Projects

Our projects explore how to design voter information, ballots, poll worker materials, election forms and notices, and voting systems - making them usable and accessible.

Modernizing voter registration

2015-ongoing

Best practices for expanding voter registration and supporting accurate voting rolls.

Signature on a customer kiosk signature pag

Vote-at-home envelopes and information

2017-ongoing

Consistent, usable designs for vote-at-home envelopes and instructions
With support from the James Irvine Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Vote at Home Institute

Icon showing illustration of various vote-by-mail envelopes

Language access and new citizens

2017-ongoing

How do we design election systems to meet voters’ language access needs?
Project partners: Center for Technology and Civic Life. With support from NIST

3 cartoons of people with different colored speech balloons overlapping

Messages and notices to help voters be well informed

2015-2017

Connecting voters with nonpartisan local voter guides for informed voting
Funded by Knight Foundation
Project partners: e.thePeople, DemocracyWorks

Voter guides and other voter information

2013 - ongoing

Best practices for official voter information guides in California.
Funded by Future of California Elections
Project partners: League of Women Voters Education Fund of California

Making great vote center and polling place materials

2017-ongoing

Designing job aids and other materials for election workers
With support from the James Irvine Foundation

Poll workers and election integrity

2012-2014

How interactions between poll workers, technology, and other election materials can support security in elections
Funded by Nationals Science Foundation
Project partners: Election jurisdictions from across the U.S.

Remote ballot marking systems

2015-2016

Principles for secure and accessible remote ballot marking systems
Funded by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Project partners: Verified Voting Foundation

Election websites and voter education

2012-2013

Best practices in election websites and other voter education materials to answer voters’ questions
With support from the MacArthur Foundation
Project partners: volunteers from the user experience design community

Design principles for ranked choice voting

2016-2020

Best practices for ballot design, instructions, and election results reporting for ranked choice contests.
Project partners: Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center and Fair Vote

A roadmap for usability and accessibility of elections

2014-2017

What is needed to ensure that the next generation of elections work for all voters?
Funded by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Election Toolkit

2015 - ongoing

A civic engagement toolkit for election officials: ElectionTools.org
Funded by Knight Foundation
Project partners: Center for Technology and Civic Life