Culture
Whether large or small, each election office is an organization that must function well year-round to meet the myriad responsibilities of administering elections. The necessary abilities include building a positive culture, navigating resource needs and effective staffing through hiring, training and management. Together, these operational competencies allow election offices to carry out their regular duties and foster a resilient organization capable of adapting to changing technologies, laws and voter needs. This is one of five standards that define excellence in election office operations. This draft standard will be updated based on feedback from the election community.
Standard
Your election office articulates values that reinforce professional ethics and establish a positive culture for all election office staff. To achieve this standard:
- You have clearly stated core values for your office that are written, reinforced, and brought into everyday work.
- You adopt a code of conduct that has been established by your state or other professional organization for election officials.
- You prioritize staff health and safety in all functions related to election operations.
- You support staff well-being and work-life balance.
- You foster teamwork and collaboration among staff members.
- You promote a practice of feedback and periodically reassess values alignment with your office culture.
Why this standard matters
It is important that we are explicit about the underlying why for each standard. While not attached to measurements, the intended impact of an election department achieving this standard is that:
- Staff have clear expectations of professionalism that reinforce the integrity required for election administration.
- Staff have shared guiding principles to navigate decisions about election office operations.
- Election departments build and sustain resilient teams who deliver on fair and accurate elections, especially in demanding situations.
- Voters interact with an election office that functions as a cohesive team prepared to meet their needs.