This document discusses best practices for designing voter information to be accessible and easy to understand for all voters. It recommends writing information in plain language, designing materials with large text and visual elements, and testing information on voters from diverse backgrounds. The goal is to minimize effort required for voters to learn about voting processes and requirements, increase civic participation, and ensure all eligible voters can successfully cast a ballot.

1. Designing the voting experience
Making elections easy for
voters to understand
Whitney Quesenbery
Center for Civic Design
whitneyq@civicdesign.org
@civicdesign

2. Resources
How voters get information:
Best practices manual for official voter information
guides in California
Available from
https://cavotes.org/download-best-practices-manual
Webinars: http://civicd.link/BPRwebinars
Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent
Design guidelines for election officials, based on solid
research and best practices
Available from
http://civicdesign.org/fieldguides/

3. Raising the bar for
usability and
accessibility
How far have we come?

4. From 2000 to 2016

5. Design makes a difference to voters...
...and can affect election outcomes

6. Pushing the boundaries of inclusion
Usability
Accessibility
Accommodation
Assistance
Push the boundaries
Thanks to David Baquis of the Access Board for this concept

7. Make voters feel
like experts
...not students
"Human-Centered Design for the Voting
Experience" Stanford Social Innovation Review

8. How long will I have to
be there?
- New citizen, Pasadena
I don't know too much
about voting. That's why
I stopped doing it.
- 21 year old, Modesto
I do have one
question.
What do you
actually do
when you vote?
- 18 year old, Baltimore

9. Why is election information so hard?
Jargon
Low literacy
Civic literacy gaps

11. Information gaps from the
community review of the California
Voter Bill of Rights
• There are options for how and when you vote
• You can get a new ballot if you make a mistake
• The whole idea of provisional ballots
• You can vote if you are in line when the polls close
• You can vote after a conviction for a felony
• What is a primary election?

12. Trying to explain primaries

13. Primary election...
What's that?
What's different?
Who can vote?
What happens?
Who do we vote for?
Why do it like this?

14. Learn to think like a voter...
It's not just simpler words, but the
designing the entire experience
 Words that make sense to them
 Designing for a narrow field of view
 Repeating information at the right time
... to anticipate their needs

15. The secret is usability testing...
...with many different types of voters

16. Communicating with
voters across civic
and reading literacy
gaps

17. Election information design
Design and write to minimize the effort
it takes to learn about voting
 Write in plain language
 Design for reading
 Make information visual

18. Write for low reading literacy
From the National Assessment of Adult Literacy
43% of adults can only read simple sentences.

19. Use clear, unambiguous words
Before
Review your choices
Better
After
Review what you're voting for

20. Don’t require inferences or arithmetic
Better
Before
You could have voted for 4
candidates and you only
voted for 2
After
You voted for 2 people.
You can vote for 2 more.

21. Make messages meaningful

22. Design for easy reading
 Large enough text
 Contrast beyond WGAG 2.0
 Sans serif font

23. Make the important words stand out

24. Make information visual
Support words with pictures
 Show the big steps in instructions.
Provide a accurate instructional
illustrations.
 Identify communication types: Signal
web, phone, and so on with images
 Use color sparingly: Call attention,
identify languages, type of voter, or election
year

25. Write in bites, snacks and meals
Bite:
Shortest
possible
explanation
Snack: Summary,
with enough
information for an
experienced voter
Meal: Full details or
instructions
HT to Leslie O'Flavahan

26. Use the cover for a quick 'bite'
Key information on this page
- County
- Title of book
- Election
- Where’s your polling place
- Contact info
Who is this from?
What is this
book?
What, and when,
is this election?
Where’s my
polling place?
How can I get in
touch?

27. Answer voters' questions
 Include overview and details.
Make it easy to get the main point
quickly.
 Provide a roadmap:
Show an overview of a process.
 Show readers where they are:
Use headings on each page and
within content.

28. Help voters understand the process
Instructions that covered
voting to mailing make a
difference.

29. Help voters read measures
Voters said that they
"always read" this page
even though it's a newly
designed page.
It's just enough information
for them to get started,
and have some context for
the pages that follow.

30. Help voters meet legal requirements
Put signatures in a box
With an "x"
All the time

31. Plain interaction
with a simple linear flow
Better
Voters can miss instructions that are on the side of the screen
because they are focused on the main interactive area.

32. Designing the future of elections
Photos: ITIF AVTI/CATEA

33. EZ Ballot
Georgia Tech – CATEA | AVTI

34. Anywhere Ballot
University of Baltimore | Center for
Civic Design | Oxide Design Co | AVTI

35. Voter registration forms

36. More online tools

37. Election design can
delight voters
Start from election design principles
Meet voters' needs for easy interaction,
plain language, and clear design
Test with voters

38. Get in touch!
Whitney Quesenbery
whitney@civicdesign.org
@whitneyq
civicdesign.org
@civicdesign

39. Thank you.