From Voice ~ Topics: election design, information design
Democracy on Paper
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, AIGA and Design Observer joined forces with some visionary sponsors to bring us the online experiment in citizen journalism called the Polling Place Photo Project. It was an opportunity for designers, and Americans at large, to photograph their polling place and voter experience. Individuals then uploaded their images, along with optional comments, onto the site.
As a companion piece to this activity, I sent a request to AIGA members in 40-some states for images of their state and local government’s official voter information collateral. I was interested in reviewing what the government did to educate citizens on candidates and issues that were being voted on. Some states provided paper voter guides and sample ballots. Typically, these brochures are printed in one color on newsprint and mailed to voters’ homes several weeks in advance of the election for use in study and voting preparation.
My home state, California, does an amazing job of preparing voters to do their civic duty. We receive voter guides that contain statements from candidates, as well as arguments—pro and con—for propositions and amendments, along with rebuttals of these arguments. We can see who is for, and what groups are against, a particular proposition. Our sample ballots look exactly like our actual ballots in the voting booth, so marking them and carrying them with us to the polling place speeds up the voting process tremendously. These paper ballots also provide a record of decisions so that the following day, a voter can easily look at results and compare them to their choices.
Designers from Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington were also able to provide samples of their voting guides and sample ballots. These materials vary a bit, some don’t seem as user friendly and complete as California’s, but they certainly are helpful. Sending anything is better than nothing.
Some designers said that although their states don’t direct mail them booklets, they do have good online information. This was the case in Louisiana were there are many displaced citizens from Hurricane Katrina, and mailing is still a bit messed up. Providing voter education information online is cost effective, and in some instances may actually be more effective overall.
As a society, if we want voters to make informed choices, then we’ve got to communicate with them and give them opportunities to become educated about an election. People not only need to take an active role in democracy by doing the actual voting, they need to spend some time and effort preparing themselves to make wise decisions. Voter guides, on paper or online, are essential components in the process. Well-designed ones make the process easier, smarter, and more pleasurable. It’s a case of graphic design in service of our great democracy.
The AIGA Design for Democracy project encourages designers eager to help improve the quality of voter information materials to contact their local election officials. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s website will be publishing "best practice" examples of redesigned ballots and Election Day artifacts in 2007 for officials and designers as the starting point for a national conversation about election design.
Figures:
Image contributors include:
Meg Treon Coopersmith, Arizona
Terry Lee Stone, California
Martin Mendelsberg, Colorado
Craig Brimm, Georgia
Steve Liska, Illinois
Alan Haley, Massachusetts
John Carroll, Washington
As a companion piece to this activity, I sent a request to AIGA members in 40-some states for images of their state and local government’s official voter information collateral. I was interested in reviewing what the government did to educate citizens on candidates and issues that were being voted on. Some states provided paper voter guides and sample ballots. Typically, these brochures are printed in one color on newsprint and mailed to voters’ homes several weeks in advance of the election for use in study and voting preparation.
My home state, California, does an amazing job of preparing voters to do their civic duty. We receive voter guides that contain statements from candidates, as well as arguments—pro and con—for propositions and amendments, along with rebuttals of these arguments. We can see who is for, and what groups are against, a particular proposition. Our sample ballots look exactly like our actual ballots in the voting booth, so marking them and carrying them with us to the polling place speeds up the voting process tremendously. These paper ballots also provide a record of decisions so that the following day, a voter can easily look at results and compare them to their choices.
Designers from Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington were also able to provide samples of their voting guides and sample ballots. These materials vary a bit, some don’t seem as user friendly and complete as California’s, but they certainly are helpful. Sending anything is better than nothing.
Some designers said that although their states don’t direct mail them booklets, they do have good online information. This was the case in Louisiana were there are many displaced citizens from Hurricane Katrina, and mailing is still a bit messed up. Providing voter education information online is cost effective, and in some instances may actually be more effective overall.
As a society, if we want voters to make informed choices, then we’ve got to communicate with them and give them opportunities to become educated about an election. People not only need to take an active role in democracy by doing the actual voting, they need to spend some time and effort preparing themselves to make wise decisions. Voter guides, on paper or online, are essential components in the process. Well-designed ones make the process easier, smarter, and more pleasurable. It’s a case of graphic design in service of our great democracy.
The AIGA Design for Democracy project encourages designers eager to help improve the quality of voter information materials to contact their local election officials. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s website will be publishing "best practice" examples of redesigned ballots and Election Day artifacts in 2007 for officials and designers as the starting point for a national conversation about election design.
Figures:
Image contributors include:
Meg Treon Coopersmith, Arizona
Terry Lee Stone, California
Martin Mendelsberg, Colorado
Craig Brimm, Georgia
Steve Liska, Illinois
Alan Haley, Massachusetts
John Carroll, Washington
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