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