July 2021 Tab Manual Mock Trial

Summary

July 2021 Revision
American Mock Trial Association
Tabulation Manual July 2021 Revision
Contents
Foreword………………………………………………………………………… 2
Overview………………………………………………………………………… 3
General Tab Room Rules………………………………………………………. 4
30 Minute Review Period………………………………………………………. 5
Procedure for Checking In Ballots……………………………………………... 6
Procedure for Tabulating Ballots……………………………………………….. 7
Penalties…………………………………………………………………………... 10
Recording Results on Pairing Cards……………………………………………. 10
Determining Team Ranks……………………………………………………….. 12
Coin Flip Tiebreaker……………………………………………………………... 13
Calculating Combined Strength (“CS”)………………………………………… 14
Tabulation Summary……………………………………………………………… 15
Distributing Ballots………………………………………………………………... 15
Assigning Rooms………………………………………………………………….. 16
REGIONAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRING PROCEDURES:
Pairing Round 1……………………………………………………………………. 17
Pairing Round 2…………………………………………………………………… 18
Pairing Round 3…………………………………………………………………… 19
Pairing Round 4 at the National Championship………………………………… 19
Pairing Round 4 at Regionals …………………………………………………… 19
OPENING ROUND CHAMPIONSHIP (ORCS) PAIRING PROCEDURES:
Discussion of ORCS System……………………………………………………... 29
Pairing Round 1………………………………………………………..................... 30
Pairing Round 2…………………………………………………………………… 31
Pairing Round 3………………………………………………………………….... 32
Pairing Round 4………………………………………………………………….... 32
PROCEDURES FOR ALL TOURNAMENTS:
Resolving Impermissible Matches……………………………………………….. 33
Determining The “Least Difference” Between Cards…………………………… 37
Tabulating Individual Awards……………………………………………………. 40
Tabulating the Team Spirit of AMTA Award…………………………………… 42
Bye-Buster Team Procedures……………………………………………………... 43
Forfeits/No-Show Procedures……………………………………………………. 45
Handling Rules Complaints and Intervention Requests………………………… 47
Step-by-Step List of Tab Room Responsibilities…………………………………. 50
Tiebreaking After Round 4 (For Awards/Bids)………………………………….. 54
Special Rules for the National Championship Final Round…………………….. 58
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July 2021 Revision
Foreword
In AMTA’s earliest days, AMTA’s tabulation rules were created by its first
National Tabulation Director, Brad Bloch. As AMTA and interest in its tabulation
procedures grew, the rules were formalized and Mr. Bloch created this Manual. The
Manual has been revised and edited over the years by those who have served as
Tabulation Director: Bradley Bloch, David Nelmark, Kristofer Lyons, Johnathan
Woodward, and Diane Michalak

We wish to stress that there is no need for coaches, participants, or hosts to
memorize the procedures contained in the Manual. Reading the Manual is helpful to
understand what goes on “under the hood” at AMTA tournaments, but it is not critical
to successful performance in a trial

You will see from this Manual the various procedures in place to ensure fairness
and accuracy. However, AMTA still encourages each team to send a representative to
the Tab Room to check the results at the end Rounds 1 through 3, and to check results
during the 30 minute review period following the awards ceremony. This provides a
valuable triple (or quadruple) check on AMTA’s tabulation

Do not be concerned if the procedures in this Manual seem difficult to grasp on
paper. It is much easier to understand the procedures once you see them in practice in
a Tab Room. At most tournaments, you will be able to find someone to explain the
procedures to you either during or just after they occur

Questions about the Manual should be directed to Tabulation Director Diane
Michalak, by email to [email protected]

During a tournament, questions about tabulation must be directed to the on-site
AMTA Representatives. If disagreements or questions arise, the AMTA
Representatives are directed to immediately contact the Tabulation Director for
guidance

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Overview
The Manual is official AMTA policy, and is incorporated by reference into the
AMTA Rules. If the procedures described in the Manual conflict with any other rule
or policy, the Manual controls on all issues related to tabulating ballots, scoring,
and/or breaking ties

It is crucial that you have the most current version of the Manual, as tabulation
procedures are subject to more-or-less constant tweaks and changes. Typically, the
Manual is released twice a year: once in the late summer/early fall, to reflect changes
made by the AMTA Board at its summer meeting, and once around the holidays, to
reflect changes made by the AMTA Board at its mid-year meeting, usually held in
November or December

