Research
Our work is based on research with real voters and election offices from around the country.
Poll workers: The face of elections
In 2024, our team served as poll workers around the U.S. as part of an ethnographic participant observation research study.
Applying VVSG 2.0 requirements to remote ballot marking systems
This white paper explores the applicability of the VVSG 2.0 human factors requirements to accessible remote voting systems.
Ensuring voting access across the electorate
Ensuring voting access across the electorate, originally published in the Journal of Election Administration, Research and Practice (JEARP), Special Issue 2025.
Roadmap for Usability and Accessibility of Next Generation Elections
In 2015, we partnered with the NIST Voting Project to create a roadmap for usability and accessibility of next-generation voting systems and guidelines.
Voting by mail and the impact of signatures for voters with disabilities
In 2023, we examined how signature verification creates barriers for voters with disabilities and explored alternatives for mail ballot authentication.
Principles for remote ballot marking systems
This research investigated the “voter journey” for using a remote ballot marking system that supports election integrity while ensuring that the system is accessible to…
Tactile keypads for disability voting
Tactile keypads give voters with visual or dexterity disabilities a way to mark ballots independently. This paper analyzes the design and key functions of tactile…
Innovation for accessible and secure voting: A review of the literature
Since 2002, when HAVA mandated that voting systems must make it possible for people with disabilities to vote “independently and...
Considering the number of accessible voting systems needed in a voting location
In 2023, we examined how many accessible voting systems polling places need to ensure equal access for voters with disabilities and all voters.
Designing Usable Audio for Voting Systems
A practical guide for voting system designers on building and testing audio interfaces that give voters with disabilities a voting experience equivalent to any other…
© 2025 Center for Civic Design