The user interface of e-voting systems that provide electronic ballots– such as touch screens of DRE voting machines or websites of remote Internet voting systems – has to be designed in a way as to offer the most convenient and understandable electronic ballot. This can either be done by trying to make the electronic ballot look the most similar to the traditional ballot paper. Or, especially if there are many options that a voter can choose from, the electronic ballot has a different layout, taking into account that it needs to be easily understood. The latter can e.g. be achieved by choosing a two stage approach. The voter would first choose a party and then, only on the next screen, choose one or more specific candidate(s). As basic rule, it should be avoided that voters would have to scroll down a screen, since this would endanger the equality of presentation of the candidates.
When designing the electronic user interface, special attention should be given to the needs of visually impaired voters. E-voting systems may be advantageous for visually impaired voters in various respects:
- With the support of a braille display, a voice output device and/or a scanner, visually impaired voters may cast a ballot without any further assistance by another person
- remote Internet voting offers the additional advantage that visually impaired or handicapped voters can vote at home
