Asking the right question at the right time

Are you a citizen? Are you eligible to vote?

Seems like a straightforward question. After all, becoming a citizen of a new country is one of those “big moments” in someone’s life. New citizens in the US have cleared legal process hurdles, and passed a test filled with details of US history and legal system.

Why do people answer questions on forms incorrectly?

So why is this question so hard to answer accurately when it appears on a voter registration form?

There are very few requirements to register to vote. You have to be a US citizen, 18 years old, and a resident of the state where you are registering. There are a few restrictions, most often for people in prison or under a court order.

The basics are pretty straightforward. You probably know how old you are. If you are a citizen. And where you live. But for many, even these these questions can asked in confusing ways.

Imagine that you just got your green card. You are now a lawful permanent resident of the United States of America. You are proud of this step because it has such a big impact on your life. You’ve been taking classes and your conversational English is pretty good, but complex grammar and legal words are still confusing to read. Today, you are getting a driver’s license. Maybe that’s a big step for you, or maybe you’re just renewing your license. Either way, you are thinking about driving, not voting.

Suddenly, you are asked something like this:

Eligibility
Are you a US citizen and a resident of this State?
Will you be 18 years or older on or before election day?

How do you answer the first question?

You probably know you are not a citizen, although we’ve learned in our research that people new to the legal process of immigration can be confused about the meaning of each of the legal steps.

You look proudly at your green card. Right there at the top, it says that you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States.  And you’ve lived in the state for over a year.

You answer “Yes,” and you have just committed a crime, fooled by a poorly worded question. You’ve made the same mistake that millions of people make, confusing the meaning of “and” — that both things are true.

It’s really hard to make a form that is simple, clear, and accurate. When it’s a form used by millions of people it’s even harder because there are so many different scenarios, so many people with small complexities in their lives that make even seemingly simple questions hard to answer.

Three guidelines for simple, clear questions leading to appropriate answers from users

  • Be clear about what the form is for.  This is especially important when a single form serves several purposes.  Driver’s license renewal forms have questions about driving, voter registration, military service, and becoming an organ donor. Make sure the title of the form – or the heading of a section of the form – clearly reflects the purpose, from the user’s perspective. When you write a heading, make it active. “Register to vote” is better than “Voter registration” or “Voter questions.”
  • Make sure the questions are clear. Use simple, active, easily understood words. If you have to use an unusual term, like “resident” or “residence address” add an explanation in plain language. Most people don’t think about a “residence” but “the place where they live” or “their home.” Pay particular attention to words with a specialized legal meaning that also have a more general common meaning.
  • Ask one question at a time. This one is simple. Don’t ask a “double-barreled” question, especially if the two halves might have different answers, like the question above.

Let’s try that voter registration question again. Start by explaining the purpose of the questions, to help people shift their focus from applying for a driver’s license to registering to vote. Then, ask each question one by one.  It might look something like this:

Register to vote
You are eligible to vote if you can answer “yes” to these questions:
• Are you a United States citizen?
• Do you live in (have a residence address in) YourState?
• Are you at least 18 years old?

Asking questions well can be the difference between someone getting to vote or not. When we tested different ways of asking people if they were eligible to vote, we found that even small variations on the questions could affect whether they could answer accurately.

Bonus points

In addition to making sure that every potential voter understands when they are not eligible to vote, it’s also important to make sure that they know when they are. The list of eligibility requirements included one for people who had been in prison on a felony. In that state, after someone completes their parole or probation, they are automatically eligible to vote again.

One of our participants said that he had been in prison in the past. He correctly checked the box to say that he’d completed his sentence:

[ X ] I am not currently in state or federal prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony.

But then, he also told us that he should check the box that he did not want register to vote, saying, “I’m not allowed.”

That’s just as much of a tragedy: Someone who wanted to vote didn’t realize that what the form was trying to say is that he’s now allowed to vote.

Resources

This was originally published in our Civic Designing newsletter. Subscribe on Mailchimp to get election design tips delivered to your mailbox.