UPSTAGEDAID: ONE WORLD EVERY STUDENT VOICE

Statement on Voting Integrity

We have had extraordinary interest from voters – more than 124,000 votes cast so far over two voting rounds!  As previously shared with our teams, a few voters got a bit too “creative,” to put it kindly, in their voting enthusiasm for their group(s), which necessitated additional time and resources to review and verify to ensure the integrity of the vote count in Round 2.

To ensure voting integrity, UpStaged Entertainment Group uses the verification services of data analytics firm Pequan Media, of New York City.  The votes are first tabulated via UpStaged’s voting platform, employing a layer of email verification.  A subsequent round of screening is conducted by UpStaged, eliminating duplicate emails and running all registered emails through another email verification platform.  A third and final screen is conducted by UpStaged to analyze larger blocks of voting activity, employing manual verification where reasonably indicated.  Finally, UpStaged’s internal processes, voting results, and selected workpapers are reviewed by Pequan data analysts and the results are then finalized.

This being the first ever bracketed virtual college performing arts championship, first time issues were bound to arise. Some contests choose not to employ such multi-level audit processes in order to save resources and share results more quickly, but we at UpStaged believe the integrity and future of virtual championships like these require the extra time, resources and capital necessary to conduct this level of verification.

We were saddened that some of the revised tabulations changed certain match results in Round 2. However, it’s important to note that the vast majority of the overwhelming voter numbers were valid, reflecting the beautiful spirit of this a cappella community and its passionate fanbase. 

Stephan Hartman, CEO

UpStaged Entertain Group