National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 1500-103, Cast Vote Records Common Data Format Specification Version 1

March 2020

The following is an excerpt from the SP 1500-103 V1 specification, containing the executive summary and UML class documentation.

The complete publication including JSON and XML schemas is available free of charge from:

https://github.com/usnistgov/CastVoteRecords

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Enumerations
  • The AllocationStatus Enumeration
  • The CastVoteRecordVersion Enumeration
  • The ContestSelectionStatus Enumeration
  • The ContestStatus Enumeration
  • The CVRStatus Enumeration
  • The CVRType Enumeration
  • The HashType Enumeration
  • The IdentifierType Enumeration
  • The IndicationStatus Enumeration
  • The PositionStatus Enumeration
  • The ReportingUnitType Enumeration
  • The ReportType Enumeration
  • The VoteVariation Enumeration
• Classes
  • The Annotation Class
  • The BallotMeasureContest Class
  • The BallotMeasureSelection Class
  • The Candidate Class
  • The CandidateContest Class
  • The CandidateSelection Class
  • The CastVoteRecordReport Class
  • The Code Class
  • The Contest Class
  • The ContestSelection Class
  • The CVR Class
  • The CVRContest Class
  • The CVRContestSelection Class
  • The CVRSnapshot Class
  • The CVRWriteIn Class
  • The Election Class
  • The File Class
  • The FractionalNumber Class
  • The GpUnit Class
  • The Hash Class
  • The Image Class
  • The ImageData Class
  • The Party Class
  • The PartyContest Class
  • The PartySelection Class
  • The ReportingDevice Class
  • The RetentionContest Class
  • The SelectionPosition Class

Executive Summary

This document presents an interoperable, common data format specification for cast vote records (CVR), which are produced by vote-capture devices such as ballot scanners. A CVR is an electronic record of a voter’s selections, with usually one CVR created per sheet (page) of a ballot. Election results are produced by tabulating the collection of CVRs, and audits can be done by comparisons of the paper ballots or paper records of voter selections against the CVRs.

This specification supports three general use cases for CVRs:

• Interoperable exports of CVRs from devices such as scanners for import into tabulators, election management systems (EMS), or auditing systems.
• Interoperable exports of aggregated collections of CVRs from aggregating devices such as election management systems.
• Update of CVRs after adjudication.

The purpose of this specification is to provide an interoperable, non-proprietary data exchange format in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) and eXtensible Markup Language (XML) for CVRs so as to promote greater transparency to voting records produced by vote-capture devices, and to facilitate the exchange of CVRs with other devices that operate upon CVRs regardless of device manufacturer.

The specification includes a UML (Unified Markup Language) model and references XML (eXtensible Markup Language) and JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) schemas that were created from the UML model.

There are many complex operations performed by voting devices when voters submit their paper ballots to be scanned. These operations are mostly invisible to voters but are necessary to determine whether contest selections have been marked adequately and whether voter intent is reflected by what is marked on the ballot. This specification includes the necessary detail to capture these operations so that CVRs can be better audited and adjudicated as necessary to include write-in candidates or other issues.

This specification is geared towards the following audiences:

• Election officials
• Voting equipment manufacturers
• Election analysts and auditors
• Election-affiliated organizations
• The public

Enumerations

The AllocationStatus Enumeration

Used in SelectionPosition::IsAllocable to indicate whether the SelectionPosition::NumberVotes should be allocated to the underlying contest option counter.

Name	Value
no	To not allocate votes to the contest option’s accumulator.
unknown	When the decision to allocate votes is unknown, such as when the adjudication is needed.
yes	To allocate votes to the contest option’s accumulator.

The CastVoteRecordVersion Enumeration

To identify the version of the CVR specification being used, i.e., version 1.0.0. This will need to be updated for different versions of the specification.

Name	Value
1.0.0	Fixed value for the version of this specification.

The ContestSelectionStatus Enumeration

Used in CVRContestSelection::Status to identify the status of a contest selection in the CVR.

