Which one of the following three ballot designs is the MOST likely to produce an undervote, such as the voter marking his choice in the wrong place on the ballot?
Ballot A:
Ballot B:
Ballot C:
11.11.2008
Ballot Design Quiz
@ 5:48 PM
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502 comments
Choice B
Ballot A
Choice A
I'd say Ballot A
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I am going to say "Ballot A" because the lines don't go all the way across (to include the circle). A voter might think that they need to make a mark to the RIGHT of the name and within the "box" formed by the lines...
Choice A. The lines don't match up visually with the ovals, and it fucks that ballot's duck.
Ballot B
Ballot A. The lines seem to confuse the issue. C is best.
B, since it's not demarcated by lines
They are different?? ... oh the lines...those tricky or absent lines...
B then A. C is clear but a significant subset of the human populationm will scr@w it up and attempt to disenfranchise themselves. Think Bell curve.
Ballot form C. looks like you'd be able to just mark anywhere.
B)
Not demarcated as others have noted
I'd say Ballot A. Though Ballot C is a close second. The lines make the ballot more busy and hence confusing.
I'll door number A please!
C would be best...B works because it connects the names to the ovals.
A doesn't really make that connection and so the mark may as well go to the right of the name.
You're not going to make a poll widget, like you've done before?
Anyway, I'll say Ballot B, since it's the least structured.
B.
C is the best design of the three, since the horizontal lines lines go all the way across. Both design A and B are more flawed than C.
Is it any surprise that the people fucking this up are the ones whose votes are being counted as Democrat?
I'd say A. The ovals may look like bullets, causing the voters to think that they should put the mark to the right of the candidate's name.
Ballot B
B - Def B.
None of the above.....If you can't figure out how to vote, you should not be allowed to vote....
B
And can we know which counties used which?
I'm still processing the fact that anyone could screw up voting using any of those designs!
But I'll say B because there are no lines to help the visually-challenged (which might be one very legitimate reason for making a mistake of that sort).
B, though A is almost as bad.
Ballot B. There is no visual demarcation to identify which oval goes with each name. As an Art Director, I'm aware of how the human eye works, and that one actually causes the eye to trail and lose sense of alignment with the dots. Ballot A is also a terrible design as it COULD infer that the line under the candidate is pointing at an oval, but it's less likely to get confused. Clearly, option C is the best design for a ballot as the ovals are clearly marked and associated with the name - but they could stand to give the options a bit of leading room so that they aren't so squished.
And contrary to some opinions here, I'll say that B is the best. There's no plausible place to mark other than inside the oval. Simplicity is critical.
C.
Definately C.
B, then A. C is the clearest.
B
Probably A with no line from the Candidate to oval.
My very new, probably awful blog:
http://youngerpolitics.blogspot.com/
B. C is best.
A
Pat Buchanan.
Er, C. Plenty of space to mark in the row to indicate preference while failing to correctly fill in the circle.
Choice B would not likely result in an undervote, but is more likely to result in an "incorrect" vote where you fill in the oval of another candidate than what you wanted.
A would be close to C in terms of preference indication while failing to 'correctly' vote.
Ballot A.
The line underneath each candidate can be easily misconstrued as a line for which to mark your choice. Although there are lines in Ballot C, that line goes all the way across the column, making look like it is a separating line and not a line on which to mark your choice.
B is the obvious choice, so it must be wrong. I'm going to guess A, as the incomplete lines lead people to focus on the right-hand side of the ballot instead of the ovals at the left.
"Democratic-Farmer-Labor", heh.
It's good to see the "pop quiz" label getting some love again!
A?
C seems best.
Everyone here thinks C is best; watch Nate tell us it is actually the worst.
Guys, you are missing the point. B may be more likely to cause voters to mark the wrong oval. However, marking the wrong oval does NOT produce an undervote. It means you marked the wrong candidate's oval, but that's not what undervote is. Undervote is marking an INVALID place on the ballot. For that reason, I think B is the best since there's no place to mark exceot for the oval. C, and especially A, may be a lot more confusing.
B is obviously the worst choice. C is best.
I'm going to say C because the point is the vote places the mark not in the oval....A & B might cause more incorrect votes but C for under votes.
C is definitely the best, and I'd say that B is the worst. No lines = nothing for the eye to follow. A is misleading, but not as bad as B.
Form A. May the impression that voter is supposed mark an X next to name rather than filling in the oval.
Ballot D
My guess is A. It has the line under the names and extending to the right but not under the bubbles. Thus, it might be harder to place the right bubble for some, and you might miss the bubble altogether. One might think to make a mark to the right of the name instead of filling in the correct bubble.
