Five Steps for STRONG Election Partnerships

Helping election officials and their legal counsel build strong , transparent, ongoing networks within government—cultivating working relationships, establishing clear lines of communication, and increasing preparedness for legal, operational, and security challenges. Click here to download this resource in full, or here to download a one-pager summary.

Step 1: Meet
Meet regularly with counterparts & relevant stakeholders.

Step 2: Share
Share experiences, contact information, election details, & expectations.

Step 3: Agree
Agree to work together regularly.

Step 4: Plan
Plan & critique incident response, info. sharing, & communication protocols.

Step 5: Practice
Practice information sharing & coordinated response plans.

Why this matters
Lawyers play a critical role in supporting local election officials. Among other responsibilities, they provide guidance on implementing laws and court rulings, help foresee and resolve potential disputes before they escalate, and defend election officials or their offices when legal challenges arise. STRONG relationships between local election officials and their counsel are an important component of transparent and trustworthy elections.

A collaborative approach creates a path to ensuring the integrity of our elections and our democracy. This resource suggests five steps that election officials and their legal counsel should take together to develop trusted relationships.

STEP 1: MEET

• Bring local partners together to build relationships.

• Discuss past concerns, challenges, or special considerations in your district.

• Review historical and pending election litigation.

• Consider whether to engage with other state or federal agencies, including state election official associations.

STEP 2: SHARE

• Share or exchange the following:

  • Election office policies and SOPs

  • Key federal, state, and local election laws

  • Contact information of laiisons and key staff

  • Key election administration information (e.g., calendar, polling locations)

  • Resources

  • Best practices and after action reports (AARs) from previous elections

• Share concerns about the current threat environment. Factors that impact the current threat environment often include:

  • National and local election administration legal landscape

STEP 3: AGREE

• Agree to meet regularly to promote ongoing coordination.

  • Consider the following recurring agenda items: New incidents (within the jurisdiction and around the country), and incident responses, statutory and regulatory changes, and legal updates.

• Agree on communication protocols in responding to election-related emergencies and litigation matters.

• Consider providing legal training for election staff on relevant matters, including complying with public records requests and appropriate procedures for responding to law enforcement requests.

STEP 4: PLAN

Election officials should collaborate with counsel to develop incident response plans that ensure readiness for a range of challenging scenarios:

• Identify in advance who needs to be notified in the case of an incident or emergency.

• Include internal and external stakeholders and share reliable contact information for all.

• Consider preparing legal documents in advance, including motions and emergency injunctions.

• If possible, identify a “surge team” to assist as workload and incidents increase.

• Plan to coordinate on providing accurate public messaging in the case of an incident or legal challenge. This may include explanations about legal obligations, procedures, and how election materials are being secured.

• Update policies and procedures as necessary.

STEP 5: PRACTICE

Use exercises to test the plan, strengthen coordination, and uncover operational or communications gaps before an actual emergency.

• Use exercises to test the plan, strengthen coordination, and uncover operational or communications gaps before an actual emergency.

• Practice all aspects of emergency response, including initial and ongoing communications.

• Develop appropriate methods to communicate and engage with other stakeholders, such as law enforcement, emergency management, and other local government leaders.

STRONG partnerships are ongoing. Meet, share, agree, plan, and practice throughout the election cycle—not only when a challenge has already emerged.

Click here to download this resource in full, or here to download a one-pager summary.