Name	Value
generated-rules	To indicate that the contest selection was generated per contest rules.
invalidated-rules	To indicate that the contest selection was invalidated by the generating device because of contest rules.
needs-adjudication	To indicate that the contest selection was flagged by the generating device for adjudication.
other	Used in conjunction with CVRContestSelection::OtherStatus when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The ContestStatus Enumeration

Used in CVRContest::Status to identify the status of a contest in which contest selection(s) were made.

Name	Value
invalidated-rules	To indicate that the contest has been invalidated by the generating device because of contest rules.
not-indicated	For a CVRContest with no SelectionPosition, i.e. to specify the position contains no marks or other indications.
overvoted	To indicate that the contest was overvoted.
undervoted	To indicate that the contest was undervoted.
other	Used in conjunction with CVRContest::OtherStatus when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The CVRStatus Enumeration

Used in CVRSnapshot::Status to identify the status of the CVR.

Name	Value
needs-adjudication	To indicate that the CVR needs to be adjudicated.
other	Used in conjunction with CVRSnapshot::OtherStatus when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The CVRType Enumeration

Used in CVRSnapshot::Type to indicate the type of snapshot.

Name	Value
interpreted	Has been adjudicated.
modified	After contest rules applied.
original	As scanned, no contest rules applied.

The HashType Enumeration

Used in Hash::Type to indicate the type of hash being used for an image file.

Name	Value
md6	To indicate that the MD6 message digest algorithm is being used.
sha-256	To indicate that the SHA 256-bit signature is being used.
sha-512	To indicate that the SHA 512-bit (32-byte) signature is being used.
other	Used in conjunction with Hash::OtherType when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The IdentifierType Enumeration

Used in Code::Type to indicate the type of code/identifier being used.

Name	Value
fips	To indicate that the identifier is a FIPS code.
local-level	To indicate that the identifier is from a local-level scheme, i.e., unique to a county or city.
national-level	To indicate that the identifier is from a national-level scheme other than FIPS or OCD-ID.
ocd-id	To indicate that the identifier is from the OCD-ID scheme.
state-level	To indicate that the identifier is from a state-level scheme, i.e., unique to a particular state.
other	Used in conjunction with Code::OtherType when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The IndicationStatus Enumeration

Used in SelectionPosition::HasIndication to identify whether a selection indication is present.

Name	Value
no	There is no selection indication.
unknown	It is unknown whether there is a selection indication, e.g., used for ambiguous marks.
yes	There is a selection indication present.

The PositionStatus Enumeration

Used in SelectionPosition::Status to identify the status of a selection indication.

Name	Value
adjudicated	Used if the indication was adjudicated.
generated-rules	Used if the indication was generated by the creating device per contest rules.
invalidated-rules	Used if the indication was invalidated by the creating device because of contest rules.
other	Used in conjunction with SelectionPosition::OtherStatus when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The ReportingUnitType Enumeration

Used in GpUnit::Type to indicate a type of political geography.

Name	Value
combined-precinct	To indicate a combined precinct.
polling-place	To indicate a polling place.
precinct	To indicate a precinct.
split-precinct	To indicate a split-precinct.
vote-center	To indicate a vote-center.
other	Used in conjunction with GpUnit::OtherType when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The ReportType Enumeration

Used in CastVoteRecordReport::ReportType to indicate the type of the CVR report.

Name	Value
adjudicated	To indicate that the report contains adjudications.
aggregated	To indicate that the report is an aggregation of device reports.
originating-device-export	To indicate that the report is an export from a device such as a scanner.
rcv-round	To indicate that the report is the result of a ranked choice voting round.
other	Used in conjunction with CastVoteRecordReport::OtherReportType when no other value in this enumeration applies.

The VoteVariation Enumeration

Used in Contest::VoteVariation to indicate the vote variation (vote method) used to tabulate the contest.

Name	Value
approval	To indicate approval voting.
borda	To indicate the borda count method.
cumulative	To indicate cumulative voting.
majority	To indicate majority voting.
n-of-m	To indicate the N of M voting method.
plurality	To indicate plurality voting.
proportional	To indicate proportional voting.
range	To indicate range voting.
rcv	To indicate Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).
super-majority	To indicate the super majority voting method.
other	Used in conjunction with Contest::OtherVoteVariation when no other value in this enumeration applies.

