Post-election problems

Act quickly to resolve emerging issues after voting closes by sharing clear facts with both voters and election officials to prevent false information and build confidence.

Follow these guidelines

Don’t forget to check relevant contingency plans that may already be in place!

Even in an evolving legal situation, say something ASAP to alleviate panic and prevent false information. A short initial message can get ahead of rumors while you take time to know what happened. Be as transparent as possible so that voters and election officials have accurate information. As the election office, you should be the first to clearly explain the situation and its impact.
Talk about your standard election safeguards. Remind your jurisdiction that you are navigating to make sure all eligible votes are counted securely.
Speak to your whole jurisdiction. Inform both voters and election workers who are involved in the process.

Use a tone that is:

Clear: Say what happened in plain language.
Transparent: Tell the truth. Identify the agencies that are responding.
Speaks to the whole community: don’t forget that your election workers are hearing the same messaging.

Prepare ahead of time

Plan for short voter communications messages in your crisis communications planning process, so your legal team can pre-approve them.
In election pollworker manuals, clarify who the election judge chiefs can reach when there is a crisis.

Additional resources