Election Ecocycle – what is it?
While meeting with hundreds of Election Directors and staff recently, they wanted to know what Integra “did”. Was it another “election management system”? Rather than get squeezed into a preconceived idea, we shifted the discussion of the Election Ecocycle.The Election Ecocycle comprises all of the tasks which surround the year-round work we do, supporting our elections.
Over time, well-meaning and dedicated people have implemented tools to address various problems in the elections space. Processes to address Logic & Accuracy, Poll Worker Hiring, Training Content & Scheduling, Election Scheduling, Inventory of Voting Machines, Checklists for Precincts & Election Readiness, Communications – just to name a few.
While these solutions may work, they may not work together.
Wouldn’t our approach be better served if we had a single solution to addressing the Election Ecocycle? A good single solution to managing the Election Ecocycle should include support of the 3 P’s:
- People – Election Officials, Board Members, Poll Workers, staff at our voting locations/precincts (i.e. – Fire Chief, Librarian, Property Manager, Custodial staff)
- Property – Voting Machine Inventory, Precinct Management, Support Supplies, District Mapping
- Processes – Chain of Custody, Security & Compliance, Logic & Accuracy, Preparedness Checklist, Training, Scheduling, Payment, Audit Capabilities
To illustrate this, we recently met with a well-respected Election Director, to discuss Integra. Within a few minutes, she said, “excuse me, I need to have ___ join us for this – it impacts his area.” As we continued our preview of Integra, she interrupted again to invite yet another staff member to the meeting. Within 20 minutes, we had a room full of staff, each impacted by various areas of the election ecocycle, who would each benefit by adopting a single solution.
Usually, gaining agreement that “our current approach is not sustainable” is easy. What’s challenging is willing to address the legacy of incumbent processes. And there is comfort in utilizing “what we’ve always done”. As management guru Rory Vaden says, “Each moment that you don’t do the things you know you should be doing, you are stealing from your future self. It’s one more reason procrastination is the most expensive invisible cost in business today.”
Stop treating your election ecocycle as a bunch of siloed areas! Don’t be shackled to antiquated tools, which might have worked at one point, but don’t work together1
Shifting to ONE solution will quickly pay for itself in time savings for your team and reduction in errors correcting work.
To get a look at how Integra provides a single solution to your Election Ecocycle, click here for scheduling a demonstration.