Classes

The Annotation Class

Annotation is used to record annotations made by one or more adjudicators. CVRSnapshot includes Annotation.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
AdjudicatorName	0..*	String	The name(s) of the adjudicator(s).
Message	0..*	String	A message created by the adjudicator(s).
TimeStamp	0..1	dateTime	The date and time of the annotation.

The BallotMeasureContest Class

BallotMeasureContest is a subclass of Contest and is used to identify the type of contest as involving one or more ballot measures. It inherits attributes from Contest.

The BallotMeasureSelection Class

BallotMeasureSelection is a subclass of ContestSelection and is used for ballot measures. The voter’s selected response to the contest selection (e.g., “yes” or “no”) may be in English or other languages as utilized on the voter’s ballot.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Selection	1	String	The voter’s selection, i.e., ‘yes’ or ‘no’, in English or in other languages as utilized on the voter’s ballot.

The Candidate Class

Candidate identifies a candidate in a contest on the voter’s ballot. Election includes instances of Candidate for each candidate in a contest; typically, only those candidates who received votes would be included.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Code	0..*	Code	A code or identifier associated with the candidate.
Name	0..1	String	Candidate’s name as listed on the ballot.
{Party}	0..1	Party	The party associated with the candidate.

The CandidateContest Class

CandidateContest is a subclass of Contest and is used to identify the type of contest as involving one or more candidates. It inherits attributes from Contest.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
NumberElected	0..1	Integer	The number of candidates to be elected in the contest.
{PrimaryParty}	0..1	Party	The party associated with the contest, if a partisan primary.
VotesAllowed	0..1	Integer	The number of votes allowed in the contest, e.g., 3 for a ‘choose 3 of 5 candidates’ contest.

The CandidateSelection Class

CandidateSelection is a subclass of ContestSelection and is used for candidates, including for write-in candidates.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{Candidate}	0..*	Candidate	The candidate associated with the contest selection. For contests involving a ticket of multiple candidates, an ordered list of candidates as they appeared on the ballot would be created.
IsWriteIn	0..1	Boolean	A flag to indicate if the candidate selection is associated with a write-in.

The CastVoteRecordReport Class

The root class/element; attributes pertain to the status and format of the report and when created.

CastVoteRecordReport includes multiple instances of CVR, one per CVR or sheet of a multi-page cast vote record. CastVoteRecordReport also includes multiple instances of Contest, typically only for those contests that were voted so as to reduce file size. The Contest instances are later referenced by other classes to link them to contest options that were voted and the indication(s)/mark(s) made.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{CVR}	0..*	CVR	Used to include instances of CVR classes, one per cast vote record in the report.
{Election}	1..*	Election	Used to include the election(s) associated with the CVRs.
GeneratedDate	1	dateTime	Identifies the time that the election report was created.
{GpUnit}	1..*	GpUnit	Used to include the political geography, i.e., location, for where the cast vote record report was created and for linking cast vote records to their corresponding precinct or split (or otherwise smallest unit).
Notes	0..1	String	Notes that can be added as appropriate, presumably by an adjudicator.
{Party}	0..*	Party	The party associated with the ballot sheet for a partisan primary.
{ReportGeneratingDevice}	1..*	ReportingDevice	Identifies the device used to create the CVR report.
{ReportingDevice}	1..*	ReportingDevice	The device creating the report. The reporting device need not necessarily be the creating device, i.e., for an aggregated report, the reporting device could be an EMS used to aggregate and tabulate cast vote records.
ReportType	0..*	ReportType	The type of report, using the ReportType enumeration.
OtherReportType	0..1	String	If ReportType is ‘other’, this contains the report type.
Version	1	CastVoteRecordVersion	The version of the CVR specification being used (1.0).

The Code Class

Code is used in Election, GpUnit, Contest, Candidate, and Party to identify an associated code as well as the type of code.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Label	0..1	String	A label associated with the code, used as needed.
Type	1	IdentifierType	Used to indicate the type of code, from the IdentifierType enumeration.
OtherType	0..1	String	If Type is ‘other’, the type of code.
Value	1	String	The value of the code, i.e., the identifier.

