Additional AVT Research Programs

Voting Accessibility

University of Wisconsin

Since 1998, the Trace Research & Development Center has worked to develop solutions for making electronic voting systems more accessible and usable. The techniques and strategies developed by Trace can be applied to a wide range of electronic voting systems, from handheld tablets to larger tabletop units and kiosks.

For more information about the voting program at University of Wisconsin, visit:  http://trace.umd.edu/search/node/voting

Civic Designing.org

UsabilityWorks

CivicDesigning.org publishes posts about research, current events, and resources about design, usability, and accessibility in the civic space, right now focusing on design in voting and elections. It is also the home of the Field Guides to Ensure Voter Intent, a series of tiny sets of guidelines for local election officials based on research with voters.

For more information about this voting project, visit: http://civicdesigning.org/

Voters with Disability

National Council on Disability

The National Council on Disability (NCD) documented the experiences of voters with disabilities during the 2012 general election cycle. NCD documented these accounts using an open-ended questionnaire, through which NCD gathered the experiences of nearly 900 voters with disabilities across the nation during the 2012election.The report provides a baseline of the current state of voting for citizens with disabilities and can serve as a blueprint for improvements, barrier removal, and procedural changes that can be measured between now and the 2016 primary and general elections.

For more information, visit: http://www.ncd.gov/publications/2013/10242013/

Usability of Voting Systems

Rice University

Research in the Computer-Human Interaction Laboratory (CHIL) at Rice University has so far consisted primarily of laboratory usability testing on extant voting systems, such as paper ballots, lever machines, and punch cards to inform usability standards of new electronic voting systems. The CHIL is engaged in empirical testing of voters (or potential voters), observing interactions with voting systems using primarily objective techniques (i.e., performance measurement of time and accuracy) and subjective measurements such as scaled responses on attributes such as perceived difficulty and trust.

For more information about the voting program at Rice University, visit: http://chil.rice.edu/projects/accurate/index.html

Accessibility of Voting Systems

Michigan State University

Voting and Dyslexia

A usability evaluation was conducted to assess the quality of the user experience for users with dyslexia on the Michigan.gov website.

For more information about this voting project, visit: http://usability.msu.edu/research/projects/voting-and-dyslexia

Accessible Voting Systems

A suitable, rigorous test protocol was developed for a Voting System Test Laboratory (VSTL) to conduct usability conformance testing of accessible voting systems with persons who are blind, have low vision, or have dexterity impairments in order to ensure that they can vote independently.

For more information about this voting project, visit: http://usability.msu.edu/research/projects/accessible-voting-systems

Accessible Mobile Voting Systems

The goal of this project is to create an accessible user interface and interaction design for mobile voting systems that can be used by developers to create an accessible mobile voting system. The system would be used by voters to fill out and potentially submit ballots on personal devices outside the polling the place.

For more information about this voting project, visit: http://usability.msu.edu/research/projects/accessible-mobile-voting

Center for American Politics and Citizenship (CAPC)

University of Maryland

Voting Technology and Ballot Design

CAPC Director Paul Herrnson and Research Director Mike Hanmer have led research projects studying ballot design and voting technology, culminating in several published articles and books.

Electronic Absentee Ballot Delivery System

The electronic absentee ballot delivery system, developed with the Maryland State Board of Elections, allows voters to receive their official absentee ballot online at the Maryland Elections Center. This innovative ballot delivery system speeds up the delivery of the ballot, greatly reducing the difficulties of casting a ballot for some voters, as your ballot will be available to you at any location with internet access.

For more archived information about this voting project, visit:  http://www.cs.umd.edu/~bederson/voting/