1. After researching the major issues either nationally or on a statewide basis, begin to compile all potential issues and questions in a shared spreadsheet, along with all citations and evidence that backup your questions.
2. Meet with the other PCT creation team members (generally, this group is the Elections Director and the 1-2 associates tasked with administering the PCT throughout the election cycle) to begin weeding through the initial questions that you know won't make the cut and determine a few questions that you will want to keep no matter what.
3. Start a shared document where you can begin playing with and formatting wording for each question, while providing an argument for each question's importance and the evidence you gathered to back the question up.
4. Prepare all questions until you feel as if the questions are ready to begin the approval process.
Notes on the Question Writing Process
- Always make sure that the issues and questions that you are thinking about adding illicit a yes or no answer, and cannot be interpreted as an open ended question with any other possible answer.
- Check past PCTs to see if any of the questions you are thinking of adding have been used in the past. That way if there is a question available that fits the issue at hand you already have previously approved question wording.
- If you are working on state specific tests and have two or more states with very similar issues, apply the same question wording to that issue in each state. This way you have nationwide cohesiveness and less question wordings to get approved.
- Meet frequently with other PCT creation team members to keep checking each other's progress and work.
