Center for Civic Design

2/ Use space on the cover for useful information. Make it easy to see what’s inside, what election it is for, who wrote it, who it’s for.

3/ Be specific about dates and deadlines. Voters want to know the actual dates to help them make sense of all the steps in an election.

4/ Provide real contact information, not just a website. Not everyone has web access or email. Some folks just like printed info.

5/ Start with a roadmap. Overviews help voters understand the scope of information in a booklet. Tables of contents prevent getting lost.

6/ Don’t make voting look complicated (even if it is). Show the most important or most common options first. Then explain exceptions.

7/ 1page: 1 topic. (Really!) One topic per page makes it easier to scan through for specific topics. Info doesn’t get buried.

8/ 1 topic: 1 heading. Good headings make the booklet easy to scan quickly. It is possible to have too many headings.

9/ Write headings as questions (that people actually ask). Good questions show that you understand what information voters need.

10/ Make sure that important information stands out. Use icons, colored boxes, and callouts to highlight critical information.

11/ Include information on how to vote! New voters need instructions for how to mark and cast a ballot. Current voters need confirmation.