Definitely A - though I can't describe why.
The question is which design is most likely to produce an undervote, not which design is most likely to lead to voter error of any kind. "A" seems most likely to lead to undervotes specifically, since it could create the impression that the voter should mark the ballot on the line to the right of the candidate's name, and that the ovals have nothing to do with anything.
B
I would think A and C are roughly equally likely to lead to undervotes with C being a bit worse. I would say that B is less likely than either A or C to lead to undervoting.
My gut tells me A due to its confusing partial lines, but now I'm thinking it may really be C since someone not paying attention might be more likely to put a mark to the right of the name there instead filling the oval.
A reminds me of the lines on the infamous Palm Beach County ballot. I'd take it.
As others said, A is most likely to produce an undervote, since it strongly suggests bullet points, leading people to make an X or check-mark to the right of the name. B might make people vote for the wrong person, but would be unlikely to produce an *undervote* (which was, for those not paying attention, the question). C would probably produce an undervote somewhere between A and B? It may actually be as bad (or worse) than A depending on how people parse the circles, but on the whole I'd think they'd be more likely to be interpreted as bullets when the line does not separate them from one another.
I would say B.
Hmmm. A or C? I'll say A. Those lines just plead with me to put a check mark on the right.
A.
In both B and C it is clear that the bubble and the name must go together. In A, however, the bubbles look detached.
I'm inclined to say Ballot B, but I think no line is probably better than SOME line.
Ballot A, final answer.
B
WV: uncer
I don't have the correct uncer for this question.
I say choice B.
Ballot B
no lines
A is the most likely to produce an undervote because the ovals seem to be separated from the rest of the lines. Regardless it is fairly pathetic that we entrust the decision over who should form our govenment to people who are able to screw any of the three of these up. I really want Franken to win, but am embarrassed to know that the majority of such people are on my side and that I now have to hope that there were enough of them to change the election. I quess it is not quite as embarrassing as having to hope that there are a bunch of closet ashamed racists on my side though!
BTW were all three models used? if not which one was used?
It's interesting, but now that I think carefully, B might actually be best!
That's if A and C's lines encourage the voter to put an X or mark to the right of the name.
That would never have occurred to me, since my first inclination is to think "if a voter screws this up they're idiots."
On the other hand, B is not great because the lack of lines tends to fool the eye. A vision impaired voter might simply not be able to figure out which oval goes with which candidate. Or they might think that the title is ABOVE the name rather than below: i.e. "Republican, Al Franken."
A worst, C best?
/mbw
Almost a toss-up b/w A&B. Lean A.
They're all three bad, bad, bad.
What you want is a line directly from the oval itself to the name, and no other lines anywhere.
A is worst, this is extremely clear--remember the question is which will cause an undervote, not which will potentially cause mistakes in voting (for people who are worried that the voter could associate the wrong bubble on ballot B, because of the missing lines: this won't produce an undervote!).
A is worst because the voter could think they should write something on the line to the right of the candidate (like a check mark), if they can't be bothered to red the instructions.
C is a little better because the lines continue all the way.
But B is best because there's nothing to lead the voter to put their mark "on the line".
Now I am dying to know how the ballots were distributed between counties. If "A" went to heavily democratic counties this is sure evidence that the undervote was caused intentionally.
This is still better than the "Butterfly" design of the 2000 Florida ballots that left 10s of thousands of elderly Jewish voters voting for Pat Buchanon by accident!
VW: "Cryan" -- as in "The right-wing is cryan now!"
A.
B will cause someone to vote for the wrong person. A probably creates a confusion that a check must be put right of the name because it is "boxed" in.
[ ] Ballot A X
———————————
[ ] Ballot B
———————————
[ ] Ballot C
I think A is the worst by far. The field of ovals is separated from the field of names by the fact that they are not underlined while the names are. In fact it just plain looks defective.
A person responsible enough to choose a senator ought to be able to indicate their desire with any of these ballots. In case a significant margin of voters can't, a recount is warranted. (Oh, that's what they are doing as soon as the initial count is finished.)
C; too much visual distraction.
I think B may be the least likely to create an undervote, but the most likely to have votes placed for the wrong candidate.
B
need the lines
A. I see a similar problem on forms here at work. People really, really like to write things on lines.
Ballot A is the most confusing while Ballot C is the most clear one. The not so full lines in Ballot A can confuse some people.
A; the lines imply that you can fill in to the right on the name.
I don't think that there would be any difference between B and C.
I was going to say A.