AMTA Rules require that any concerns or disputes during a sanctioned
tournament must be timely raised to one of the on-site AMTA Representatives. The
AMTA Rules set forth an appellate process for certain rulings. Teams should carefully
read Chapter 9 of the AMTA Rules to understand that process

The AMTA Representatives assigned to sanctioned tournaments have no
authority to ignore or overrule the procedures set forth in the Manual, even when they
appear to produce an undesirable result. AMTA’s Board of Directors has had a full
analysis of advantages and disadvantages of different procedural options. It is also
imperative from a fairness perspective that all Tab Rooms at all sanctioned
tournaments follow identical procedures

Summary of Changes
The following changes have been made to this version of the Manual:
1. The method of side selection for the Championship Final Round has been
changed

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July 2021 Revision
General Tab Room Rules
The Tabulation Room (or Tab Room) is the nerve center for any mock trial
tournament. As its name implies, it is where ballots are tabulated at the end of each
round

When the Tab Room is open, one representative from each team is allowed to be
inside the Tab Room. When the Tab Room is closed, only the AMTA Representatives
and any individuals they have designated to assist them may be in the room

The Tab Room must be closed once the first Round 4 ballot is received until the
end of the awards ceremony. Otherwise, the AMTA Representatives should keep the
Tab Room open as much as possible. However, the AMTA Representatives may, in
their discretion, close the Tabulation Room during tabulation of ballots or the initial
pairings if they find that such closing limits their distractions. The AMTA
Representatives may also exclude specific individuals from the Tab Room if those
individuals fail to follow instructions regarding matters such as remaining quiet during
tabulation and pairing

If a team has a coach with them at a tournament, one of the coaches may serve as
the team’s representative in the Tab Room. If and only if a team has no coach with
them at a tournament, one of the students may serve as the team’s representative in the
Tab Room

Each team’s representative may enter the Tab Room at any time it is open to
review the Pairing Cards and the team’s own ballot envelope. At a convenient time,
the team’s representative may request of the AMTA Representatives to look at the
original copy of any team’s blue (scoring) ballots. However, a team’s representative
may never look inside another team’s ballot envelope

Each team representative has an obligation to report any suspected error to the
AMTA Representatives, even if the suspected error does not concern the team being
represented. Any and all suspected errors must be pointed out

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30 Minute Review Period
After Rounds 1, 2, and 3, the AMTA Representatives will determine the pairings for
Rounds 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Once the pairings have concluded, a 30 minute
review period takes place. If a round takes place late in the evening, the AMTA
Representatives have the option to hold the 30 minute review period for 30 minutes
immediately prior to the following morning’s Captains’ Meeting. This is the time for
each team’s representative, described above, to review their team’s ballots (for accurate
tabulation) and their team’s Pairing Card (for accurate transcription of the tabulation
information, and accurate pairing). Perhaps most importantly, this is a time when
students and coaches are encouraged to ask the AMTA Representatives questions
about how the process works

AMTA Representatives have the discretion to correct errors, including those in
pairing, tabulation, or recording, provided that such errors can be corrected without
undue tournament schedule disruption. Record errors shall be corrected if discovered
within the 30-minute review period for each round. Pairing errors discovered within
the 30-minute review period shall be corrected if such correction can be made without
undue tournament schedule disruption. In making this decision, the AMTA
Representatives should bear in mind the timing of the discovery of the error, the need
to keep the tournament on schedule, and the degree of difficulty of correcting the
error. The AMTA Representatives shall not correct any errors discovered after the
expiration of the 30-minute review period unless pairings can be redone without
undue tournament schedule disruption

Any errors not raised during the 30-minute review period shall not be solely sufficient
grounds for awarding an Act of AMTA bid

The next round may start before the 30-minute review period is over. If a complaint is
raised within the 30-minute period following the finalization of the next round’s
pairings, it will be deemed timely even if the next round has started

Complaints regarding a tournament’s final round must be made within 30 minutes
following the distribution of the ballots at the close of the awards ceremony. If a
complaint is raised within the appropriate 30-minute period it shall be deemed timely
even if the issue is not resolved within the 30-minute period

