Center for Civic Design

1/ Be clear about what voters can do with the form. Make sure the title of the form clearly reflects the purpose, from the voters’ perspective.

2/ Make sure voters understand the questions. Use simple, active, easily understood words for field labels. Write field labels so they don’t confuse people who are reading quickly, or who don’t read well.

3/ Make it possible to answer every question. Give people a way to answer every question. They worry about leaving answers blank – even when it would be OK to do so. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

4/ Make the layout neat and tidy. Forms that look well-organized are easier to fill in, and give voters more confidence. Line things up with consistent spacing and margins. Make the form easy to use with large enough text and good contrast.

5/ Make the space for the answer fit the format. Make fields big enough to fit the expected answer. Use an appropriate format for fields showing the type of answer needed. Online, use checkboxes instead of dropdowns when possible.

6/ Simplify when you can. Break the clauses in declarations and affidavits into separate bullets.

7/ Make signature fields stand out. Using an X to mark the location for a signature helps people get it right.

8/ Put instructions and error messages where they will be noticed. Start with anything the voter needs to do to prepare. Put instructions, hints, and warnings before the field, not after. Online, list errors at the top of the page, and highlight the location in the form.