Voters think about elections differently from how election administrators do. A presentation to NASED in San Francisco 2014.

1. Answering
voters’ questions
at county
election websites
Dana Chisnell
@danachis
@ChadButterfly

2. Answering
voters’ questions
at county
election websites
Dana Chisnell
@danachis
@ChadButterfly

3. What questions did you have
about the election?

4. How did you find out the
answers?

5. Cataloged 147 election websites
Conducted 41 remote moderated
usability tests

6. Cataloging

10. 94% of the population lives in a county that has an
elections website
Of 3,057 counties or equivalent, 966 didn’t have
websites (31.5%)
“election department” varied by region
Insights

11. Remote moderated
usability testing

12. What questions did you have
about the election?

13. What questions did you have
about the election?

16. What happened?

17. Insights
33 of 41 participants looked online for
answers
23 went to county websites

18. Insights
None had been to a state election
website

19. Voters are
ballot-centric
they’re focused on that act,
not conscious of the overall process

20. What’s on the ballot?

21. ?
?
?

22. ?
?
?

23. !
?

25. Bad news
Voters don’t think to look
in the polling place
lookup widget for ballots
They don’t expect to
have to give personal
information to get their
ballot
They’re unaware that
their ballot could be
unique

26. What’s on the ballot?
What are my options for voting?
absentee early voting Election Day
what’s the
deadline to apply?
what do I have to
do to get one?
when is it due?
where do I vote? where do I vote?

27. what’s the
deadline to apply?
what do I have to
do to get one?
when is it due?
where do I vote? where do I vote?
who is in office now?
do I need ID to vote?
what’s the deadline for registering?

28. But sites showed
nearly the opposite
process.

29. Elections = process
1.register
2.voting options
3.polling place location
4.voter ID
5.current office holders
6.military and overseas voters
7.sample ballot

30. What to do

31. Establish...
you’re on a government
website
it’s the election website
this is the source you
want
when the next election is

32. What’s on the ballot?
How do I vote if I can’t
get to the polling place?
Who are my reps now,
and what districts am I
in?
Where do I vote?
Do I have to show ID?
Priority content

34. Help voters find your website.
Connect your website to other
government sites.
Answer the question: ‘What’s on the
ballot?’
Group navigation to answer voters’
questions.
Help visitors know what site they are on
and what will be covered there.

35. Write links that use words voters use.
Put the most important information in the
main menu or the center.
Help voters find ballot information.
Use words that voters use in links,
headings, and graphics.
Help voters see at a glance what each
chunk of information is about.

36. NOI &
DemocracyWorks
pilot
(funded by
Omidyar Network)

37. 2012-13: found voters’ mental models
are opposite LEO process orientation
2014: tested sites with people who are
blind or have low vision

38. 29 websites from a range of
jurisdictions from the largest to fairly
small
participants used their own
assistive technology

39. Find out date of the next election
n=52
37 succeeded (71%)
Find out what’s on the ballot
n=55
34 succeeded (62%)
Find information about accessible voting
n=54
27 succeeded (50%)

40. all the sites had issues
participants using screen magnifiers
were more likely to be successful than
those using screen readers
participants using sites from larger
jurisdictions reported more problems

41. Field Guides To
Ensuring
Voter Intent
!
civicdesigning.
org/fieldguides
!
!

42. Thank you.

43. Dana Chisnell
dana@centerforcivicdesign.org
centerforcivicdesign.org
anywhereballot.com/library
@danachis
@ChadButterfly