The action you will take after a failed election should depend to a large extent on what happened during the election. Therefore, analyzing the election campaign and the election results is an important task. It should be emphasized that the purpose of this analysis is not to cast blame. An unsuccessful election does not mean that anyone did anything wrong. Knowing what you now know, however, you may do some things differently the next time around. The Working Group members should look carefully at a precinct-by-precinct report of the election results. Look for areas where the vote for the election was stronger or weaker. Were there any surprises? Were there places where you expected strong support, but support was weaker than expected? Was there stronger opposition than expected in some parts of the proposed district? See if you can understand why this would be.
Reality Check
This analysis is not for the purpose of casting blame. It is an opportunity to regroup, to decide how to proceed, and to learn how to be more successful the next time.
Be sure to talk about the election as a group.
- Were there turning points in the election process, events that had a particularly negative effect on the outcome? Could these events have been avoided, and if so, how?
- If the election was very close, talk about the effect another election might have. Can you change the situation enough to make a difference in the outcome? Would another election soon after this election cause a backlash among voters?