Election websites for small-medium jurisdictions

We evaluated 20 websites based on a rubric with five criteria.
Here are the criteria we looked at and what we found:

• Category #1: Site user interface and information architecture: Is the information on this website organized in a way that makes sense?
  What we found: Many sites had consistency in site design, but areas of improvement included making it easy to find and navigate information.
  
• Category #2: Findability, trust, and security: How easy is it to find the information you’re looking for on the website? How secure is the website? Can users trust the information?
  What we found: Many websites had strong security. However, many of the websites did not use .gov, which is an essential way voters understand they are visiting a government website.
  
• Category #3: Key for voter tasks and information: Does the website provide answers to essential questions from voters, like deadlines and how to cast a ballot?
  What we found: While many of the sites had essential information listed on their website, many of the answers were difficult to find.
  
• Category #4: Special voter circumstances: Does the website address and provide quality information for voters with disabilities, student voters, returning citizens and other special voter circumstances?
  What we found: Many of the websites focused on providing information for high schoolers. However, the majority of the websites we looked at lacked information for voters with disabilities and for college students.
  
• Category #5: Seasonal election staff: Is there quality information about election staff training and opportunities?
  What we found: Several, but not all, of the sites audited had information about seasonal elections staff opportunities.

This research was led by CCD researcher Asher Kolieboi.

This report is part of a larger project that includes 3 phases:

• Audit of 20 websites of small-medium jurisdictions.
• Feedback session with voters to learn how they navigated the information on election websites, what information they could easily find and what they struggled to find.
• Conversations with election offices whose websites demonstrate best practices to help us learn more about how election offices with well-designed websites update and maintain their them.