Top 10 election design guidelines

AIGA Design for Democracy’s top 10 election design guidelines are derived from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) report on ballot and polling place design guidelines (a thorough documentation of best practices by voting machine type, with samples of guidelines as applied to ballots for both optical-scan and touchscreen voting equipment, as well as voter information materials found in polling places). For assistance implementing these guidelines, visit Government officials: Get Help. Designers may also reference our top 10 ballot design tips (for designers).

1. Use lowercase letters

   Mixed-case letters are more legible than ALL CAPITAL LETTERS because they are easier to recognize.

2. Avoid centered type

   Left-aligned type is more legible than centered type, which forces the eye to stop reading in order to find the start of the next line.

3. Use big enough type

   “Fine print” is hard to read and may intimidate or alienate voters. Use minimum type sizes: 12-point for optical scan; 25-point for touchscreens. (Following this principle for optical scan ballots may impact printing costs but will be a worthwhile investment in election accuracy.)

4. Pick one sans-serif font

   Avoid introducing new fonts, which require the eye to stop reading and adjust. Sans-serif fonts with clean strokes (Arial, Univers, Verdana) are recommended for screen and for the quantity and variation of text found on paper ballots. For dual-language materials, use bold text for the primary language, regular text for the secondary language.

5. Support process and navigation

   For optical-scan ballots, offer comprehensive instructions and page numbering. For touchscreen ballots, offer language and mode options, continuous access to instructions, consistent and flexible navigation and clear feedback about selections. Post notable wayfinding and instructional materials in and around the polling place.

6. Use clear, simple language

   State instructions and options as simply as possible. Summarize referenda in simple language alongside required formats. Do not include more than two languages on any one material.

7. Use accurate instructional illustrations

   Visual instructions help low-literacy and general-population voters. Photo images, which are difficult to shoot and reproduce well, are not recommended. Illustrations must be accurate in their details to avoid misleading voters.

8. Use informational icons (only)

   Avoid political party icons. Icons that call attention to key information and support navigation are recommended in limited use.

9. Use contrast and color functionally

   Use color and shading consistently: on optical scan ballots, to differentiate instructions from contents and contests from each other; and on touchscreen ballots, to support navigation, call special attention and provide user feedback. Color cannot be relied on as the only way to communicate important information.

10. Decide what’s most important

    Page and screen layout and text sizes should support information hierarchy. For instance, the ballot title should be more prominent than any one contest, a contest header should be more prominent than its candidates’ names and a candidate’s name should be bolder than his/her party affiliation. Candidates’ names and options should be presented with equal importance.

Note: Design for Democracy does not recommend adhering to these principles in cases where they contradict local regulations. Design for Democracy is available to consult on updating local regulations to enable better communication design for voter materials.