Online Proxy Voting - Administrator Guide

HOW-TO GUIDE

Online Proxy Voting — Administrator Guide

GSI Proxy Voting Application

Audience	Guaranty Association Administrators
Version	1.0
Last Updated	March 31, 2025
Applies To	All Guaranty Association proxy voting portals hosted at *.pva.guarantysupport.com

Overview

Each voting portal has an admin account (separate from the shared member account) that gives you access to the voting administration dashboard. From the dashboard you can configure every aspect of the voting period, monitor participation in real time, and manage member requests.

When you log in as an administrator, the dashboard will display a checklist of any required settings that have not yet been configured. Follow the checklist items in order before opening the voting period to members.

ℹ️ Before You Begin

Log in and review the Active Configuration panel at the top of your results page before each voting period to confirm which features are active for your association.

Part 1 — Before the Voting Period Opens

Example administrator dashboard on first login. The yellow warning banner indicates required settings that must be configured before voting can open. The Voting Configuration panel shows which features are active for your association.

1.1 Contact GSI to Upload Member Data

Member company records (company names, NAIC numbers, contact information, and group assignments) are maintained in the database by GSI staff. You do not upload member data directly through the voting portal.

Before each voting period, provide GSI with:

Your current member roster (updated company list with NAIC numbers)
Any changes to holding company group assignments
If your association uses weighted voting: the current premium percentage for each member company (see Section 5.2 for details)

Allow adequate lead time before the voting period opens for GSI to process uploads and verify the data.

1.2 Set the Annual Meeting Date

Step 1: Navigate to Set Annual Meeting Date from your dashboard.

Step 2: Enter the date of your annual meeting. This date appears on the member pre-vote notice and ballot pages.

1.3 Set the Voting Cutoff Date

Step 1: Navigate to Set Voting Cutoff Date from your dashboard.

Step 2: Enter the deadline by which members must submit their votes. The system will stop accepting votes at the end of this date.

1.4 Set the Slate

Step 1: Navigate to Set Candidates for Re-Election (the slate) from your dashboard.

Step 2: Add the candidates standing for re-election to the Board of Directors this year. The slate populates the Proxy 1 (slate endorsement) option on the member ballot.

⚠️ Required Before Voting Opens

The slate must be set before members can vote. The dashboard will display a warning until this step is complete.

1.5 Set Board Positions (if applicable)

If your association tracks named board positions, you will also see Set List of Board Members on your dashboard checklist. Enter the current board member names associated with each position. These are displayed alongside the slate on the ballot for member reference.

This step only appears if your association has board position tracking enabled. Check your Active Configuration panel to confirm.

Part 2 — During the Voting Period

2.1 Monitor the Dashboard Weekly

Dashboard Item	Description
Votes Cast	Total submissions so far vs. total eligible voters.
Participation Rate	Percentage of members who have voted.
Candidate Vote Totals	Running tally per candidate (sortable).
Group Participation	If your association uses group voting, group participation counts are shown separately.

There is no action required unless participation is unusually low — in which case you may want to follow up with members who have not yet voted (see Section 2.3).

2.2 Handle Vote Reset Requests

When a member submits a Vote Reset Request, you will receive an email notification.

Step 1: Navigate to View Vote Reset Requests from your dashboard.

Step 2: Review each request and select an action:

Action	Result
Approve	Clears the member's existing vote so they can re-vote.
Deny	Leaves the vote unchanged; the member is notified.

⚠️ Review Promptly

Members cannot re-vote until their reset is approved. Review reset requests in a timely manner to avoid delays.

2.3 Identify Members Who Have Not Voted

Step 1: Click Groups or Companies Without Votes from your dashboard.

Step 2: Use the list to follow up with non-voting members before the cutoff date.

Part 3 — After the Voting Period Closes

3.1 Export Results to Excel

Step 1: Click Export to Excel File from your dashboard.

This downloads a complete vote record in .xlsx format containing all votes submitted during the period. Suitable for record-keeping and reporting.

3.2 Review Final Results

The dashboard candidate vote table shows the final tallies, ordered by vote count (highest first). For associations with weighted voting, totals reflect weighted vote values.

Part 4 — Django Admin (Advanced)

The Django Admin interface showing the Proxy_Voting administration panel. From here you can directly manage companies, contacts, candidates, groups, and vote reset requests.

The Django Admin interface (accessible via a link on your dashboard) allows direct management of database records: companies, contacts, candidates, and groups. This interface is intended for advanced administrative tasks and data corrections.

