Periodic UseVote Info Blurb

If you're going to run a Usenet group creation or reorganization vote,
you should be aware of UseVote (Current version 2.0a).

UseVote has the following features:
   * Successfully used in two dozen group votes.
   * Generates ballots for multiple item votes.
   * Processes single item or multiple item votes.
   * Includes interactive editor for editing of those "strange" ballots
     on the fly, if desired.
   * Automatically generates mail acknowledgements to voters, including
     descriptive messages for many voting errors.  All messages are
     customizable.  Honors "Reply-To:"
   * Allows specification (by users) of real names in body of message
     if their system doesn't allow it in their "From:" field.
   * Allows conditional voting laws far in excess of anything allowable.
   * Has a fairly sophisticated duplicate vote detection mechanism.
   * Generates nifty sorted mass ack, bounce ack, and final vote lists
     which can be directly included in your ack and results postings.
   * Counts results and generates nifty results tables for direct
     inclusion in your results posting.
   * Allows overriding previous votes with abstentions.
   * Tracks vote dates and votes in error
   * It's been "field-tested" in several actual votes, including major
     reorganizations.
   * Companion software, UVSplit, helps manage multiple different votes
     simultaneously.

UseVote requires:
   * A vanilla C compiler (you get the source code).
   * Somewhat standard Unix mail format.

What you have to do yourself:
   * Customize the program for your vote (one configuration file and two
     text files) and compile.
   * Write your RFD and normal, include ballot in CFV, post.
   * Get votes from your mail to a file that can be processed.  Usually
     by a "file" or "copy" command from mail, but a direct move will
     work if you have an account just for voting.
/->* Run the vote counting program on the votes every few days.
|  * Run the automatically generated script file which mails out the
|    acknowledgements.
\- * Repeat till end of vote or mass ack.
^  * Append all vote results into one file.
|  * Run the duplicate detection program.
|  * Run the acknowledgement list generation program.
|  * Run the vote results program (if final results).
|  * Post.
\- * Repeat till done.

  If you are running Unix and have the "sh" available, an included shell
  script manages most of the daily stuff for you.

  It's still effort, but it's far, far less than it'll most likely be
  without it.  If you're running a multiple-group vote, you're wasting far
  too much of your time if you don't have some form of automation. And
  it's hopefully less error prone, and the fast mail acknowledgements of
  errors should head off most voting complaints. Barring deliberate
  fraud or gross negligence on your part, a vote run by UseVote should
  be airtight.

Why I'm pushing this:
  First, UseVote is absolutely 100% posolutely free both to get and to
  use.  I wrote the first version for my own use in a big group vote,
  and have updated and offered it since for three reasons: a) as a
  contribution to the Usenet community, and b) like any other
  programmer, I get a kick out seeing my programs used.

How to get UseVote:
  * Mail me for a uuencoded version
  * anonymous ftp at netcom.com under /pub/dnc
  * anonymous ftp at grasp.insa-lyon.fr under /pub/unix/news/tools
  
