Overview
On a Best‑of ballot, Submissions and the Ballot Builder serve two different purposes:
Submissions show what voters actually wrote in on the nominations ballot.
Ballot Builder controls what is forward‑facing and visible to voters on the live ballot.
Because these sections serve different functions, it’s normal to see differences between what appears in each.
What Are Submissions?
The Submissions section allows you to view the written‑in responses from your voters.
How Submissions Work
Navigate to Submissions on your ballot.
You will first see the Group Name and Category.
Click into a category to view an overview of the top vote‑getters.
Viewing Vote Counts
Each written‑in option displays a count number.
This number represents how many voters submitted that exact entry.
Example:
If Hot Air Balloon Festival shows a count of 3, that means three voters wrote in that option.
Viewing Individual Voters
To see exactly who voted for a specific entry:
Select the written‑in option.
Click into Submissions within that view.
You’ll see the names of the individual voters who submitted that entry.
What Is the Ballot Builder?
The Ballot Builder controls everything that is forward‑facing on the ballot.
This includes:
Groups
Categories within a Group
Pre‑populated choices (if any)
Viewing Ballot Builder Options
Go to Ballot Builder.
Select your ballot (for example, City Life).
Choose a category, such as Outdoor Event.
Here, you’ll see the pre‑populated choices (if any) that voters can select.
Voters may:
Choose from the pre‑populated options (if any), or
Type in their own written‑in response
Why Submissions and Ballot Builder May Look Different
It’s common for Submissions and Ballot Builder to display different options.
This happens because:
Pre‑populated choices appear in the Ballot Builder
Written‑in responses from voters appear in Submissions
If voters do not select a pre‑populated option and instead write in their own, that option will only appear in Submissions
As a result, you may see:
Items in Submissions that are not listed in the Ballot Builder
How to Fix Duplicates or Make Changes
Editing Ballot Builder Entries
Open the Ballot Builder.
Select the appropriate Group and Category.
Edit, delete, or adjust the pre‑populated choices as needed.
Any changes made here will affect what is forward‑facing on the ballot.
If you have any additional questions or need help with your ballot, please let us know at support@cityspark.com. We’re happy to help!