The Contest Class

Contest represents a contest on the ballot. CastVoteRecordReport initially includes an instance of Contest for each contest on the ballot.  Other classes can subsequently reference the instances as necessary to link together items on the cast vote record, such as a contest, its voted contest selection(s), and the mark(s) associated with the selection(s).

Contest has three subclasses, each used for a specific type of contest:   These subclasses inherit Contest’s attributes.

• PartyContest - used for straight party contests,
• BallotMeasureContest - used for contests, and
• CandidateContest - used for candidate contests.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Abbreviation	0..1	String	An abbreviation associated with the contest.
Code	0..*	Code	A code or identifier used for this contest.
{ContestSelection}	1..*	ContestSelection	Identifies the contest selections in the contest.
Name	0..1	String	Title or name of the contest, e.g., “Governor” or “Question on Legalization of Gambling”.
VoteVariation	0..1	VoteVariation	The vote variation for this contest, from the VoteVariation enumeration.
OtherVoteVariation	0..1	String	If VoteVariation is ‘other’, the vote variation for this contest.

The ContestSelection Class

ContestSelection represents a contest selection in a contest.  Contest can include an instance of ContestSelection for each contest selection in the contest or, as desired, all contest selections.  

ContestSelection has three subclasses, each used for a specific type of contest selection:

• BallotMeasureSelection - used for ballot measures,
• CandidateSelection - used for candidate selections, and
• PartySelection - used for straight party selections.

Instances of CVRContestSelection subsequently link to the contest selections as needed so as to tie together the contest, the contest selection, and the mark(s) made for the contest selection.

ContestSelection contains one attribute, Code, that can be used to identify the contest selection and thereby eliminate the need to identify it using the subclasses.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Code	0..*	Code	Code used to identify the contest selection.

The CVR Class

CVR constitutes a cast vote record, generated by a ballot scanning device, containing indications of contests and contest options chosen by the voter, as well as other information for auditing and annotation purposes. Each sheet of a multi-page paper ballot is represented by an individual CVR, e.g., if all sheets of a 5-sheet ballot are scanned, 5 CVRs will be created. CastVoteRecordReport includes multiple instances of CVR as applicable.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
BallotAuditId	0..1	String	A unique identifier for this CVR, used to link the CVR with the corresponding audit record, e.g., a paper ballot. This identifier may be impressed on the corresponding audit record as it is scanned, or otherwise associated with the corresponding ballot.
BallotImage	0..*	ImageData	An image of the ballot sheet created by the scanning device.
BallotPrePrintedId	0..1	String	A pre-printed identifier for the ballot. This identifier is not the same as one that may be impressed on the ballot as it is scanned or otherwise associated with the ballot; see the BallotAuditId attribute.
BallotSheetId	0..1	String	Used possibly along with a pre-printed ballot identifier to identify the individual sheet of a multi-sheet identifier. This identifier is not the same as one that may be impressed on the ballot as it is scanned or otherwise associated with the ballot; see the BallotAuditId attribute.
BallotStyleId	0..1	String	An identifier of the ballot style associated with the corresponding ballot.
{BallotStyleUnit}	0..1	GpUnit	Identifies the smallest unit of geography associated with the corresponding ballot, typically a precinct or split-precinct.
BatchId	0..1	String	The identifier for the batch that includes this CVR.
BatchSequenceId	0..1	Integer	The sequence number of the corresponding paper ballot within a batch.
{CreatingDevice}	0..1	ReportingDevice	Identifies the device that created the CVR.
{CurrentSnapshot}	1	CVRSnapshot	Identifies the snapshot that is currently tabulatable.
{CVRSnapshot}	1..*	CVRSnapshot	Identifies the repeatable portion of the CVR that links to contest selections and related information.
{Election}	1	Election	Used to identify an election with which the CVR is associated.
{Party}	0..*	Party	Identifies the party associated with a CVR, typically for partisan primaries.
UniqueId	0..1	String	The sequence number for this CVR. This represents the ordinal number that this CVR was processed by the tabulating device.

The CVRContest Class

CVRContest class is included by CVRSnapshot for each contest on the ballot that was voted, that is, whose contest options contain indications that may constitute a vote. CVRContest includes CVRContestSelection for each contest option in the contest containing an indication or write-in.

