Q

MANAGING

CHANGE 

IN AN 

ELECTION

OFFICE

www.eac.gov

October 2007

MANAGEMENT GUIDE
2

Th e Quick Start Management Guide for 

Managing Change in an Election Offi ce is par

of a series of brochures designed to highlight a

summarize the information contained in the 

chapters of the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission’s (EAC) Election Management 

Guidelines (EMG). Th e goal of the EMG is to 

provide a collection of election management 

guidelines, consolidated into one document, to 

assist State and local election offi cials eff ective

manage and administer elections. Th ese 

guidelines are solely designed to serve as a sou

of information for election offi cials and not as 

requirements by which they must abide. Th e 

EAC expects the EMG to be completed in 200

However, due to the urgent need for election 

management resources, EMG chapters and 

Quick Starts are released as they are complete

Th e content of the EMG and the Quick Start 

Management Guides has been developed in 

collaboration with State and local election 

offi cials and other election professionals who 

have fi rst-hand experience managing election

Th e EAC is grateful for their participation and 

ensuring the guidelines are practical and 

applicable for jurisdictions regardless of their s

and resources. Th e EMG and the Quick Start

are available online 

at www.eac.gov.

MANAGING CHANGE IN AN ELECTION OFFICE
www.ea

INTRODUCTION

 Election and voter registration administration 

practices and procedures are subject to change 

based on a variety of factors, expected and 

unexpected. Examples of these factors include, 

but are not limited to, changes in Federal, State, 

or local election requirements, new technology, 

increased or decreased budget, staffi ng changes, 

relocation or reorganization of election offi ces, 

and Election Day emergencies. 

 Changes can come from external sources 

(i.e. changes in Federal laws) or from internal 

sources (i.e. changes in staff ), and may not 

always be expected. Anticipating change and 

developing a management plan in advance can 

help alleviate its impact on the election offi ces’ 

functions and processes.

 As noted above, change can also be unexpected. 

Th ese kinds of situations may be initially remedied 

by the offi ce’s contingency and disaster plans, but 

long term solutions may be better addressed by 

change management plans developed in response 

to those situations. A separate guide and an 

EMG chapter have been developed to address 

Contingency and Disaster Planning; these are 

available on the EAC Web site at www.eac.gov. 
4

EVALUATING THE NEED

FOR CHANGE

 Developing a successful change management pla

begins with an assessment of the election offi ce’s 

current functions and capabilities. A thorough 

evaluation will provide a closer look at the offi ce

existing policies and procedures and how these m

be aff ected by internal and external sources.

 Evaluations of existing policies and procedures 

should be conducted on a regular basis to identi

the agency’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunitie

and threats (S.W.O.T. analysis).

 Conduct regularly scheduled team meetings to 

review existing policies and procedures. Develo

an offi ce environment that encourages perpetual 

redesign and improvement. Empower all staff 

members to review tasks and procedures and 

recommend change.

 Invite temporary staff and poll workers to regula

scheduled debriefi ng sessions. Use these meetin

to challenge them to critique existing policies an

procedures, to recommend change, to communi

that everyone is a member of the same team, and 

that any suggestion or new idea is welcome. 

TIP: Use these meetings to reinforce that the busin

of managing elections involves managing perpetua

change – in Federal and State election laws and in 

internal improvements to provide better service to 

our customers – the voters.
www.ea

 Schedule monthly meetings with your county

information technology staff and your election 

offi ce technology staff . Utilize these meetings 

as a forum to discuss new soft ware/hardware 

solutions and/or new version releases. Distribute 

an election calendar to the team members to 

educate all technology team members that any 

change in soft ware/hardware must be implemented 

when the offi ce is not in “election mode”. Request 

that the team develop an implementation/change 

calendar for fi nal approval. TIP: Th e local election 

administrator should attend these meetings and use 

every opportunity to build an understanding 

of election administration.

 Review job tasks and work fl ow to determine how 

technology can enhance and streamline existing 

work processes. Spend time developing a clear 

understanding of the job tasks performed by 

each staff member. Make note of any duplication 

of work eff ort as you analyze how each task is 

managed and completed. TIP: Develop work 

fl ow diagrams to provide a visual aid for use in 

determining how a change in processing can 

eliminate duplication and improve overall effi ciency.
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DEVELOPING A CHANGE

MANAGEMENT PLAN

 Create a timeline for implementing major chang

“Major” change in an election offi ce is defi ned as 

a change in soft ware, voting systems, poll worke

training, new election laws, i.e. early voting or vo

by mail, etc. Build the “change timeline” around 

your existing election calendar and timeline.

 Determine how the change will impact your 

internal operations. Which work area will be 

most challenged by the change? Which staff 

members will be tasked with managing the chan

Remember that the staff will look to you for 

motivation and leadership. Your ability to embr

the change will foster the same attitude througho

the organization.

