What we’ve learned about designing for new voting methods

July 28, 2026

These new ways of voting bring promise of a stronger democracy, but also require new and sometimes unfamiliar ballot designs.

3 strategies to improve vote-by-mail signature forms

January 27, 2021

3 strategies to simplify signature forms and create a more successful experience voting by mail.

Center for Civic Design Research Report - Updates from the front line of civic design research

2020, the year of decades

January 20, 2021

In a chaotic year, we designed envelopes voting by mail, and so much more.

What to do about results: set expectations with explanations

October 26, 2020

Communications tips to help voters understand election results reporting

Designing ballot cure forms that invite voters to act

October 22, 2020

What we learned from testing different styles of cure forms with voters.

Tips for the home stretch: Communicating with voters

October 20, 2020

3 tips for easy ways to answer voter questions: voting location maps, email auto-responses, drop box checklists

Helping voters make healthy choices

October 12, 2020

Election information plus guidance from public health experts helps voters make healthy voting choices.

An invitation to certainty, in an uncertain time

October 1, 2020

Communications tips for helping voters cure a problem with their mail-in or absentee ballot.

Designing restoration of rights information

August 17, 2020

Information about voting rights after prison is a key to returning citizens voting.

Language access helps with acculturation

April 27, 2020

Getting access to the ballot and being an informed voter takes more than translation.

Preparing to mail ballots

April 21, 2020

Design tips for making vote-by-mail envelopes U.S. Postal Service friendly.

Scaling-up voting by mail for the 2020 elections

April 8, 2020

Seven questions to ask to help you make critical decisions (and a tool kit to help you get started)

An invitation to redistricting

March 23, 2020

What happens when citizens lead the design of an application for their own effort to redraw district lines.

Small changes make a big difference in vote-by-mail

February 5, 2020

Easy ways to make vote-at-home envelopes work better for voters (and the post office.)

Questions to ask while designing a ballot: A checklist for usable ballots

January 28, 2020

8 questions to ask when reviewing a ballot with a downloadable checklist

Experiences of new citizens in American civic life

January 13, 2020

There’s a wide gap between what it takes to pass a civics test and what you need to know to be an informed voter.

Using your website to fight misinformation

January 10, 2020

Quick ways to make your website the source of trustworthy, accurate, and useful information about voting and elections.

Ensuring that voters verify their ballot needs a holistic approach

November 14, 2019

To make sure voters check their printed ballots, reminders need to be woven into the entire voting experience.

The tiny journey of marking and casting a ballot

September 12, 2019

A well-designed voting system considers the steps in marking, reviewing and verifying a ballot.

Having impact – a mid-year update for 2019

July 17, 2019

Where have we worked? In 33 states or 65% of the country, representing 39% of the voter turnout in 2018.

Voting in your pajamas is great. Now let’s make sure everyone can do it.

May 15, 2019

We want voting to be easy. But as we move to voting at home, let's not leave people with disabilities behind