An effective survey/ballot is contingent on carefully defining:

• Objectives, outcomes, & performance indicators
• The population to be surveyed
• The implementation plan
• A pre-test plan to assure quality presentation and results

It is crucial to both identify representative respondents of the target audience, as well as to motivate their participation. This requires:

• Development of required statistical sampling size
• Identification of the key participants
• Creation and distribution of the "sales" ,message that communicates the rationale and incentives for active participation

After carefully planning all facets of the survey/ballot, it's then necessary to put it all together by:

• Constructing the survey/ballot
• Implementing the pre-test plan
• Conducting the survey/ballot
• Monitoring response rates
• Analyzing the results