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12.1 Amended Reports

Will all of an amended report completely replace the original report filed with the State? Yes. If you've indicated a report has been amended (that is, the Amendment number is greater than "0"), EFS will automatically perform an Amendment review when the new, amended report is exported. During the Amendment Review, EFS will compare the contents of the new amended report with the most recent version of the same report contained in the EFS database. An Amendment Review Report will be generated that will detail, line by line, the difference bound between the two reports with the Schedule and Item number as well as a description of the change. The campaign Treasurer, Chairman, and Candidate must sign the Amendment Review Report and file it with the amended report.

12.2 Reports - Contribution/Expenditure/Outstanding Obligation I can't see all of the Report Types by using the magnifying glass (). Why not?

The Report Types list will only display report types that have actually been created in the Report Entry window for this campaign finance entity.

12.3 Creating an account

I tried to change the Account Number but the filing software won't allow changes. What should I do? Once you have created an account in EFS and have created a report, you will be unable to modify most of the account identification information. You may re-install the EFS software, but NOTE: All campaign activity entered into the previously existing database WILL BE DELETED.

12.4 Should I change the Account Year to reflect the current year?

The correct Account Year depends upon whether the committee is Continuing or Non-Continuing:

1. For all Continuing Committees, the Account Year must reflect the current year.
2. For all Non-Continuing Committees, the Account Year should reflect the year of the election for which the Candidate or Committee has filed. The Account Year for Non-Continuing Committees should never change. A non-continuing committee can only exist for one year.

12.5 Export Function

If you've chosen to export the report to the Internet FTP site, you may receive a message if there is an error in the transmission of the report via the Internet. (See Troubleshooting Internet (FTP) Problems for additional recommendations.) The messages you see will also contain directions for resolving the error. The three error messages you might receive are:

1. "ELECTrack could not connect to the Internet from your computer. If you have an Internet connection, please check:
   
   

   Whether your Internet connection is functioning (try connecting first and then exporting)

   Your computer's Internet software configuration--for example, Dial Up Networking

   Your hardware setup--for example, modem and phone line connections

   If you do not have an Internet connection, please use the 'export to disk' option from the ELECTrack Export Screen."

2. "The State Board of Election's FTP server could not verify your identity.
   
   

   Please make sure you are using the correct user ID and password and try connecting again."

   And,

3. "ELECTrack could not contact the State Board of Election's FTP server.
   
   

   The server may be temporarily unavailable or the server may have reached its maximum user limits. Please try contacting the server later. If the problem continues, please contact the State Board of Election."

After receiving one of the above error messages, click on the OK button in the message window; you'll see a second message: "Export Unsuccessful." Click on the OK button again, and the export will be canceled. Remember the report is not filed until SBE receives it. Please correct the error and export the report.

12.6 Internet (FTP) Problems

12.7 Settings

If you are having trouble seeing the entire screen or using the icons on the main screen, you may have to change your font size from large to small. To make the needed change, do the following:

1. Close all open applications.
2. Click on the Start button on your Windows desktop
3. Select Settings from that menu.
4. Select Control Panel.
5. Select Display.
6. In Windows 95/NT, click on the Settings tab; in Windows 98, also click on the Advanced button.
7. Under font size, make sure Small fonts is selected.
8. Under desktop area, make sure the pixel setting is at least 800 x 600 (any less will cause distortion).

12.8 System Requirements

If you are having problems with the software, please re-confirm that your computer meet these minimum system requirements (necessary to run the software):

1. Operating system: Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP Pentium class PC (486 PCs will work, but with degraded performance)
2. 16 MB of RAM (or more as required for the appropriate operating system)
3. 50 MB free disk space--for software and data
4. PC monitor capable of 800 x 600 resolution
5. PC printer
6. If you are using Windows NT it must be version 4 and at service pack 6 or greater.
7. For doing the file transfer via the Internet, you must have either Internet Explorer version 4 or later, or Netscape version 4 or later.

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