1) Voting in America is far more difficult and complex than most people realize, with many more steps involved than voters anticipate. 2) Different voters face very different experiences depending on their individual circumstances, like how stable they are geographically or whether they have a social support network to assist them. Those with fewer advantages face many more obstacles. 3) Research has identified numerous pain points and obstacles voters encounter at each step of the voting process, from lack of accessible information and strict deadlines to usability issues and logistical challenges. The accumulation of these hurdles can discourage voter participation.

1. The epic journey of
American voters
Dana Chisnell
@danachis

2. Bill.
photo: David Salafia

3. California
Bill of Rights

4. Bill.
photo: David Salafia

5. What questions do voters have about elections?
Cataloged 145 county election
websites
Conducted usability tests
How well do county election websites answer
voters’ questions?

6. 6
The received process
1. We tell you about the election coming up
2. You register to vote
3. You decide how to participate
4. Find your polling place
5. Learn how to mark your ballot
6. Get voter ID
7. Learn who is in office now
8. Learn what else is on the ballot
9. Mark the ballot and cast it
10. Check results
Chronological
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

7. 7

8. Voters are ballot-centric
They want to know whether it is worthwhile
investing in the process

9. Why this matters:
Direct democracy
means a lot of
work for voters

10. Scottish independence
referendum

11. Catlonia independence
referendum

12. 8 June 2017 UK general election

13. Everyone knows that there is an
election for President
but there’s more
and more

14. And even more.

16. 28 - 48 cm
(11in - 19in)

18. 18
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

19. 19
The privileged process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

20. 20
The privileged process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

21. 21
The privileged process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

22. 22
The privileged process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

23. 23
The privileged process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

24. Voting in America is hard.
There are far more steps
than most people realize

25. 25
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

26. 26
The burdened process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

27. 27
The burdened process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

28. 28
The burdened process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

29. 29
The burdened process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

30. 30
The burdened process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

31. 31
The burdened process
1 32 4 65 7 98 10

32. 6
Election
announced
Register
to vote
Decide how
to take part
Find the
polling place
Learn how to
mark a ballot
Get
voter ID
Learn who is
in office now
Learn what’s
on the ballot
Mark
the ballot
Check
results
The Voter Journey
Receives ballot
automatically, which
is marked and put in
drop box or turned in
at early voting location
or at polling place on
election day.
Already registered to
vote for previous
election.
Has gone to the same
polling place for years.
It's close to home, easy
to get to, and well
marked.
Already knows how to
mark because the ballot
design has been the
same for years. Also, a
ballot was sent in the
mail, so our voter could
practice.
No ID needed. Familiar with the local
representatives and
reads about them in the
news.
A voter guide arrives in
the mail and has
information about all the
candidates and ballot
measures.
Practiced marking the
ballot received in the
mail and found no
surprises on the ballot.
Gets notifications of
election results from
local election website.
2 3 4 1 5
Did not receive
information about early
voting options either
online or by mail and
missed the deadline.
Never sees a ballot nor
gets instructions on how
to mark the ballot.
Is not familiar with the
local representatives.
Is registered, but moved
out of that county.
Now must update voter
registration by printing,
filling out, and mailing
the voter registration
form.
Has never been to this
polling place before and
it's far from work. Upon
arriving, there are no
signs to indicate where
to go.
Managed to get voter ID
even though DMV is far
from home and the lines
are long.
Doesn't receive a voter
guide in the mail and is
overwhelmed by all of
the information found
online.
Never hears who won
local races.
Doesn't understand how
to mark ballot and didn't
know about several of
the races and
candidates.
642 35 1
The journey of
a voter who:
• is stable
geographically
• was introduced
to voting by
parents
• is familiar with
the process
The journey of
a voter who:
• moves often
• has no
network
to ask
questions of
• is self-taught
about the
process
At every step is a decision
Stay in and move on?
Drop out.

33. 6
Election
announced
Register
to vote
Decide how
to take part
Find the
polling place
Learn how to
mark a ballot
Get
voter ID
Learn who is
in office now
Learn what’s
on the ballot
Mark
the ballot
Check
results
The Voter Journey
Receives ballot
automatically, which
is marked and put in
drop box or turned in
at early voting location
or at polling place on
election day.
Already registered to
vote for previous
election.
Has gone to the same
polling place for years.
It's close to home, easy
to get to, and well
marked.
Already knows how to
mark because the ballot
design has been the
same for years. Also, a
ballot was sent in the
mail, so our voter could
practice.
No ID needed. Familiar with the local
representatives and
reads about them in the
news.
A voter guide arrives in
the mail and has
information about all the
candidates and ballot
measures.
Practiced marking the
ballot received in the
mail and found no
surprises on the ballot.
Gets notifications of
election results from
local election website.
2 3 4 1 5
Did not receive
information about early
voting options either
online or by mail and
missed the deadline.
Never sees a ballot nor
gets instructions on how
to mark the ballot.
Is not familiar with the
local representatives.
Is registered, but moved
out of that county.
Now must update voter
registration by printing,
filling out, and mailing
the voter registration
form.
Has never been to this
polling place before and
it's far from work. Upon
arriving, there are no
signs to indicate where
to go.
Managed to get voter ID
even though DMV is far
from home and the lines
are long.
Doesn't receive a voter
guide in the mail and is
overwhelmed by all of
the information found
online.
Never hears who won
local races.
Doesn't understand how
to mark ballot and didn't
know about several of
the races and
candidates.
642 35 1
The journey of
a voter who:
• is stable
geographically
• was introduced
to voting by
parents
• is familiar with
the process
The journey of
a voter who:
• moves often
• has no
network
to ask
questions of
• is self-taught
about the
process
The burden is cumulative
The frustration and time that each
step takes adds up like compound
interest.