CVRSnapshot can also include CVRContest for every contest on the ballot regardless of whether any of the contest options contain an indication, for cases where the CVR must include all contests that appeared on the ballot.

CVRContest attributes are for including summary information about the contest.

Overvotes plus Undervotes plus TotalVotes must equal the number of votes allowable in the contest, e.g., in a “chose 3 of 5” contest in which the voter chooses only 2, then Overvotes = 0, Undervotes = 1, and TotalVotes = 2, which adds up to the number of votes allowable = 3.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{Contest}	1	Contest	Used to link to an instance of Contest specific to the contest at hand, for the purpose of specifying information about the contest such as its contest identifier.
{CVRContestSelection}	0..*	CVRContestSelection	Used to include information about a contest selection in the contest, including the associated indication(s).
Overvotes	0..1	Integer	The number of votes lost due to overvoting.
Selections	0..1	Integer	Used to indicate the number of possible contest selections in the contest.
Status	0..*	ContestStatus	The status of the contest, e.g., overvoted, undervoted, from the ContestStatus enumeration. If no values apply, use ‘other’ and include a user-defined status in OtherStatus.
OtherStatus	0..1	String	Used when Status is ‘other’ to include a user-defined status.
Undervotes	0..1	Integer	The number of votes lost due to undervoting.
WriteIns	0..1	Integer	The total number of write-ins in the contest.

The CVRContestSelection Class

CVRContestSelection is used to link a contest option containing an indication with information about the indication, such as whether a mark constitutes a countable vote, or whether a mark is determined to be marginal, etc. CVRContest includes an instance of CVRContestSelection when an indication for the selection is present, and CVRContestSelection then includes SelectionPosition for each indication present. To tie the indication to the specific contest selection, CVRContestSelection links to an instance of ContestSelection that has previously been included by Contest.

Since multiple indications per contest option are possible for some voting methods, CVRContestSelection can include multiple instances of SelectionPosition, one per indication. CVRContestSelection can also be used for the purpose of including, in the CVR, all contest options in the contest regardless of whether indications are present. In this case, CVRContestSelection would not include SelectionPosition if no indication is present but would link to the appropriate instance of ContestSelection.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{ContestSelection}	0..1	ContestSelection	Used to link to an instance of a contest selection that was previously included by Contest.
OptionPosition	0..1	Integer	Used to include the ordinal position of the contest option as it appeared on the ballot.
Rank	0..1	Integer	For the RCV voting variation, the rank chosen by the voter, for when a contest selection can represent a ranking.
{SelectionPosition}	1..*	SelectionPosition	Used to include further information about the indication/mark associated with the contest selection. Depending on the voting method, multiple indications/marks per selection may be possible.
Status	0..*	ContestSelectionStatus	Contains the status of the contest selection, e.g., ‘needs-adjudication’ for a contest requiring adjudication, using values from the ContestSelectionStatus enumeration. If no values apply, use ‘other’ and include a user-defined status in OtherStatus.
OtherStatus	0..1	String	Used when Status is ‘other’ to include a user-defined status.
TotalFractionalVotes	0..1	FractionalNumber	For cumulative or range and other similar voting variations, contains the total proper fractional number of votes across all indications/marks.
TotalNumberVotes	0..1	Integer	For cumulative or range and other similar voting variations, contains the total number of votes across all indications/marks.

The CVRSnapshot Class

CVRSnapshot contains a version of the contest selections for a CVR; there can be multiple versions of CVRSnapshot within the same CVR. Type specifies the type of the snapshot, i.e., whether interpreted by the scanner according to contest rules, modified as a result of adjudication, or the original, that is, the version initially scanned before contest rules are applied. CVR includes CVRSnapshot.

Other attributes are repeated in each CVRSnapshot because they may differ across snapshots, e.g., the contests could be different as well as other status.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{Annotation}	0..*	Annotation	Used to include an annotation associated with the CVR snapshot.
{CVRContest}	0..*	CVRContest	Identifies the contests in the CVR.
Status	0..*	CVRStatus	The status of the CVR.
OtherStatus	0..1	String	When Status is ‘other’, contains the ballot status.
Type	1	CVRType	The type of the snapshot, e.g., original.