In all cases, issues must be voiced to one of the AMTA Representatives. Talking to a
tournament host, judge, or another AMTA Director is not sufficient

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Procedure for Checking-In Ballots
Before a ballot can be tabulated, it must first (of course!) arrive to the Tab Room

Checking these ballots immediately is a critical step in ensuring a trouble-free
tournament

During each round, one person should be responsible for checking each ballot as it
arrives to the Tabulation Room. This person should first check each ballot to ensure:
a. All 28 numerical scores are filled in. Be sure to check the closing argument
scores, which are most commonly forgotten;
b. All 28 numerical scores are legible;
c. All eight individual attorney and witness rankings are completed

If any there is any issue with any of the above three items, the ballot checker should
use a highlighter to indicate the missing or illegible item(s), and instruct the runners to
immediately return the ballot in question to the judge, with direction to complete or
clarify the highlighted items

If any score is listed as “zero,” the Tab Room should verify with the judges whether
that function of the trial actually occurred. When part of a trial actually occurs, the
lowest possible score is 1

Generally, the ballot checker need not consult with the AMTA Representatives
regarding legibility of numerical scores. In other words, if the ballot checker thinks a
numerical score is illegible, it is likely others will as well. The best course of action is
to send the ballot back to the judge without further delay, so that the issue may be
resolved before the judge leaves the tournament site

Frequently, judges will not circle “P” and “D” after the attorney and witness names,
and/or use character names in the witness section. Neither error is cause to send a
ballot back to the judge. The AMTA Representatives may direct the ballot checker to
ask the student runners to help complete this information at the Tab Room door

When doing so, the ballot checker should randomize the order of the names so as to
not indicate the order of the rankings to the students. Alternatively, the AMTA
Representatives may simply wish to refer to the white comment ballots at a later time
to correct or supplement this information

The ballot checker should also assist the AMTA Representatives with tracking which
trials have returned ballots to the Tab Room. As the All-Loss Time approaches, a
AMTA Representative or designee must go to the trial rooms of those trials where an
intervention has been properly requested, pursuant to Rule 4.33(5)(b). Returning a
timely submitted ballot to a judge after submission does not trigger any All-Loss
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penalty. The AMTA Representatives should carefully read Rule 4.33 for the
procedures involved with the All-Loss Rule

Procedure for Tabulating Ballots
Each ballot must be tabulated to determine the differential between the total points
earned by the Plaintiff/Prosecution team and the total points earned by the Defense
team. The team with the superior point differential wins the ballot. If each team earns
the same number of points, the ballot is tied, which counts as ½ of a win for each team

Before tabulating a ballot, the AMTA Representatives should ensure that the team
numbers and plaintiff/defense sides match the information recorded as to that round’s
pairings. Any discrepancies or ambiguities with respect to the team numbers or which
side of the case each team portrayed should be resolved prior to tabulation and pairing

The rules for determining the point differential are as follows:
1. Only whole numbers from 1 through 10 shall be counted. Ignore any and all
plus signs, minus signs, fractions, and any numbers after a decimal point

EXAMPLE: A judge writes one score as 8.25 and another score as 8.75

Each score is counted as an 8

2. The score of 0 shall only be awarded when a particular trial function did not
occur. 1 is the lowest score that can be awarded to a trial function that actually
took place. If a ballot is returned with a score of “0,” the AMTA
Representatives should inquire with the judge as to whether that function of the
trial took place. If it did take place, the score must be changed to “1.” AMTA
Rules 4.31(4) and (5) govern scoring when direct examination time and/or
cross examination time expires prior to those particular functions taking place
in their entirety

3. A legible numerical score, properly placed upon the scoring ballot, shall be
conclusive evidence of the judge’s intended score. No team shall have any
claim for relief on the grounds that the judge’s comments or individual
rankings suggest the legible score was intended for another function of the trial
or otherwise improperly given

