How The Draw Works

The Process

This is the sequence both appraisers follow on a claim. Each appraiser consents when submitting their ten umpires. The random draw runs after both strike lists are in.

1. 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. Submitting that list is the consent step: each appraiser types their legal name and agrees to be bound by the random draw. The other appraiser cannot see those names until both lists are in.

2. 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. The draw runs automatically when the second strike list is recorded.

3. 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.

4. 04

   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.

5. 05

   A Record Is Issued

   The result is written into a downloadable 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 record always reproduces the same winner.

Why Neither Party Can Steer The Pick

The Coded Procedure

The 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.

1. When the request is accepted, the server generates a 32-byte cryptographically random server seed and publishes only its SHA-256 fingerprint (the commitment), before either party nominates.
2. When an appraiser submits their ten umpires, they consent and the server generates a 32-byte client seed for that party. The appraiser does not choose it.
3. After both strike lists are in, the surviving pool is both nomination lists minus every struck umpire. Names are ordered by nomination id.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 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.