The CVRWriteIn Class

CVRWriteIn is used when the contest selection is a write-in. It has attributes for the image or text of the write-in.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Text	0..1	String	Used for the text of the write-in, typically present when the CVR has been created by electronic ballot marking equipment.
WriteInImage	0..1	ImageData	Used for an image of the write-in, typically made by a scanner when scanning a paper ballot.

The Election Class

Election defines instances of the Contest and Candidate classes so that they can be later referenced in CVR classes. Election includes an instance of Contest for each contest in the election and includes an instance of Candidate for each candidate. This is done to utilize file sizes more efficiently; otherwise each CVR would need to define these instances separately and much duplication would occur.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{Candidate}	0..*	Candidate	Used to establish a collection of candidate definitions that will be referenced by the CVRs. The contests in each CVR will reference the candidate definitions.
Code	0..*	Code	Used for a code associated with the election, e.g., a precinct identifier if the election scope is a precinct.
{Contest}	1..*	Contest	Used for establishing a collection of contest definitions that will be referenced by the CVRs.
{ElectionScope}	1	GpUnit	Used to identify the election scope, i.e., the political geography corresponding to the election.
Name	0..1	String	A text string identifying the election.

The File Class

Used to hold the contents of a file or identify a file created by the scanning device. The file generally would contain an image of the scanned ballot or an image of a write-in entered by a voter onto the scanned ballot. SubClass Image is used if the file contains an image.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Data	1	base64Binary	Contains the base64 binary contents of the file.
FileName	0..1	String	Contains the name of the file or an identifier of the file.
MimeType	0..1	String	The mime type of the file, e.g., image/jpeg.

The FractionalNumber Class

A proper fractional value, represented using fractional or decimal notation.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
pattern		String	Pattern describing the allowed values for a FractionalNumber.

The GpUnit Class

Used for identifying a geographical unit for various purposes, including:

• The reporting unit of the report generation device, e.g., a precinct location of a scanner that generates the collection of CVRs,
• The geographical scope of the election, or the unit of geography associated with an individual CVR.

CastVoteRecordReport includes instances of GpUnit as needed. Election references GpUnit as ElectionScope, for the geographical scope of the election.  CVR CastVoteRecordReport includes instances of GpUnit as needed. Election references GpUnit as ElectionScope, for the geographical scope of the election.  CVR references GpUnit as BallotStyleUnit to link a CVR to the smallest political subdivision that uses the same ballot style as was used for the voter’s ballot.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Code	0..*	Code	A code associated with the geographical unit.
Name	0..1	String	Name of the geographical unit.
{ReportingDevice}	0..*	ReportingDevice	The collection of cast vote records associated with the reporting unit and the reporting device.
Type	1	ReportingUnitType	Contains the type of geographical unit, e.g., precinct, split-precinct, vote center, using values from the ReportingUnitType enumeration. If no values apply, use ‘other’ and include a user-defined type in OtherType.
OtherType	0..1	String	Used when Type is ‘other’ to include a user-defined type.

The Hash Class

Hash is used to specify a hash associated with a file such as an image file of a scanned ballot.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Type	1	HashType	The type of the hash, from the HashType enumeration.
OtherType	0..1	String	If Type is ‘other’, the type of the hash.
Value	1	String	The hash value, encoded as a string.

The Image Class

Used by File for a file containing an image, e.g., an image of a write-in on a paper ballot.

The ImageData Class

ImageData is used to specify an image file such as for a write-in or the entire ballot.  It works with several other classes, as follows:

• File with SubClass Image – to contain either a filename for an external file or the file contents, and
• Hash – to contain cryptographic hash function data for the file.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{Hash}	0..1	Hash	A hash value for the image data, used for verification comparisons against subsequent copies of the image.
{Image}	0..1	Image	The image of an individual ballot sheet created by the scanner, could possibly include both sides of a two-sided ballot sheet depending on the scanner’s configuration.
Location	0..1	anyURI	A pointer to the location of the image file.