Use the Django Admin interface to:

Correct a member company name or NAIC number
Add or remove a member company mid-cycle (contact GSI first)
Review raw vote records for audit purposes

⚠️ Do Not Modify Active Records Without Consulting GSI

Do not use the Django Admin to modify Vote records or Date records directly during an active voting period without first consulting GSI.

Part 5 — Configuration Reference

Your voting portal's behavior is determined by a set of configuration options set when your portal was provisioned. These are fixed per association and do not change between voting periods unless you request a change through GSI. Log in to your admin dashboard and review the Active Configuration panel to see which options are active for your association.

5.1 Company-as-Candidate vs. Person-as-Candidate

Setting	Behavior
Active	Candidates are identified as member insurance companies by NAIC number. Slate and write-in fields refer to companies.
Inactive	Candidates are named individuals (e.g., "Jane Smith"). Slate and write-in fields refer to people by name.

This affects how you set up the slate and how results are labeled.

5.2 Weighted Voting

When active: Each member company (or group) is assigned a number of votes proportional to their share of net direct written premium. Members distribute their allocated votes across candidates on the ballot.

Administrative tasks specific to weighted voting:

Each year, provide GSI with an updated premium percentage file — typically an Excel spreadsheet with one row per member company and the corresponding premium percentage. GSI will upload this before the voting period opens.
The dashboard displays weighted vote totals rather than simple counts.
The Excel export includes weighted values.

5.3 Group-Based Voting

When active: Member companies are organized into holding company groups. All companies in a group share a single login and cast one collective vote on behalf of the group.

Administrative tasks specific to group voting:

Group assignments are maintained in the database. Contact GSI to add, remove, or reassign companies to groups.
The dashboard shows group participation separately from individual company participation.
If a member reports an incorrect group assignment, do not allow them to vote until the group is corrected. Contact GSI to fix the assignment.

5.4 Amendment Voting

When active: The ballot includes one or more proposed bylaw or rule amendments. Members vote Yay or Nay on each amendment in addition to the board election.

Administrative tasks specific to amendment voting:

Amendment records are created in the Django Admin before the voting period opens.
The dashboard shows running Yay/Nay totals for each amendment alongside candidate vote totals.
The Excel export includes amendment votes.

5.5 Oppose / Abstain Voting

When active: For each candidate, members may choose Favor, Oppose, or Abstain rather than simply selecting or not selecting a candidate.

The dashboard and Excel export show separate Favor, Oppose, and Abstain counts per candidate. No additional setup is required — the ballot options appear automatically.

5.6 Board Position Tracking (Appointee Names)

When active: Named board positions (e.g., "Seat 1 — President") are displayed alongside the candidate slate on the ballot, showing members which seats are held and which are up for re-election.

Administrative tasks specific to appointee tracking:

At the start of each voting period, update the board position names via the Set List of Board Members link on your dashboard.
The dashboard checklist will flag this as a required step before voting can open.

Part 6 — Changing the Member Password

The portal uses a shared member account (username: member) for all member company logins. To reset the member password — for example, at the start of each new voting period — use the Change Member Password option on your dashboard. Distribute the new password to all member companies by email.

⚠️ Shared Login — Coordinate Before Changing

Because all member companies share the same login, changing the password affects all members simultaneously. Coordinate with members before changing passwords mid-voting-period.

Quick Reference

I want to…	Here's how
Set up the voting period	Dashboard checklist → Set Meeting Date → Set Cutoff Date → Set Slate → (Set Board Positions if applicable).
Upload member data	Contact GSI with your updated member roster before the voting period opens.
Monitor participation	Dashboard → review Votes Cast, Participation Rate, and Candidate Vote Totals weekly.
Approve a vote reset	Dashboard → View Vote Reset Requests → Approve or Deny.
Find non-voters	Dashboard → Groups or Companies Without Votes.
Export final results	Dashboard → Export to Excel File → download .xlsx.
Reset member password	Dashboard → Change Member Password → distribute to all members.
Correct a company record	Django Admin → locate record → edit → save. Contact GSI first for mid-cycle changes.

Related Guides

Online Proxy Voting — Member How-To Guide

Need Help?

For technical issues, data uploads, configuration changes, or questions not covered in this guide, contact GSI at support@guarantysupport.com. For urgent issues during an active voting period, contact your GSI account manager directly.