But then I cheated and looked at this:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/25/opinion/20080825-ballot.html
So then I thought maybe C, because C is the most counterintuitive answer, which is why Nate would ask the question.
But really, how could you be so confused by C as to undervote?
So I'm back to A, because the design people at the link probably didn't consult Nate, and because I can see somebody thinking they should put a check-mark to the right of the name.
I don't think it's B, because B doesn't suggest the check-mark idea -- though it might be vulnerable to a circling approach.
B definitely is most likely to cause an undervote.
The reason why is because there is no line between the votes. It is likely that someone could think they need to circle the name of the candidate. They can only do this on form B because there is no line between the names. They also can put an "X" to the right of the candidates names or in the oval. That is three ways to mess up.
Ballot A can make it seem to some as though they can put an "X" on the right or left side of the candidates name, but not circle their name.
Ballot C can only produce an "X" in the oval as the right side of the candidates name is closed off by a vertical line. There is no room to circle their name on this.
I think B is the most confusing one, followed by A. All of them could be confusing unless accompanied by clear, simple directions on what to do, as in "Put an X on the oval next to your choice."
That's if A and C's lines encourage the voter to put an X or mark to the right of the name.
I agree. To an unsophisticated or inexperienced voter, the lines probably confuse the issue. Ballot B is the least likely to produce an undervote, however the ambiguity might make it slightly more likely that the voter casts a valid ballot for someone other than who he/she intended to vote for.
Thing is, no matter what you do, there will always be voter error. Some people either aren't that bright, not that careful, are visually challenged, etc. I don't know that you can ever design a fool-proof ballot. The next-best thing would be to create a national standard and then provide lots and lots of voter education/assistance. When I moved from CA to MN, it was a little disorienting to me to have a slightly different layout (although I'm confident that I figured it out). A national standard won't solve the problem (nothing will, entirely), but it will help reduce the confusion somewhat. And it will prevent a truly poorly designed ballot (like FL's Butterfly ballot) from being used.
As a visual artist, I was inclined to agree with Dr. E. (above), but then Googled for an actual Minnesota sample ballot. Taken out of context, Dr. E. is on the money, but look at the real ballot (which happen to correspond to Ballot A):
http://www.co.washington.mn.us/client_files/documents/ate/ELE//ELE-StillwaterTWP.pdf
In it's true context, the line under the candidate's name can (mis)lead one's eye to the circle opposite the candidate on the next line. In other words, subliminally, it acts like an arrow, only pointing to the wrong destination.
Ballot C is the one that is least ambiguous and least likely to cause undervoting.
choice B
B
I would have voted for Franken on any ballot. But B is the most likely to produce, since there are NO reference lines anywhere. People with visual displacement issues might not be able to line them up correctly.
Ballot A, because it gives a reasonable area for making a mark on the right side, while de-emphasizing the correct area on the left.
Ballot A is the worst, because it invites the voter to mark to the right of the candidate's name. The lines don't go all the way across, so it disassociates the oval with the name.
Ballot B may cause some errors, where the voter chooses the wrong oval. And it may encourage circling the name, but I still think Ballot A will have more issues due to voters thinking they're supposed to "fill in the blank" by writing something on the line next to their candidate.
Ballot C is probably the best of these three designs, because the "lines" make more of a frame. So the lines become part of the background and the oval is more obviously connected with each candidate's name. This is less likely to encourage writing on the line than option A. And easier to identify which circle goes with which candidate than Option B.
OK, Nate. Surprise me. Tell me I'm right!
;-)
1
(This is my way of undervoting this pop quiz.)
I think many of the above responses are mislead by confusion of undervote and voting for a wrong guy. In C there is very little chance of the latter but because of that voter would be inclined to put a mark outside of the oval and therefore undervote. So my answer is C.
The answer is C. While it's the BEST at getting you to vote for your intended candidate, it's the worst in terms of undervoting (putting a mark in a wrong place--not in the oval) because it creates a big box for the candidate, not just an oval.
It's gotta be C!
(Based on the Wikipedia article on undervotes, I'm assuming the question is about votes that are not properly recorded rather than about accidental votes for the wrong candidate.)
With ballot C, there are ruled lines around each candidate, above and below, left and right. So confused voters may make marks anywhere within the box surrounding the candidate's name, for example in the white space to the right of the name.
With ballot A, by contrast, the eye is drawn only to one place for each candidate: to the bubble next to the name.
Ballot C is most likely to produce undervotes, then A; B is least likely to produce undervotes.
