How am I notified that an e-ballot has been issued?
When an e-ballot is issued you will receive an email informing you of the open and close dates and the URL to access the ballot. If you do not have an email address registered at ASTM, you will receive a hard copy letter containing the same information. The hard copy letter is generated approximately one week prior to the ballot issue so that it reaches non-email members at approximately the same time as the email message.


Where is the e-ballot located?
The e ballot notification will direct you to the MyASTM/Login page. From there you are instructed to enter the "MyASTM" section. The process is the same as if you were accessing your minutes or the committee roster; you enter your member number or email address (user id) and your password. Once inside the "MyASTM" section you will see a link to any open ballots. You can also view ‘My Outstanding Ballots’. Ballots not submitted will be listed here until the ballot closes. (Please note if there are no open ballots there will not be a link)

Each ballot is identified using the naming convention that you are accustomed to, for example E05 (06-01) is the first E05 Main Committee ballot in the year 2006.

When you click on the link to the ballot you are brought to the "informational ballot" which is a listing of each item on the ballot. The ballot will automatically populate itself with your name and committee information. This system is able to do this because it knows who you are when you log on with your member number.


How do I access the ballot items?
It was very important to ASTM when designing the ballot to allow members to easily access only the ballot items of interest. The system allows a person to open ballot items individually or to download the entire document. When opening the items individually, you can print the documents if so desired. If you would like to review all of the items from a ballot, you download the EXE file on to your PC. This will allow you to take the information to read at a later time. The ballot items are in PDF files that are read using Adobe Acrobat. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat it can be downloaded from the Adobe web site at: www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep2.html


I want to view all of the ballot items but am having trouble opening the EXE file.
To open an EXE file right click on the 'All Docuements' link, a menu will appear. Choose to save the files (select 'Save Target As" if using Netscape)

A box will appear, choose where you want to save the files; make note of the file name and click 'Save'.

Go to the drive in which you saved the files and double-click on the file name. A dialog box will appear letting you know that the files will be unzipped to a certain folder (defaults to C:\windows\TEMP folder); make note of the folder and click unzip.

The unzipped PDFs now reside in the C:\windows\TEMP folder (or a folder of your choice); go to folder and open PDFs.

Don't forget to periodically delete the EXE's from your hard drive where they're taking up space.

MAC USERS: If you are having difficulties downloading an EXE file, go to www.stuffit.com and download Stuffit Expander (free of charge); this will enable you to use EXE files.

If you have followed the instructions and still have problems opening the file conact our Technical Support agents at http://www.astm.org/SUPPORT/index.html.


Why am I having trouble viewing items and writing statements for the Ballot?
What kind of browser are you using? A browser is a piece of software that acts as an interface between the user and the World Wide Web. The ASTM ballot works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer. This is standard on most PCs. To see if you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, just look at the top left corner of the browser window. If it does not say "Microsoft Internet Explorer", you may be able to quickly resolve this by finding Microsoft Internet Explorer on your desktop, on your task bar, in your program start menu, or using 'files or folders' from the start menu.


How do I cast my vote?
To cast your vote on an item, click on the appropriate radio button on the right side of the ballot. If you choose to vote negative, affirmative with comment or abstain with comment, a text box will automatically pop up for you to provide your written statement. You can either type directly into the box or you can copy text from another file.

If this text box does not appear, it may be due to a pop-up blocker.  If you have one, please disable it until you are finished with the ballot.  If this is not an option, try depressing the control key while selecting your vote. This should bypass the blocker temporarily.

If you do not provide a written statement for an item for which you have voted negative, affirmative with comment or abstain with comment, the system will not allow you to submit your ballot. A warning button will appear that asks you to either add your written statement or to change your vote.


What happens if I complete a portion of a ballot and want to return at a later time?
You may complete a portion of the ballot and then save the information. When you log back into the MyASTM section of the web site the system will be able to retrieve your ballot where you left off. This feature is especially important for large ballots that may take a number of sessions to complete.

When you have completed the ballot you are instructed to hit the "submit" button. This sends the information to ASTM. Your ballot is not counted as being returned until the "submit" button is pressed.


Can I get a record of how I voted?
When you hit the "submit" button you will receive a summary of how you voted on each item. Your written statements for negative, affirmative with comment or abstain with comment will be included. You are able to print this by hitting the print button on your web browser.

Please be aware that attached comments will not be visible after the ballot has been submitted.

How long will the ballot remain on the Web site?
The ballot will appear on the web until the close date. The only exception is if the ballot has not reached the 60% return required for a valid ballot. If this is the case the ballot will remain posted until a 60% return is obtained.

The system has been designed to automatically send reminders to members who have not returned their ballots. These reminders will be sent out two weeks prior to the closing date of the ballot. If there is a problem with reaching the 60% return, additional reminders will be sent.


After the ballot closes, where can I go to see the results?
For regular members, you may view results in Closed Ballots and Closing Reports. From MyASTM, go to My Ballots, then Closed Ballots and Closing Reports. Closed ballots are posted for one calendar year after closing. The closing reports include vote counts and statements returned from comments and negative votes. Technical Contacts and Subcommittee Chairmen may go to Ballot Negatives And Comments under ‘My Tools’ in ‘My Committees.


How will negatives and comments be distributed?
When a ballot is submitted it is transmitted to ASTM along with the associated comments and negatives. Comments and negatives are posted to Ballot Negatives And Comments under ‘My Tools’ in ‘My Committees’ for subcommittee chairmen and technical contacts. Subcommittee chairmen and technical contacts are notified when new statements are posted on a daily basis during the ballot.

After the ballot closes, results will continue to be posted in this area for subcommittee chairmen and technical contacts. All members may view results after the ballot closes in 'Closed Ballots and Closing Reports' (from MyASTM, go to My Ballots, then select 'Closed Ballots and Closing Reports').


I returned my ballot. Why did I get a reminder?
There are several possible reasons.

• It is possible that your ballot return and your reminder have crossed in the mail.
  
• Often multiple ballots are open concurrently. You may have returned another ballot that is open.
  
• When you return your ballot, select the 'Submit Ballot to ASTM' button. You may have selected the 'save statement' button by mistake.
  
• Another possibility, although much more remote, is that your web connection may have been interrupted during your ballot session.