We may not like to think of it, but there are always two possible results of an election. One is that we can win, and that is what we want to do. The other is that we can lose. Many very fine projects have ended with an unsuccessful election. No one did anything wrong; the campaign was well-run and enthusiastic. But for some reason, the voters turned down the district. It may have been that another issue on the ballot affected the outcome, or it could be some unexpected glitch that no one could have anticipated.
Sometimes supporters just assume the measure will carry easily, and don’t get out to vote, even when they are reminded. In some cases, the educational effort requires one or more unsuccessful elections before success is possible. That is just the way it is sometimes. So, an unsuccessful election does not necessarily mean that the project cannot succeed. And all projects should take some time to decide how they will handle an election that fails.
After an unsuccessful election, the people who worked on a districting project will feel many emotions, ranging from discouragement to disappointment to anger. Emotionally, it will not be a good time to make hard decisions. Therefore, as plans have been made for the work to be completed in case a districting project is successful, contingency plans should also be made for a project that has not been successful. It is now time to complete plans for finding workable alternatives to the original proposed district.
Finding Alternatives
The failure of an election leaves the issues that originally created an interest in districting intact. The Working Group has three options at this point:
- Try again;
- Try another alternative;
- Let the issue rest for a time.
To determine which of these three alternatives is best for your situation, the Working Group should carry out the following tasks:
- First, analyze the election campaign and results.
- Second, based on the analysis, re-examine districting alternatives.
- Third, proceed with an alternative.