The faintness of the circles in comparison to the lines increases the chance a voter will decide to simply mark within the lines, rather than marking within the circle.
B is least ambiguous - there is only one area in which to mark. In A, the voter is less likely to mark randomly within the lines than in C, but I would bet more likely to make a line-based connection to the circle or line, than in B.
I'd guess A, then C, then B. B seems least likely to me because there are the fewest obvious other places to make a mark.
However, I'd expect to be contradicted by experimental results.
538 site visitors are not a good random sample. Ask Joe The Plumber.
A - I decided this before I even noticed the lines, because of type size and legibility. But the lines clinch it.
As the first to go off topic, did anyone notice how ironic it was that the team of draft-dodgers/tricksters Bush and Cheney laid wreaths today? While Obama went with Duckworth in a quiet and effective statement; picture only of his back (also a quiet probably unintentional nudge about his seat?). Speaking of which, did anyone else ever think that the forged draft document was provided to Rather by R tricksters to trap him?
Ballot A is most likely to produce an undervote for the reason previously described that it can seem as though the space to the right is a place to mark your vote.
I think B is a slightly better ballot than C as C suffers from the same problem as A, but at least is connected to the bubble on the left.
I do suppose that B could give some rise of incorrect voting, but the space to the right is unlikely to be used with ballot B
Based on the results of this un-scientific poll, is there any doubt that there might be significant undervotes?
B
All of these designs fail by the criteria at pn's link. The sample ballot at romana's link, while nominally corresponding to choice A above, is less confusing since the ovals are much closer to the names.
C.
Without a doubt.
It looks too cluttered and confusing with all the lines.
The average voter is not given a clear area to denote their choice.
K.I.S.S.
Probably C. Nate, do you know the answer?
Ballot A
B
Obviously, C is the best pick for ballot design, seeing as it has lines separating the names and dots.
A, while it uses lines to separate the names, lacks such lines separating the dots to fill in for your vote.
B is the worst choice for ballot design with no lines separating the names or dots, and to someone with bifocals or just older eyes, they could conglomerate together (ie. vote for Aldrich instead of Franken).
As the first to go off topic, did anyone notice how ironic it was that the team of draft-dodgers/tricksters Bush and Cheney laid wreaths today?
The notion that one needs to have served in the military in order to honor veterans strikes me as misguided and fallacious as the neocons claiming that anyone who opposes the Iraq War is unpatriotic and against the troops.
Rather than their personal service (or lack thereof) from several decades ago, it seems to me that better evidence that Bush/Cheney do not respect the sacrifice of our troops is their present unwillingness to properly fund VA hospitals.
i think B. the ovals could be interpreted as bullet points. i could see someone who didn't read/understand the directions casting their vote by circling the name of the candidate on a ballot like that.
just because someone has trouble following directions, and may have little experience taking standardized tests that give us familiarity with these sorts of directions, doesn't mean s/he should be denied the right to vote. and as always, the solution is to educate and inform, not to exclude by turning the ballot into a test.
Trick Question. The answer is whatever ballot was voted by "minorities, elderly voters, low-income and low-education voters, and first-time voters." These people undervote regardless of the ballot form.
I'd say B -- for me, just glancing at them, B seems the least intuitively obvious as to which ovals go with which names.
I'd think C would be by far the LEAST likely to produce an undervote.
My initial impression C was the best ballot, because the name and oval are clearly put in the same compartment. After reading the comments here, I'd now agree that ballot B is the best, because there's less confusion that you're supposed to mark the oval and nothing else.
However, the question is which is most likely to produce an undervote, and I'll still go with A. They're not necessary, and therefore confusing. Except for the space for write-in, where the line is actually a place to mark the ballot, so the lines are inconsistent. Furthermore, the oval for write-in could appear redundant. Maybe the ovals don't matter, the voter might think.
Ballot A
No, wait! Ballot B! I meant Ballot B!
B is the least best ballot.
But I don't see how anyone could mess up any of them; they are all rather straight forward.
You can't ask people and use the result. When you study the 3 options you automatically eliminate the errors that you could possible have committed.
How it's done in the civilised parts of the world:
http://www.elections.org.nz/voting/votingsub/sample-ballot-paper.html
With ballot A, by contrast, the eye is drawn only to one place for each candidate: to the bubble next to the name.
Ballot A did not draw my eye to the bubble at all.
BTW, I also found it interesting that the sample ballot at romana's link is grossly over-voted.
I'd say A, especially if the oval is as light as it seems on the screen.
