Center for Civic Design

It’s #FieldGuide Friday! You must be excited. Because we are going to do Vol. 08 Guiding voters through the polling place. Follow along, if you like: https://civicdesign.org/fieldguides/guiding-voters-through-the-polling-place/ …

1/ Make signs easy to read. Hang signs at eye level for most voters. Make sure that signs are visible from around the room. Are they behind poll workers?

2/ Show traffic patterns. Make it easy for voters to navigate the polling place. Where do they start? Do they have to go to several tables? Where is the voting system for people with disabilities?

3/ Use color to identify types of information. Color and contrast help people quickly identify the purpose and content of signs. Combine color with text or shape for accessibility.

4/ Be clear about actions voters must take. For voting, make diagrams accurate to your voting system. Close-up line drawings are better than photographs. Use icons, arrows, or symbols for meaning, not decoration.

6/ Communicate laws and regulations appropriately. Write a heading or sentence to summarize the law. If possible, paraphrase in plain language. Include the source of the law so others can look it up. Work with your counsel to get legal review early.

Make it easy to read all languages. Make it easy to compare the information between languages. Limit signs to 2 languages.* One should be English.

8/ Write in plain language. Write short sentences. Use simple words. Think of the voter as “you.” Write in the positive. Use numbers on step-by-step instructions. Keep paragraphs short.