League Policies
Selecting a BallotÂ
About 90 minutes before the round begins, parents will see notifications by text and on the tournament dashboard that they can select a ballot for the next round. A ballot selection button for the round will appear on your dashboard screen.
Our system will show two competition room choices at a time with the names of the competitors in no particular order. Click to accept a ballot that does not include competitors whom you know on a personal basis. For additional information on avoiding judging conflicts, see the section below.
Waiting for Rooms to Open
Once you have selected a ballot, you will see the room you have selected on your screen with a View Participants button. There may be a waiting time while other judges select the remaining ballots.
When it’s time for the round to begin, you will receive another notification.
- For an in-person tournament, under the Selected Ballots header, an Open Ballot button will appear.Â
- For an online tournament you will see an Open Ballot button to enter the electronic competition room.
Avoiding Judging Conflicts
Our system will prevent most judging conflicts, but there are some factors to keep in mind when choosing to accept a ballot. Â
- Do not take a ballot with a student you know very well or have coached in the event.
- Do not take a ballot for a room where a family member is also judging. If this happens inadvertently, please use the Chat menu to contact tournament administration immediately.
- In elimination rounds, please avoid taking a ballot in an event in which your student has advanced.
- If you have a question or have difficulty finding a ballot that seems suitable, please use the Chat menu to let the team know you are available to judge and to discuss any potential conflicts.
Balancing Feedback with the Ballot Deadline
At the end of the round, please exit the competition room to finish filling out your ballot. For in-person tournaments, please remain at the facility until your ballot is complete.
You will receive a notification indicating the time when ballots are due. We want parents to provide ample and excellent feedback; however, for the tournament to proceed in a timely manner, the ballot deadline must also be honored. Until we have all ballots returned, we cannot begin processing the next round. Therefore, please prioritize essential items on your ballot like your win/loss decision for debate and ranking speakers for both speech and debate, then provide as much additional feedback as time allows. If you do not feel you will be able to complete your ballot by the deadline, please notify the Judge Support team.Â