Good design keeps ballot envelopes moving

May 27, 2026

A mail ballot envelope has a lot to accomplish — here's what it takes to design one that works for voters and for USPS.A mail ballot envelope has a lot to accomplish — here's what it takes to design one that works for voters and for USPS.

Answering voters’ questions: what’s on the ballot, and the mechanics of voting

August 7, 2017

An interactive practice ballot is a secret weapon. When people get the chance to see what the ballot looks like, check out what contests and questions are on it, and they get to actually practice marking the ballot, they’re more committed to voting.

A year-and-a-half in review: Center for Civic Design 2016-2017

July 11, 2017

This has been a big year and a half. We’re growing, with new team members and new projects.

A month of presentations

June 30, 2017

A month of sharing what we've learned about civic design with election officials and UX designers

A person is outlined in shadow against a slide showing two ballots

The epic journey of American voters

March 22, 2017

The voter journey can be a happy path or a burdened one. Let's make voting more rational.

Participating in Participatory Budgeting

February 28, 2017

Learning about designing for the engaged citizens who vote in participatory budgeting

Sign for participatory budgeting taped to a fence in Manhattan

That belongs in a museum

February 1, 2017

We're so proud that the Field Guides are in the Smithsonian Design Museum. The exhibit is open through February.

Future voters: What makes a good president?

December 15, 2016

Checking back in with the student elections at P.S. 20

Pile of materials and Field Guides with student names on them

Why is the U.S. voting infrastructure so fractured?

November 30, 2016

What can you do? Lots!

A care package for our unsung friends who run elections

November 24, 2016

Thank you for the work you do.

Make a difference

November 17, 2016

Get involved. It's democracy in action. Every election. Every day.

Checklists to the rescue

November 4, 2016

A simple list helps voters return ballots and other forms correctly.

Preparing for write-ins

October 17, 2016

Most voters probably don’t know how write-ins work. Put information about it on your website.

Election admin – 4th and 5th grade style

October 5, 2016

Running their own elections teaches students in NYC how to be seen and heard.

Civic designing: election security

October 3, 2016

You might not think of design and security together, but we know that elections are secure (or not) by design.

Designing for democracy: Once you get started, it’s hard to stop

September 9, 2016

Taking the first step to a new design can be hard, but it can become addictive. (FOCE Webinar)

Dramatic differences in voter guides

August 25, 2016

Small changes can add up to big differences. Even changing a few pages of a voter guide can improve information for voters.

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

Election design course, online, at Election Academy!

July 17, 2016

A first-in-the-nation course on election design created for (current and future) election officials.

Beautiful tools for promoting civic engagement

June 17, 2016

Meet the Election Toolkit, starting with 11 tools to help election officials engage voters, increase turnout, and smooth operations.

Writing election information that everyone can read

June 12, 2016

The key to effective information for voters with low literacy is plain language and plain interaction.

Breaking the ballot: 34 candidates for Senate

April 5, 2016

Solving a ballot design challenge in California so the layout doesn't encourage voters to make mistakes on their ballots