4. The point differential on each ballot must be confirmed by at least two Tab
Room officials, at least one of whom must be an AMTA Representative, as
follows:
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First Adder:
The first person who adds a ballot should first write the “raw total” of each
team’s points in the margins on each side of the ballot. Some tabulators prefer
to “add up,” so the number will be the sum of the points: 96, 115, etc. Some
tabulators prefer to subtract from the maximum possible score of 140 points per
team, so the equivalent numbers would be -44 and -25. Even if the first adder
uses the “subtraction method,” the first adder must always write the raw point
totals for each side of the ballot in positive number format, e.g., 110 vs. 121. We
have found that solely writing the negative numbers increases the likelihood
the point differential will be written on the wrong side of the ballot

The first adder then determines the differential between the raw point totals of
the two teams. Write the point differential for the winning team in the margin
on the winning team’s side of the ballot: the left margin, if the
Plaintiff/Prosecution wins, or the right margin, if the Defense wins

THIS STEP IS CRITICAL. If the point differential is written on the wrong
side of the ballot, this greatly increases the chance that the wrong team will
be credited with winning the ballot

If the point differential is zero, the first person should either write the word
“Tie” or a capital letter “T” in the middle of the ballot

Second Adder:
The second adder first re-adds both the Plaintiff/Prosecution and Defense
columns to verify that the raw totals calculated by the first adder are correct

For each total that matches, the second adder should place a check mark next to
each verified number. If the second adder concurs that the point differential is
correctly calculated and on the proper side of the ballot, the second adder
should also place a check mark next to it

If the second adder reaches a different raw total on one or both sides of the
ballot, or reaches a different point differential total, the second adder should
write the different number(s) they calculated next to the original number. The
second adder should then forward the ballot to a third adder

Third Adder:
If a third adder is used, the third adder should also place check marks next to
each verified raw total and point differential. If the third adder is being used as
a “tiebreaker” between two different numbers reached by previous adders, the
third adder should cross out the number the third adder determines to be
wrong, and place a checkmark next to the number the third adder determines to
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July 2021 Revision
be correct. If the third adder reaches a third and different number, additional
adders should be used. At this point, the AMTA Representatives should ensure
that all numbers on the ballot are legible. Frequently, tabulators reach different
results when tabulators interpret a number written on the ballot in different
ways, i.e., one person thinks a number is a “7” while another counts it as a “9.”
Final Adder:
Regardless of how many adders are used, the final adder shall circle the point
differential (and ensure that the differential is written on the proper margin of
the ballot) to indicate that the ballot has been fully tabulated. No ballot is
official until at least two Tab Room officials have agreed on the differential and
indicated such by circling the number on the proper margin of the ballot

5. Illegible or unclear scores require a ruling:
If the judge can be located, the judge should clarify

If the judge cannot be located, the AMTA Representatives may appoint a
committee of three neutral individuals, with agreement of two sufficient to
reach a ruling. “Neutral individual” means a person not affiliated with a team
competing at that tournament. The AMTA Representatives themselves may be
two of the three neutral individuals; in other words, if the two AMTA
Representatives agree on the correct score, no further action need be taken

Sometimes, scores illegible on a carbon copy may be legible on the original
ballot, and vice versa

In its discretion, the committee may refer to comment sheets and/or individual
rankings to aid in its determination

The decision of the AMTA Representatives as to whether to form a committee
is final. The decision should be based on a fair assessment of the difference in
time between receipt and tabulation of ballots as well as the likelihood that the
questioned score may be determinative of the differential decision. In general, a
tournament should not to be delayed in efforts to track down the judge

If a judge has departed significantly from the instructions for scoring (e.g. has
scored everyone on a 20-point scale) the AMTA Representatives should
attempt to locate the judge to correct the error. If it is not feasible to locate the
judge, the AMTA Representatives should attempt to replicate as best as possible
the judge’s understanding of each team’s performance (e.g. if it is obvious that
each team was scored on a 20 point scale, all scores could be halved to get back
within the 140 point total maximum.)
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6. In the event any judge’s ballot must be discarded for any reason, the other
scoring judge’s ballot shall be doubled for all aspects of the trial, including
individual awards

Penalties
AMTA Rule 9.2 allows the AMTA Representatives to impose tournament
penalties for certain rule violations. One possible penalty is a loss of points. If a
penalty consisting of a loss of points is imposed, the penalized points shall be removed
prior to determining each ballot’s final raw point totals and point differential. The
post-penalty result of the ballot is the final result for all subsequent purposes, including
pairing, Combined Strength, and opponent’s Combined Strength

