Resources > Setting Goals in Election Operations

Setting Goals in Election Operations

Election Office Operations

A toolkit to take your election debrief insights and turn them into the foundations for actionable plans for election operations.

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After an election, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by a long list of ideas, challenges, and “next time we should…” notes. Without a clear process, those insights can fade before they turn into real improvements. This toolkit helps you take the next step: transforming reflections into actionable goals. With structured guidance, you’ll be able to prioritize ideas, define clear objectives, and start building plans that strengthen your election operations for the future.

The Center for Civic Design created this tool as part of the US Alliance for Election Excellence.

What you’ll need

Microsoft Word or Google Docs to edit the worksheets
Colleagues who are available to have post-election debrief conversations
A download of the Setting Goals in Elections Operations Guide
A download of The Goal Setting Worksheet
(optional) A Goal Setting Template on Miro

Getting started

Debriefing after an election is one of the most important opportunities to learn and prepare for the future. The insights you collect only matter if they are translated into action. This guide helps you take that next step by setting practical goals and creating early plans for how to achieve them.

Use this toolkit to:

Set clear goals for your office
Plan activities that support those goals
Organize the logistics of your planning work
Create a realistic agenda for your team
Identify next steps that keep the work moving

Working through these steps ensures your reflections turn into concrete improvements that strengthen election operations over time.

Using the tool

This toolkit is part of our election planning framework and focuses on turning reflections into action. Planning with this tool gives you the opportunity to set clear goals and build the foundation for improvements that strengthen your office.

By working through the toolkit, you create intentional space for your team to identify areas of growth, prioritize what matters most, and establish next steps.

The toolkit includes three connected parts:

The planning and facilitation guide: recommendations and considerations for prioritizing, defining, and creating early plans for your goals.
The worksheet: a companion resource that helps you capture ideas, evaluate them, and write clear goals using the SMART framework.
The template: a digital whiteboard in Miro that allows you to sort and group ideas visually, making it easier to collaborate and build alignment.

Customizing for your office

Any tips for customizing this resource for my office?

Larger offices may want to split goal-setting by department or work stream, while smaller offices should be able to work through the process as a whole team.

This toolkit guides you through choosing the most practical ideas with the quickest wins to focus on.

How do I know if this resource is helping?

You’ll know this toolkit is working when the ideas from your debrief are turned into clear, actionable goals.

Success can look like:

Moving from long lists of notes to a small set of priorities your team is ready to act on.
Writing goals that are specific, measurable, and realistic.
Feeling more clarity and alignment across your team about what comes next.

Which Standards of Excellence does this resource support?

Election office operations: Culture
Election office operations: Training and professional development
Election office operations: Management

Which Values of Excellence does this resource support? Why?

Values for the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence define our shared vision for the way election departments across the country can aspire to excellence. These values help us navigate the challenges of delivering successful elections and maintaining our healthy democracy.

Alliance values are nonpartisan and designed by local election officials, designers, technologists and other experts to support local election departments.

You may find this tool especially helpful for this Value:

Comprehensive preparedness. Turning reflections into actionable goals prepares offices to address challenges before they become problems. The resource helps build resilient plans that can adapt to different circumstances.
Continuous improvement. This toolkit is designed to help offices learn from each election and make steady, incremental progress. It embeds improvement into everyday practice rather than waiting for the next big challenge.

To learn more about the Values for Election Excellence, and to see the full list, visit the Alliance website.

Sharing feedback

How was this resource developed?

This resource has been used by several jurisdictions across the country to revise their manuals. Share your experience with this resource and improve it for your peers by reaching out to support@ElectionExcellence.org.

How do I stay in touch?

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Have a specific idea, piece of feedback, or question? Send an email to support@ElectionExcellence.org