Importance of Ballot Design
Ballot design will have an impact on two important aspects of the election process:
1. The ability of voter to understand the choices of candidates or parties running in the election and select in a valid manner their choices. Elements on the ballot such as party symbols, candidate photographs, a short description of the party's and/or candidate's goals, and clear instruction on the ballot as to the method of casting a valid vote will support this.
2. The accuracy of counting of votes. Poorly designed ballots, with, for example, small and closely aligned preference squares, can lead to voters' marks overlapping more than one square, with consequent dispute at the count over whether the voter is valid, and, if valid, which party or candidate the voter selected.
And design must also take into account the costs of printing.
Flexibility of design will be constrained by limitations of the election system and the definition of ballot layouts in legislation. It will be difficult to design a simple ballot, for instance, where the system allows large numbers of candidates and their parties to appear on the ballot, and the voter must choose to either make a single preference mark for the party of choice or number sequential preferences for each of the individual candidates, as in Australia (see Senate Ballot Paper - Australia, 1996).
Yet election administrators can have some influence on ballot design through clarity of layouts, use of clear typefaces, clear instructions, and by advising on legislative changes that will simplify ballot completion.
Essential Information
There is some information that must appear on printed ballots, including:
- the date of the election
- the elected body for which the election is being conducted
- the electoral district for which the ballot is to be issued
Basic Types
The two basic types of ballot require voters to cast their ballots in two distinctly different ways:
- Voters are faced with a selection of different ballots, each representing a different party or candidate, and voters have to choose which ballot they prefer, usually sealing this in a ballot envelope before placing it in the ballot box.
- Voters are issued a single ballot containing all the parties or candidates in the election, and they have to indicate on the ballot which of these is preferred before placing the ballot in the ballot box.
Where separate ballots are provided for each candidate or party, and voters have to choose and envelope the one appropriate to their choice, ballot design issues are relatively simple. Each different ballot must:
- clearly identify the party or candidate it represents, usually through use of a distinctive colour, or use of party name or symbol, or candidate name, symbol or photograph;
- give clear instructions for correctly selecting the preferred ballot and enveloping or otherwise depositing it in a ballot box (on paper ballots preferably on the ballot).
Components of 'Mark Choice' Ballot Design
While there are common factors in 'mark choice' ballot design, the manner in which they are implemented provides a wide array of different styles and possible permutations. While the following examples are by no means an exhaustive review, they do give an indication of the range of possibilities in current ballot designs.
Methods of marking preferred choice:
- writing a number or mark in a box beside a candidate or party
- writing a number or mark in a ruled off section containing the candidate or party
- circling the number next to a party or candidate
- crossing out all candidates or parties except the preferred one
- drawing a connecting line between two arrows next to a candidate or party
- filling in a small oval or circle next to a candidate or party
- striking through the name of the preferred candidate or party
- writing on a blank ballot a candidate or party number
- writing on a blank ballot the name of a candidate or party
- numbering sequentially all candidates on the ballot
- numbering sequentially a specified number or proportion of the number of candidates on the ballot
- recording a vote for 'none of the above'
- setting a punch card machine to punch a hole in the ballot next to the candidate/party
- placing an official stamp on the name of the party
- having the option of placing a mark next to a party, or numbering all candidates sequentially
- keying the number or symbol of a candidate or party on a computer keyboard
- touching a computer screen on the symbol or name of a candidate or party
- pulling levers on a voting machine corresponding to parties or candidates
Party or candidate information:
- code number for party or candidate with no further information
- candidate name or party name
- party list name and list candidates' names
- candidate name and party name or abbreviation
- party or candidate name, and party symbol
- candidate name and photograph, party name
- party name, party symbol, party abbreviation, party leader photograph
Voter instructions:
- none
- instruction on how to complete ballot
Size and colour of ballot:
- one third A4 sheet
- around one meter wide
- consistent size for all electoral districts
- different size according to number of candidates
- colour coded for elections to different representative bodies
- colour coded for different methods of voting (normal, absentee, early, tendered/provisional)
Order of candidates and parties:
- alphabetical
- random draw for position
- rotating, so all candidates appear at the head on an equal number of ballots.
Simultaneous elections
- on the same ballot
- each election on a different ballot
Clear Specifications
Whatever the format of the ballot, clear specifications, approved by the electoral management body, will aid consistency and quality control of printing. These would cover issues such as:
- overall size restrictions
- information to be provided and its positioning
- fonts and point sizes used
- borders and other graphics
- minimum space between candidates or parties
- size of boxes in which voter's mark is to be placed (if used).
Making Voting Easier
Ballot paper form and content needs to be easily understandable. Simplicity will aid speed of voter flow, and assist all voters, not just the less literate, to vote with confidence that they have not made a mistake. There are some issues that should be considered in assisting voters and aiding administrative effectiveness, including the following:
Clear instruction for voters on the ballot. For most ballots these need only be variations on wording such as: 'Write your mark next to the party of your choice.' An illustration at the top of the ballot may assist in less literate societies.
Reviewing restrictive provisions that specify a single particular type of preference mark to the exclusion of all others--a number, or 'X', or 'tick', or circled number--and disallow ballots marked in any other fashion, even when the voter's preference is clear.
Ensure that the size of the box or space in which preference marks have to be placed is large enough, especially for the elderly and handicapped writers, to place their preference, especially where more than one preference has to be numbered. Similarly, the distance between spaces or boxes in which preferences have to be marked should be sufficient to prevent confusion.
Negative vote systems (crossing out all the candidates the voter doesn't want) can be more conducive to error, and take more time to mark a ballot than simple single positive preference systems. However, given the history of using negative vote systems in some countries, change could lead to confusion.
Information on candidates and parties assists voters in making their choice. At the very least, the party or candidate name, and for candidates the party affiliation, should appear. In all environments, inclusion of the party symbols on the ballot will help voters. In less literate societies, especially where party affiliations are more fluid, candidate or party leader photographs are useful.
For simultaneous elections, colour coding of ballots and ballot box signs for each separate election can reduce or minimise confusion.
Review fonts and point sizes used for clarity.
Where ballots for different electoral districts are different sizes, examine the possibilities of standardising size. Very large ballots, particularly those that have to be folded to fit in voting compartments, can take longer for the voter to understand the range of choices.
(For some further information on ballot design, see Development of ballots, forms and procedures.)
Examples
Examples of ballot papers for systems that allow voters to either vote for a list or distribute preferences to individual candidates, are at Senate Ballot Paper - Australia, 1996 (these also feature a random draw for ballot paper order).
A set of ballot papers designed for a similar system, with the addition of a 'Robson' rotation method of selecting ballot paper order (equal numbers of ballot papers produced with each candidate at the head of the ballot paper) are at Set of Robson Rotation Ballot Papers, Tasmania, 1996.
Examples of individual constituency ballot papers, showing design flexibility to allow varying numbers of candidates on a standard size ballot paper, are at House of Representatives Ballot Papers, Australia 1996 (these also feature a random draw for ballot paper order).
An example using an alphabetic order of candidates (also allowing the voter to vote for 'none of the above') is at Ballot Paper, Russian Parliament, 1997, and using circling of candidates names, rather than marking a box, at Supreme Soviet Ballot Paper - Belarus 1996.
Examples of ballot paper design for a referendum are at Referendum Ballot Paper - Australian Capital Territory and Referendum Ballot Paper- Belarus 1996.
An example of a set of full colour print ballot papers for presidential (with photographs of the candidates), provincial and municipal elections held simultaneously is at President, Provincial, Local Ballots - Costa Rica 1998.
Further examples of ballot paper designs are at:
