Describe conversion options, implications with other formats like BFF, PrefLib, BLT, NIST CDF

[nealmcb]

Often when specifying and developing data formats and related tools, it is helpful to consider how conversions between formats work.

Ideally we would have at least proof-of-concept tools to convert between

• ABIF (text and jabmod (json abif model))
• PrefLib Election data format
• BFF
• STV.pm from Lobitos
• BLT
• NIST Cast Vote Records Common Data Format Specification, SP 1500-103
• OpenSTV/OpaVote formats
• CIVS/Civitas formats
• Excel/CSV format used by RCVRC tabulator (along with NIST CDF)
• ES&S iVotronic EL155
• Dominion JSON CVR format
• Dominion converted to .xlsx oval-by-oval mark data in Colorado (i.e. show a 1 (mark) or 0 for each possible rank for each possible choice on a ballot)
• debtally, e.g. from 2022 vote
• widj - JSON representation used by Electowidget
• Trueballot format
• others - what's out there?....

(Updated 2023 to fix broken link and add jabmod, debtally, widj and Dominion mark data)

That would inform documentation that could note which conversions sometimes or always preserve all information, which are lossy, etc.

[masiarek]

broken link - PrefLib Election data format

working link - https://www.preflib.org/format

[robla]

Thanks @nealmcb for providing the links and @masiarek for providing the correction. I just updated the "Planning" doc for this project, which (spoiler alert) isn't much of a plan. I'll hopefully find some time to do some more work on this soon.

[nealmcb]

I also just ran across another format conversion tool: RCV Formats — RCV Formats documentation which says:

supported input formats are:
The Universal RCV Tabulator JSON format
The Opavote JSON format
The ElectionBuddy CSV format
The Dominion XLSX format
The Dominion TXT format

in case you didn't think we had enough to choose from.