Note, however, that a penalty assessed pursuant to the All-Loss Rule does not
follow this procedure. All-Loss Rule penalties are assessed at the end of the
tournament, and do not affect CS or OCS

Recording Results on Pairing Cards
As each trial’s ballots are tabulated, the AMTA Representatives must record the
results on each team’s Pairing Card. The Pairing Card looks like this:
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The first box is for recording the side played by the team, and the team’s opponent

In the example above, Team 1000 was Plaintiff vs. Team 1234 in Round 1. As in the
example, it is common for tabulators to note that the team will be Defense in Round 2,
even though the opponent will not be known until pairings have taken place

The second box is for recording the results of each ballot, by writing the letter W,
L, or T above the point differential of each ballot. In the example above, Team 1000
won the first ballot by 7 points, and lost the second ballot by 2 points

The third box is for recording the running total of the ballots won by the team. A
tied ballot counts as ½ of a win. Tabulators are encouraged to write only one number
representing the current total number of ballots won, e.g. “5”, instead of writing the
number in win-loss or win-loss-tie format, e.g. “5-1” or “4-0-2.” Writing tied ballots
in the latter format increases the chance the tabulator will miss that the 5-1 and 4-0-2
teams are at an identical record. The “half wins” generated by tied ballots do not
“count less” than regular wins; in other words, a team that finishes with 4 wins and 4
losses is exactly the same as a team that finishes with 0 wins and 8 ties (0.5 x 8 = 4.)
As such, both teams are considered to have a ballot record of “4.”
The fourth box is for recording the Combined Strength of each team after Round 2
and Round 3. The Combined Strength may be written in this space when necessary to
break ties after Round 4. We will discuss how to calculate Combined Strength in a
later section of the Manual (page 14.)
The fifth box is for recording the running point differential of each team. Note
that you do not need to calculate the running point differential after Round 4 unless
needed as part of the final tiebreakers

The sixth box is for recording the rank of the team after Rounds 1-3. The next
section will discuss how to calculate the rank

Each Tab Room must have at least two sets of independent Pairing Cards. After
all results have been tabulated and recorded onto the Pairing Cards, the AMTA
Representatives must compare the two sets of cards before the pairing process begins,
and must resolve any discrepancies between the two sets. This comparison is typically
done by having one AMTA Representative read from their set of cards in rank order
as the other AMTA Representative compares with their own set of cards

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July 2021 Revision
Determining Team Ranks
Team ranks after Round 1 are determined in the following order:
1. Ballots Won (more is better)
2. Point Differential (higher positive number is better)
3. Coin Flip Tiebreaker (see below)
Team ranks after Rounds 2 and 3 are determined in the following order:
1. Ballots Won (more is better)
2. Combined Strength (higher number is better)
3. Point Differential (higher positive number is better)
4. Coin Flip Tiebreaker (see below)
Team Ranks After Round 1 and Round 3
At Regional and National Championship Tournaments
After Round 1 and Round 3 at Regionals and Championship, the tabulator must first
separate the Pairing Cards into two stacks—one of teams that “Need Plaintiff” in the
following round, and one of teams that “Need Defense” in the following round

That is because the following rounds (Round 2 and Round 4) are side constrained,
such that a team that was Plaintiff/Prosecution in Round 1 must be Defense in Round
2, and vice versa

The “Needs Plaintiff” team with the best ranking is P1, the second best ranking is P2,
and so forth. The “Needs Defense” teams are ranked D1, D2, etc

PITFALL: Note that the rankings are based on the side of the case the team needs
to play in the following round, NOT the side of the case the team just played in the
round you are tabulating

EXAMPLE: Team 1000 is Plaintiff in Round 1. Team 1000 will be ranked D___
after Round 1 is tabulated, because Team 1000 will be on the Defense side of the case
in Round 2

Team Ranks After Round 2
At Regional and National Championship Tournaments
Round 3 is not side constrained. For ranking purposes, the teams are all in one stack;
the best-ranked team gets R (“Rank”) 1, the second best team gets R2, and so on. The
Manual will discuss later how to determine the sides teams play in Round 3

July 2021 Revision 4 General Tab Room Rules The Tabulation Room (or Tab Room) is the nerve center for any mock trial tournament. As its name implies, it is where ballots are tabulated at …

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