The Party Class

Party is used for describing information about a political party associated with the voter’s ballot. CVR includes instances of Party as needed, e.g., for a CVR corresponding to a ballot in a partisan primary, and CandidateContest references Party as needed to link a candidate to their political party.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Abbreviation	0..1	String	Short name for the party, e.g., “DEM”.
Code	0..*	Code	A code associated with the party.
Name	0..1	String	Official full name of the party, e.g., “Republican”.

The PartyContest Class

PartyContest is a subclass of Contest and is used to identify the type of contest as involving a straight party selection. It inherits attributes from Contest.

The PartySelection Class

PartySelection is a subclass of ContestSelection and is used typically for a contest selection in a straight-party contest.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{Party}	1..*	Party	The party associated with the contest selection.

The ReportingDevice Class

ReportingDevice is used to specify a voting device as the “political geography” at hand. CastVoteRecordReport refers to it as ReportGeneratingDevice and uses it to specify the device that created the CVR report. CVR refers to it as CreatingDevice to specify the device that created the CVRs.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Application	0..1	String	The application associated with the reporting device.
Code	0..*	Code	A code associated with the reporting device.
Manufacturer	0..1	String	Manufacturer of the reporting device.
MarkMetricType	0..1	String	The type of metric being used to determine quality. The type must be specific enough that the attached value can be accurately verified later, e.g., ‘Acme Mark Density’ may be a sufficiently specific type.
Model	0..1	String	Manufacturer’s model of the reporting device.
Notes	0..*	String	Additional explanatory notes as applicable.
SerialNumber	0..1	String	Serial number or other identification that can uniquely identify the reporting device.

The RetentionContest Class

RetentionContest is a subclass of BallotMeasureContest and is used to identify the type of contest as involving a retention, such as for a judicial retention. While it is similar to BallotMeasureContest, it contains a link to Candidate that BallotMeasureContest does not. RetentionContest inherits attributes from Contest.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
{Candidate}		Candidate	Identifies the candidate in the retention contest.

The SelectionPosition Class

CVRContestSelection includes SelectionPosition to specify a voter’s indication/mark in a contest option, and thus, a potential vote. The number of potential SelectionPositions that could be included by CVRContestSelection is the same as the number of ovals next to a particular option. There will be usually 1 instance of SelectionPosition for plurality voting, but there could be multiple instances for RCV, approval, cumulative, or other vote variations in which a voter can select multiple options per candidate.

MarkMetricValue specifies the measurement of a mark on a paper ballot. The measurement is assigned by the scanner for measurements of mark density or quality and would be used by the scanner to indicate whether the mark is a valid voter mark representing a vote or is marginal.

SelectionPosition contains additional information about the mark to specify whether the indication/mark is allocable, as well as information needed for certain voting methods.

SelectionPosition includes CVRWriteIn, whose attributes are used to include information about the write-in including the text of the write-in or an image of the write-in.

Attribute	Multiplicity	Type	Attribute Description
Code	0..*	Code	Code used to identify the contest selection position.
{CVRWriteIn}	0..1	CVRWriteIn	Used to store information regarding a write-in vote.
FractionalVotes	0..1	FractionalNumber	The proper fractional number of votes represented by the position.
HasIndication	1	IndicationStatus	Whether there is a selection indication present.
IsAllocable	0..1	AllocationStatus	Whether this indication should be allocated to the contest option’s accumulator.
IsGenerated	0..1	Boolean	Whether or not the indication was generated, rather than directly made by the voter.
MarkMetricValue	0..*	String	The value of the mark metric, represented as a string.
NumberVotes	1	Integer	The number of votes represented by the position, usually 1 but may be more depending on the voting method.
Position	0..1	Integer	The ordinal position of the selection position within the contest option.
Rank	0..1	Integer	For the RCV voting variation, the rank chosen by the voter, for when a position can represent a ranking.
Status	0..*	PositionStatus	Status of the position, e.g., “generated-rules” for generated by the machine, from the PositionStatus enumeration. If no values apply, use ‘other’ and include a user-defined status in OtherStatus.
OtherStatus	0..1	String	Used when Status is ‘other’ to include a user-defined status.