycle, appointments, register, candidates and timetable before opening.

10. Cancellation and invalidation

Exceptional actions require a reason, clear publication state and create an incident/audit event. Preserve prior results and declarations as evidence; do not delete them to hide the previous state.