Elections are the key to democracy…so isn’t it important that they are usable? Usability and the voting experience should be the starting points for any election design, from signs to ballots and voting systems. That means they communicate clearly, can be used by all, and promote confidence in elections.
LEO Usability Test Kit
Usability testing provides opportunities to observe how easy or difficult it is for voters to use a ballot to learn how to improve it. This kit has everything you need to run a usability kit of ballots or other election materials. It does not require any special equipment and includes training materials for facilitators and observers.
Better Designs, Better Elections (2012)
Better Ballots (2008)
Reports from the Brennan Center for Justice with ballot designs, instructions, forms, and error message that caused real problems in real elections, and guidelines to improve their usability.
Design Counts in Elections
This EAC Roundtable included presentations about the Effective Designs for Election Administration, and the connections between design, usability and plain language.