Help Table Hints  (2008)

Some Reasons Why a Name Might Not Be Found in the Poll Book

• Name may have been misspelled.
• Name may have been changed by marriage/divorce.
• Name may have unusual characters (quotes, dashes, spaces, etc.) and may be sorted to an unexpected place.
• Poll book may be defective:  missing pages or has pages missorted.
• BOE may have accidentally deleted the wrong name, e.g., on the death or move of a spouse or of a junior/senior.

Explain to the voter that the most recent Wake County Voter Card that he/she received would be very helpful in finding the voter's name. The name spelling on it may provide a clue.

Name Searches vs. Address Searches

Search for information about a registered voter on the name search screen:

• Voter's name
• Voter's address
• Voter's birth date
• Voter's party
• Voter's VRN (Voter Registration Number)
• Voter's precinct
• Voter's ballot style

A name search determines if the voter is registered. An efficient technique is to fill in the voter's birth date and the first couple of characters of the last name followed by a "%" wildcard, then look for the voter in the short result list, using the rest of the name and address to make sure the right person has been found.

Search for information about an address on the Geocode screen (accessed from the File menu):

• Address's precinct number
• Address's ballot style

Search Results Using Wildcards

In a name search, % can be used as a wildcard to make searches easier.

• A % wildcard character can take the place of:
  • Zero characters
  • One character
  • Many characters

  That is, where % is specified in the search string, any number of characters (including 0) can be present in a matching name.

• The replaced characters can be:
  • Alphabetic
  • Blank
  • Special, e.g., apostrophes or hyphens
• Multiple % wildcards can be used in a search string.
• The wildcard(s) can be placed anywhere in the search string:
  • Beginning
  • Middle
  • End

Note that wildcard searchs can be done only on the name search screen. Wildcards cannot be used on the Geocode screen, where address searches are done. However, on the Geocode screen watch as you type in an address. The system will make a guess at the desired address and try to complete the address you are typing. This is somewhat like putting an "%" at the end of what you had typed so far, although only a single matching address can be shown on the screen.

"HELP-TABLE-HINTS-2008.HTM"      18 Mar 2011  23:58:51      (JKNAUTH)