Actual Vote iOS Instructions
Welcome to Actual Vote!
First, download Actual Vote onto your iOS device if you haven’t already.
Then print out a Practice Poll Tape and set it on a table or tape it to the wall. This is what you’ll practice recording with Actual Vote. (Or if you’re pressed for time, you can just record your wall.)
Then get your iOS device and follow these steps:
1. Launch the Actual Vote mobile app.
2. Press “OK” on the Welcome screen.
3. Tap “Sign in” then choose a Google account to use. If you don’t have one, create one.
6. Now select your Home Base—that’s just the state and county in which you intend to use Actual Vote. You can always change this later in the “My Profile” section. Press “OK” when you’re done.
8. This brings up the New Recording box. If you want to skip this, press “Cancel”.
If you want to enter the name of the precinct you’re at, read it off the poll tape. On the practice poll tape, the precinct is “Corvus 01” (see green box). So enter “CORVUS 01” in the box.
9. This brings up the Record area. Focus on the top of the poll tape and press the “Record” button. Slowly record the tape from top to bottom, making sure all the numbers are legible. Then press the “Stop” button.
Then you have the option of pressing “Retry” to make another recording or “OK” to accept your current recording. This will cause your recording to be uploaded to this website and take you back to the Home Screen.
It’ll also send America Counts an email notification that you’ve submitted a poll tape recording and helped to strengthen democracy!
(We don’t have iOS screenshots for this step or the rest of the steps yet—sorry! For now, here are screenshots from an Android phone—iOS works the same basic way.)
10. To view your recordings, scroll down to the “My Recordings” button. This brings you to a list of the recordings you’ve taken.
11. If possible, keep the recordings on your device until January 2023 for backup purposes.
Tips:
- Practice!
- Practice several times using the Practice Poll Tape.
- Review!
- It’s only good if it is readable. Playback your recording to see how it looks before submitting.
- Get Close!
- Fill the frame with the poll tape, leaving as little space around the poll tape as possible.
- Go Slow, Top to Bottom
- For best results, take your time!
- Make sure to go top and bottom where there is important information.
- Pause Over Each Section
- Pause and say aloud the first name and vote counts for each race.
- Pausing reduces the blurriness caused by motion and improves legibility.
- Stay Parallel
- Keep your camera parallel to the poll tape. This can be quite a challenge if the tape reaches the ground, but do the best you can!
- Duplicate Recordings are Good!
- Go ahead and make your own recording of poll tapes even if you see or suspect someone else may already have done so. Independent recordings help corroborate each other.
- Be Prepared!
- Things to bring: a friend, flashlight, step stool, painter’s tape.
- Record Them All!
- Poll tapes are often posted near the main entrance, but sometimes taped behind windows.
- There may be more than one.
- Look around for any poll tapes that may have fallen or been blown away by wind.
- If you can’t find them, ask around.
Thanks for using Actual Vote!
Contact us with any questions, comments, or suggestions.
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