Ballot and election design
AIGA Design for Democracy
began to focus on election design in the wake of the 2000 presidential
election, seeking to apply information design principles of clarity and
simplicity in order to make voting easier and more accurate for all U.S.
citizens.
Design for Democracy developed solutions for subsequent elections in
Illinois (Cook County and Chicago) and Oregon—detailed in Marcia
Lausen’s 2007 book, Design for
Democracy: Ballot and Election Design (University of Chicago
Press/AIGA)—as well as election design guidelines for the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
In 2005, Design for Democracy began work with the U.S.
Election Assistance Commission (EAC), resulting in the establishment of national ballot and polling place design guidelines in 2007, which were distributed to 6,000 election officials across the country in 2008 and featured
in The New York Times online in the months leading up to the
November 2008 election.
Design for Democracy continues to support states and local election
jurisdictions, election officials, legislators, equipment providers,
printers and designers, as they apply the national guidelines to local
election materials. In addition to recent work with the states of
Florida, Kansas, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, AIGA Election Design
Fellows are on site in Oregon and Washington.
Learn more