Neither Side Sees The Other List First
Nominations and strikes are blind until both sides have submitted. The second submitter cannot tailor names after seeing the first list.
Published Procedure
How The Draw Works
Umpire Select is used when two appraisers cannot agree on an umpire. Each side names 10 umpires, each side may remove up to 5 names from the other list, and the platform picks one remaining umpire at random. The pick is coded so a third party can check that nobody steered the outcome.
The Process
This is the sequence both appraisers follow on a claim. The random draw does not start until both have consented.
01
Each Side Nominates Ten Umpires
Each appraiser submits exactly 10 names from their own list, or adds someone who is not on that list. The other appraiser cannot see those names until both lists are in. That keeps either side from shaping a list after seeing the other.
02
Each Side May Strike Names From The Other List
Each appraiser may strike up to 5 umpires from the other list only. You cannot strike your own nominations. You do not have to use every strike. Strikes stay hidden until both sides submit. Using fewer strikes simply leaves a larger pool.
03
The Surviving Pool Is Locked
Everyone who was nominated and not struck remains. Each of those umpires has the same chance. Nobody adds names, reorders names, or reruns the list after this point.
04
Both Appraisers Consent
Each appraiser types their legal name as it appears in Admin Panel and agrees to be bound by the result. Consent is the last human step. The draw runs automatically when the second consent is recorded. It cannot be rerun.
05
The Platform Picks One Name At Random
The platform converts the locked pool and the hidden random values into a single number: an index into that ordered list. The umpire at that position is the selection. Every remaining umpire has an exactly equal chance.
06
A Court Record Is Issued
The result is written into a downloadable court record. That file lists the nominations, the strikes, the surviving pool, the selected umpire, and the coded values needed to recompute the same index.
What “Equal Chance” Means
After strikes, the surviving pool is every nominated umpire who was not removed. If both sides nominate 10 and both use all 5 strikes, at least 10 umpires remain. If either side uses fewer strikes, the pool is larger. The draw then assigns each remaining name the same probability. It does not weigh experience, location, or who nominated the person.
Repeating the process on a new claim produces a new result even if the names and strikes look the same, because each selection generates new random values. Repeating the check on the same court record always reproduces the same winner.
Why Neither Party Can Steer The Pick
The Random Values Are Locked Before Anyone Consents
Before consent, the server creates a secret random value and publishes only a fingerprint of it (a SHA-256 commitment). After the draw, the secret is revealed. If the secret had been swapped, the fingerprint would not match.
Neither Appraiser Picks Their Own Random Value
When each party consents, the server creates a random value for that party. The appraisers do not type it, and they cannot change it later. That stops either side from shopping for a seed that favors a name.
The Pick Is Reproducible
The same inputs always produce the same winner. A court, carrier, or opposing appraiser can recompute the fingerprint, the combined seed, and the index from the court record and confirm they match.
The Draw Is Not Browser Randomness
The selection does not use Math.random(), a coin flip in the browser, or any value a client can edit after the fact. It uses SHA-256 and rejection sampling so every surviving umpire has an equal chance.
The Coded Procedure
The court record uses this method. You do not need to run it yourself to use the product. It is here so a lawyer, carrier, or independent reviewer can see exactly how the winner was chosen.
- Before either party consents, the server generates a 32-byte cryptographically random server seed and publishes only its SHA-256 fingerprint (the commitment).
- When an appraiser consents, the server generates a 32-byte client seed for that party. The appraiser does not choose it.
- After both consents, the surviving pool is both nomination lists minus every struck umpire. Names are ordered by nomination id.
- The final seed is SHA-256 of these values joined by newlines, in this order: the server seed; the client seed of the party whose user id comes first; the other client seed; then each surviving nomination id in that order.
- An unbiased index is read from that final seed with SHA-256 and rejection sampling, so every surviving umpire has an equal chance. The selected umpire is the name at that index.
- The server seed is then revealed. Anyone can confirm that SHA-256 of the server seed matches the published commitment, that the concatenated inputs hash to the final seed, and that the index points to the selected umpire.
How To Check A Result
After a draw, either appraiser can download the court record from the completed claim. That PDF includes the ordered surviving pool, the selected umpire, the commitment, both client seeds, the revealed server seed, the final seed, and the selected index.
A third party can recompute those hashes and the index from the values on the record. If they match, the recorded winner is the winner the procedure required. If they do not match, the record is not authentic.
What This Does Not Do
Umpire Select does not vet umpires, check conflicts, or decide whether a court will accept the selection. The appraisers remain responsible for confirming qualifications, disinterest, availability, and conflicts of interest. The platform is a selection tool. It is not itself a party to the appraisal.