Ranked choice voting has become a mental model for NYC voters in just three elections.  Participants compared the ballots to the now-familiar ranked choice voting ballots they use in primaries. 

The ballots that did not feel familiar to participants raised concerns with legitimacy, uninformed voters, and accuracy in counting.  

Participants were enthusiastic about ballots that made them feel like they had increased freedom in how to choose candidates.

Unfamiliar ballot designs did not stop them from marking the ballots

While some aspects of the ballots were confusing, they were able to mark their ballots for the candidates they wanted. This confirmed our assumption that voter education that explains the new voting method is important. 

Some participants said they were confident with ballots regardless of the contest. They expressed general trust in the electoral process and reported no issues during past voting experiences.

When participants were unsure about how these voting methods work, they also wondered whether other voters would vote responsibly. They raised issues with:

• Being able to select multiple candidates, worrying that this was too much like being able to vote twice
• General confusion with the method itself and how it works.
• Doubts their votes would be counted accurately in cumulative and approval contests.

Reactions depended on the different voting models 

Most participants felt confident they had marked ballots without error, but had different reactions to the voting methods:

Cumulative voting. Participants said: 

• They had choices
• There was more freedom in how they voted 
• That the ballots were easy to understand
• They commented on similarities to vote-for-one and ranking contests 
• Some participants had concerns about the layout and the counting process.

Approval ballots made it easier for some to choose.

• Participants liked the simplicity of selecting and the freedom to mark as desired.
• One ballot layout suggested the possibility that more than one candidate would be elected.
• But some did not understand the concept of “approval.”
• Concerns included: Uninformed voters, ballot counting confusion, and what selecting a candidate means (selecting choices as opposed to voting)

Ranked choice voting ballots were familiar to most participants, but some expressed concerns that 

• There were too many choices
• They did not understand the voting method
• They wanted instructions for marking on the ballot, not just in voter education

Experimental design elements had mixed results

Although they were open to new designs, they were most familiar with oval target areas. Participants used instructions only when confused.  

• Using dark lines on ranking ballots to indicate the number to be elected caused confusion in several ways.
• Icons were mostly ignored or treated as decoration. 
• Helper text in target areas caused confusion. Check marks or other text made them think the ballot had already been marked. Many participants were unable to vote on ballots with this design element without additional instructions.
• Participants assumed they should fill in check boxes.

This research was conducted by Misty Crooks and Emma Werowinski.

We tested 6 ballots using 3 voting methods: ranking, cumulative, and approval voting. The prototype ballots were designed to be similar, but with variations in elements that might help voters better understand the ballot.

Different marking targets  for ease of marking:

• Ovals on ranking elect 1 vs checkboxes on other ballots
• Helper text in target areas on a cumulative and an approval ballot

Elements to signal the number to be elected:

• Dark lines on ranking ballots
• Icons on cumulative and approval

The research included 24 participants and  took place in New York City, which adopted ranked choice voting for primary elections in 2021.