Simple Ballot Format (SBF) is designed for human readability and compactness, focusing only on ranked ballots. ABIF is a formal standard designed to be a universal format for both ranked and rated (cardinal) ballots.
This converter cannot handle cardinal ABIF data (e.g., A/5, B/3) because SBF has no way to represent it.
| Feature | Simple Ballot Format (SBF) | ABIF |
|---|---|---|
| Ballot Count | 1 is implied | Count is required (e.g., 1:) |
| Candidates | A: Candidate A | =A:[Candidate A] |
| Comments | [voter name] | # voter name |
| Separator | ----------- | None (uses comments) |
| Cardinal Data | Not Supported | Supported (A/5) |