Absentee ballot instructions in Minnesota

In 2008, the election for Senator from Minnesota between Al Franken and Norm Coleman was decided only after a lengthy recount and legal battle that lasted over 8 months. One of the biggest controversies centered on absentee ballots and deciding which of them were even eligible to be counted.

A shockingly high number were disqualified because the envelope with the voter’s identification and signature and witness signature was not completed correctly. In other words, citizens who had gone out of their way to receive and return a ballot did not have their votes counted.

After the election was over, Minnesota decided to revise the instructions for absentee ballots to try to reduce the number of ballots which are disqualified.  Their commitment to continuing to revise the instructions and forms continues to this day. We were proud to be able to help the Secretary of State’s office with this project.

Image of the instructions
Instructions for 2016
The instructions have a section for "what you need" at the top of the page, helping voters get ready. Then, the 5 steps are each paired with an illustration. Actions within each step are shown in a list.
next
1 of
Image of the instructions
Instructions for 2016 (back)
The back of the instructions covers how to correct a mistake on a ballot, and information for voters with a disability.
backnext
1 of
Image of instructions
Instructions for 2016 (non-registered)
Minnesota allows people to send in their voter registration form along with their absentee ballot, matching the Election Day Registration option for all voters in the state.
backnext
1 of
Image of the instructions before revision. There are illustrations on the left and large blocks of text on the right.
Instructions - Before
The steps walked through the process from start to finish, but each step often contained multiple actions, often ones important to returning the ballot
backnext
1 of
Image of two versions of the envelopes
Envelopes from 2015
The revised envelopes have clear sections for both the voter and the witness, and a large "X" to mark the location for signatures, as recommended by the PCEA.
backnext
1 of
Image of two versions of the envelopes.
Envelope forms - Before
The forms were crowded and hard to follow. It was not clear where the voter was suppose to sign, a cause of many errors.
backnext
1 of
Sample of legal text with markup for changes.
Draft Rule
The process of revising the instructions and forms started with "markup" of the Election Code. The next slides show the evolution of the design through several drafts to the version used in 2012.
backnext
1 of
Image of the instructions. The illustrations are show as boxes with notes inside
Draft in progress #1
The first drafts focused on the instructions, and identifying possible illustrations
backnext
1 of
Draft in progress #2
We continued to revise the instructions and created first draft illustrations.
backnext
1 of
Image for the instructions
Draft in progress #3
We moved the illustrations to the right, so they did not compete with the steps and put information about getting ready at the top.
backnext
1 of
Image of the instructions
Version in 2012
Our final version of the instructions, as used in 2012, refined the instructions and matched each step with an illustration.
back
1 of

A group of volunteers from what was then the Usability in Civic Life project came together to work on the project. Through the original project, we created dozens of versions as we worked to clarify the process, simplify the language, and add useful illustrations.

The person who deserves the most credit for the success of this project is Beth Fraser. She took on the challenge of working with a group of volunteers located both in Minneapolis and around the country. She also managed the process of reviewing our drafts for legal accuracy and to ensure that they supported the election process. She and her colleagues learned about usability, and ran the second usability test on their own.

Credits

  • Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State: Beth Fraser, Andy Lokken, Michele McNulty, Gary Poser
  • Usability in Civic Life: Whitney Quesenbery, Dana Chisnell, Josie Scott, Caroline Jarrett, Sarah Swierenga
  • Center for Plain Language: Dana Botka, Ginny Redish
  • Usability testing: David Rosen, Josh Carroll, Suzanne Currie, John Dusek, Gretchen Enger
  • Illustrations: Christina Syniewski

 

For more information