 Depending upon the type of change, you may w

to consider establishing focus groups, involving 

staff , poll workers, temporary staff , etc. Rememb

that any stakeholder should be included in your 

change management plan.
www.ea

COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, AND COMMUNICATE! Any 

major change involves developing a community 

outreach component in the change management 

plan. Th is can include any of the following:

 Issuing periodic press releases informing the 

media about key milestones.

 Attending area meetings and events to inform 

and educate the public regarding the impending 

change. Examples include: Chamber of 

commerce, Kiwanis, Optimist, Rotary, etc.

 Developing newsletters/brochures to educate the 

public about the change. 

 Conducting hands-on demonstrations to engage 

the public in the change. Example: Develop a 

cadre of poll workers to deploy throughout the 

community as ambassadors for the change.
BUDGETING FOR CHANGE

 Recognize that change oft en has a price tag beyo

the initial cost. Develop a detailed long range co

analysis. Schedule a meeting with your internal 

budget staff person and your county/State budge

staff representative. Begin the meeting by 

requesting their assistance in communicating th

overall impact of the change, including initial co

ongoing costs, and any facility or staffi ng costs. 

Example: A change to all mail ballot voting has a

immediate impact relating to space needs and a lo

range impact on people, paper, and postage. Th e 

number of people to manage the paper; the cost of 

paper – for ballots, envelopes; and the increase in 

cost of postage.

 Remember that elections can be perceived as a “o

day a year” work environment. Use your budget 

proposal and presentation as an opportunity to 

educate the elected offi cials and the community 

about election administration. TIP: Use visual 

aids to demonstrate the organizational chart for 

your regular offi ce staff ; and then display the 

organizational chart for Election Day, which shou

include all polling places and all poll workers in 

each polling place. On Election Day, the Election 

Offi ce oft en employs more staff than the entire 

county organization. 

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www.ea

REDESIGNING WORK FLOW

AND JOB SKILL SETS

 Change oft en brings with it a need to evaluate 

internal work fl ow. Th is is especially true with 

new technology. For example, introducing image 

scanning to your offi ce will enable you to redesign 

how voter registration cards are processed. 

Encourage staff to embrace this opportunity to 

fi nd a better way of doing their work – be sure to 

emphasize any “dreaded” tasks that will be 

eliminated by the change. 

 Oft en a redesign in work fl ow brings with it the 

need for rearranging the aff ected work area. Be 

sure to build into the change management plan an 

evaluation of space needs. Th is can be something 

as simple as moving offi ce cubicles, or purchasing a 

new work station, or as complicated as moving to a 

larger facility. 

 Take the opportunity that change brings to 

evaluate existing personnel position descriptions. 

Oft en change empowers staff members to broaden 

their skill sets and accept more job responsibilities. 

Encourage your staff to develop additional skills, 

and reward them by re-evaluating position 

descriptions, and moving them to higher job 

grades.
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IMPLEMENTING AND

MANAGING CHANGE

 Involve all full time staff members in the decisio

implement change. Recognize that change impa

each employee in a diff erent way. Some people 

embrace change; others resist even the slightest 

change. Remember that “people issues” must be 

managed along with the change. TIP: Take time 

to meet individually with staff members, on an 

“as needed” basis. During the change, be sure tha

you maintain an “open door” policy for any time 

that any one needs to talk about the change.

 Communicate any change in state and federal 

election laws immediately to all staff . Consider 

establishing an “in the loop” email broadcast sys

so that all staff receives an update on the change 

at the same time. Remember, that email does no

substitute for talking one on one about the chang

Make a habit of holding impromptu meetings to 

quickly update staff on events – either at the cou

state or federal level. 

 Take responsibility for the change. Reassure you

staff and poll workers that you are committed to 

their success. Provide suffi cient training to supp

the change. Allow staff ample time to adapt to th

change, to learn the new process, and to develop 

their support tools, i.e. internal help desk, etc.
www.ea

 Provide an adequate support system to ensure 

success. Frustration levels peak when answers to 

problems are not available. Th is frustration quickly 

compounds under the intense pressure and stress 

on Election Day. Be sure that you have provided 

adequate, trained staff to answer the phones; that 

you have provided hands-on training for poll 

workers; and that each polling place has additional 

support from technology-savvy rovers/technicians.

 Be aware that it is rare that a change management 

plan goes 100% according to schedule! Prepare for 

the unexpected by taking time to develop a “What 

If?” set of scenarios. Th is can include everything 

from, “what if the key staff person resigns?” to 

“what if the hardware server fails?” to a media 

frenzy resulting from the change. 

EVALUATING THE IMPACT

OF CHANGE

 Stay engaged throughout the change process. 

Take time to involve yourself in the change. 

Become a part of the team by actually doing the 

work yourself. Example: If the staff expresses 

frustration with the transaction speed when 

inputting voter registration records, put yourself in 

their chair and do some of their data entry work. 

Th ey will appreciate your willingness to involve 

yourself in acknowledging the problem and fi nding 

the solution. 
www.eac.gov

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WITH ADMINISTERING PAYMENTS TO STATES AND DEVELOPING

GUIDANCE TO MEET HAVA REQUIREMENTS, IMPLEMENTING ELECTIO

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