34. Voters are not apathetic
The system beats it out of them.

35. What we learned
• There are many more steps to voting than most
people realize
• Mental models between organization and user
don’t match
• Voters are making rational tradeoffs at every
step

36. The map is not the journey
It’s an artifact that documents our current
understanding of the problem.

37. 500 journeys like Bill’s
30 researchers
145 websites
40 participants
• Voters are
ballot centric
2 researchers
4 LWV partners
3 county partners
44 stakeholder interviews
2 workshops
100 intercepts
~ 6-12 prototypes
• Civics literacy issues
• Connect policy to life
2 researchers
1 advisor
1 designer
2 grad students
33 participants
~50 prototypes
• Elections assume
high digital &
reading literacy
17 researchers
19 elections
12 states
12 election officials
100-150 poll workers
• Guiding principles
for poll workers
help effectiveness
3 researchers
2 partners
48 ppts in UT
52 ppts in diary study
6 geographic areas
200+ diary entries
100+ interviews
• Civics literacy issues
• Voters encounter
obstacles & frustrations
• Voter guides can help
• Implementation
is a campaign
• Tie choices to
outcomes
1 researcher
2 LWV
22 counties trained
40+ counties
consulted
30 counties adopted
1 election

38. Hard problems
Takes a lot of research to understand the
problem space
Some of the research is hard

39. What ques*ons do
voters have
about elec*ons?
Where and how
do voters get
informa*on about
elec*ons?
What issues do voters
with low literacy face?
What’s the role of
poll workers?
What helps voters
become well
informed?
How well does
official elec*on
informa*on work?
Adjacent possibles

40. People want to know what’s
coming and how it will change
their lives.

41. People who are new don’t know
where to start.

42. People drop out of a process
because every obstacle is
cumulative.

43. 48% of U.S. adults have trouble
reading.

44. People want unbiased,
trustworthy sources of
information.

45. Obstacles
Information Access
•Little or no information online
about the voting system
•Has low civic literacy and is
confused by levels of
government
•Misinformation and fake news
has become common
•No local website with
information
•Little or no information online
or hard to find about early
voting or voting by mail
•No or incorrect location
information online
•Information is hard to
understand
•Doesn't usually read the news
•Too little or too much
information is available
•Ballot instructions are hard to
read and understand
•Doesn't know where to look for
results
•Confusing registration forms
•Information is difficult to sort
through - doesn't know what to
trust
•Provisional ballot notice is hard
to understand
Voting rights
•Lost voting rights because of
felony
•Doesn't have proper ID or
supporting documentation
(social security card, birth
certificate, etc.)
•Doesn't have supporting
documentation (social security
card, birth certificate, etc.)
•Can only vote by mail for pre-
approved reasons
•Turned away from voting - not
on voter roll
•Doesn't know that voter ID is
required at the polling place
•Ballot is not available in
preferred language
•Doesn't have voter ID
Time and deadlines
•Strict registration deadlines
•Strict deadlines to vote by mail
•Long lines of more than 30
minutes
•Can't get to a polling place on
Election Day or during the open
hours
•Postal service timing is
unreliable for getting and
returning a ballot
Data and technology
•Changes in the voting system
since last time voting
•Must print, fill out, and send in
paper application to vote by
mail
•Confusing online voter
registration process
•Does not have a printer
Travel and logistics
•Moves often
•DMV is far away and expensive
to get to
•No signage at polling place
•DMV is far away and expensive
to get to
•Polling place changed
•Data from DMV is slow to get to
election department
•Expensive or hard to get to
polling place

46. What we learned
• Voters are ballot-centric
• Voting feels like a test
• The burden is cumulative
• It’s hard to tie what happens in an election to
eventual consequences
• The system makes people apathetic

47. How you can help
• Register to vote
• Sign up to be a poll worker
• Go observe pre-election testing
of the voting systems
• Hold neighborhood voter ed
meet-ups
• Make a plan for yourself, help
someone else make a plan

48. Find the truth.
Tell the truth.

49. Thank you.

50. Dana Chisnell
dana@civicdesign.org
civicdesign.org
@danachis
@chadbutterfly
@civicdesign