NY Ballot Design Revisions Walkthrough
12
Usability in Civic Life Design for Democracy Voter friendly ballots for New York Changes to New York State Election Law, for more usable ballot design and instructions
-
Upload
brennancenter -
Category
Design
-
view
1.965 -
download
1
description
A walk-through of changes proposed by experts for New York State's ballot design rules.
Transcript of NY Ballot Design Revisions Walkthrough
Usability in Civic LifeDesign for Democracy
Voter friendly ballots for New York
Changes to New York State Election Law, for more usable ballot design and instructions
2
The current ballot is cluttered and hard to read.
Voting ovals to the right of the names
Instructions use complex language and are placed where they are less likely to be read
Party emblems and the “finger” add clutter
All capital letters and centered text makes it harder to read
Front of Broome Country 2010 General Election Sample Ballot
Extra information near the candidate names adds clutter
3
Instructions on the back are difficult to read
Back of NYC 2010 General Election Sample Ballot
Instructions are lengthy and use complex language
Instructions for contests and for questions and propositions are bundled together.
The location makes them less likely to be read.
The small font size makes them difficult to read.
They are easily lost next to the propositions
4
The new ballot concept (front)This concept shows both the impact of revisions to the law, anda design based on the Election Assistance Commission ballot design best practice guidelines.
5
The new ballot concept (back)Only ballot questions or propositions, along with instructions for voting on them on the back of the ballot.
6
Shorter, clearer instructionsplaced where they will be read
Instructions can be varied to match the ballot layout for different systems !
Mark the oval to the left of the name of your choice.
To vote for a candidate whose name is not printed on theballot, print the name clearly under the words "Write-in", staying within the box
The number of choices is listed for each contest. Do not mark the ballot for more candidates than allowed. If you do, your vote in that contest will not count.
If you make a mistake, or if you want to change your vote, ask a poll worker for a new ballot.
§7-106 (6): Provides instructions that are clearer and shorter §7-106 (7): Places instructions on the upper left hand corner where they are more likely to be
read §7-106 (6): Provides, at a minimum, an illustration to show how to properly mark a paper ballot
7Instructions for contests and ballot questionseach placed near where they are used.
Instructions can be varied to match the ballot layout for different systems !
To vote on a question or proposal, mark the oval to the left of your choice.
Para votar en una pregunta o propuesta, marque el óvalo a la izquierda de su preferencia.
If you make a mistake, or if you want to change your vote, ask a poll worker for a new ballot.
Si comete un error o deséa cambiar su voto, pida una papeleta nueva a un trabajador electoral.
§7-106 (8) Provides separate and specific Instructions for questions and propositions
8Reduced clutter near candidate names makesvoting options easier to read
§7-106 (9) B: To the extent practicable, voting ovals should be to the left of a candidate’s name§7-106 (9) H: To the extent practicable, party emblems should not be printed under each
candidate’s name§7-106 (9) C: To the extent practicable standard capitalization is used throughout ballot
Removing extra information and using an easy-to-read narrower font allows text to be larger!
9Reduced clutter on the back allows for larger type in proposals and ballot questions
Removing extra information on the back of the ballot makes room for text in 12 point type, large enough for voters to read.!
10Reduced clutter near party names and optionalshading makes the ballot easier to scan
§7-104 (7): Removes the requirement that the “image of a closed fist with an index finger” be printed to point towards a party row.
§7-106 (9) F: Provides flexibility for County Election Officials to use shading to differentiate instructions from, when their systems allow them to do so.
Optional shading differentiates intructions and contest headings from voting choices!
11Notes from the Election Assistance Commission’s Ballot Design Guidelines
Illustration from Ballot Design Basics, AIGA
All capital letters display text as a solid shape, making it harder to read
The guidelines recommend using a single sans-serif fonts with clean strokes, such as Arial, Univers, or Verdanato give the ballot a unified appearance.
12
Larry Norden [email protected]
Whitney [email protected]
Drew [email protected]
Usability in Civic Life
Design for Democracy