B
(1) No lines
(2) Confusing to mark a write-in candidate
A)
Actually, maybe I'll amend my answer. While I think C may be the best ballot design overall, since it leaves little opportunity for confusion as to which ovals match up with which candidate (greatly reducing the possibility that someone will accidentally vote for the wrong person), as far as undervotes (marking something other than one of the ovals), I'll say A. The line is there, AND it doesn't extend to the oval, which might cause people to ignore the oval and circle the name, or do something else like that.
as Makapuu noted, the more significant problem is the fact that even a disproportionately well-informed group such as this cannot come to an agreement. Graphic designers, get on it!
WV: sterr
I find Barack Obama's speaking style sterring.
P.S. Ballot A makes my eyes wobble.
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBb
Choice B. I didn't even see the difference between A and C at first.
B looks bad no matter what. Even if it is the best for undervote, these are confusing ballots (but hey, I live in a preferential voting system what do I know about first past the post.)
Loved the NY Times piece on you Nate - told my hubby I am totally joining that facebook fan club ;)
Ballot A is most likely to induce an undervote.
In ballot A the ovals visually group together, like holes on a ring binder. With the horizontal lines, the white space to the right of the name looks like a good place to make a mark associated with the name. We read left to right in western cultures so marking after the name also makes sense. In ballot B the visual grouping of a given oval is ambiguous, horizontal or vertical? In ballot C the oval is grouped with the name so it is the best design for inducing a filling-in of the oval.
A.
B is not as likely to produce an undervote as it is likely to produce a wrong vote. Someone might mark the wrong oval in B, but they're going to mark an oval.
In A the screw up is going to be marking the wrong place, in effect not voting for any candidate -- an undervote.
If you mess up on any of them, you must be blind. They all look perfectly clear to me. That said, A is the worst and C is the best.
If I understand correctly, the rules of graphical design dictate that extra lines distract and mislead -- exactly the opposite of the intent of directing the reader's attention. In this case, the net result is that they give false reassurance.
So, surprisingly, the worst one is C; the best one is B.
Hey pete -
I notice that in the civilised world, you only have 2 votes to make.
Whereas in the States, a typical ballot may have 30 or 40 different votes to make. I've seen a ballot in Chicago that had over 50 different votes to make.
So, the checkmark approach here would ensure that it took months to count all of the ballots...
WV: virden -- someone can't spell German words correctly.
C is a horrible design, I couldn't imagine looking at an entire ballot laid out like that.
A
A is most confusing, C is best. In full agreement with PeteKent (on this occasion).
Maybe some international perspective is helpful. In the UK, we are very traditional and have a paper ballot with a black grid, the left hand column is for candidates' names (with their parties), the right hand column is blank for the voter to mark a big 'X' against their choice with the pencil provided.
Counting has always been by hand, and most districts finish counting the ballots (usually about 40,000) within a few hours of the polls closing at 10pm.
Seriously, how many days does it take to get the final Presidential totals? Are votes STILL being counted?
ballot B for sure.
My guess is C is most likely. I'd imagine those lines cause people to put X's and Checkmarks all over the place.
I think B is least likely, since there is only one mark that is the "obvious" place to mark and few distractions from it.
To prevent undervoting I would think reversing the name and the oval thingies might work. So that the names are aligned on the left margin and the ovals are on the right.
B-people like to follow lines
its the one i would have the greatest chance of marking for the wrong candidate
i would also like to know if this was a good reproductions. the bubbles look way to faint.
i assume it is because the names look dark enough. who makes these things? names are too close. good luck writing in a name in that skinny write-in space.
did franken really put in farmer and labor as a party affiliation?? too funny
B
Is there a prize?
wv=rusling. The off spring of Rush L.
"B"
Not even close.
It is the ONLY ballot with NO visual clues in the horizontal plane. The other two have horizontal markers which at least HELP one stay on the correct line.
did franken really put in farmer and labor as a party affiliation?? too funny
In Minnesota, the Democratic state party is "Democratic-Farm-Labor" or DFL. Obama appeared as the DFL candidate, for example. That's just one of the little quirks of Minnesota state politics.
Seriously, how many days does it take to get the final Presidential totals? Are votes STILL being counted?
Even for national elections, voting is controlled by the states so it varies. In many states, all of the votes have been counted in some form or another. In others, such as California, absentee votes are counted last and there are still a few million that haven't been counted yet. The state that has counted the fewest of their votes (only around 70% so far) has been Alaska, which is one of the most rural states and apparently in several counties the county mails their ballots to the state capital to be counted the day after the election.
It's a screwy system. We really should have a national standard when it comes to ballots and voting procedures, but such is our federalist legacy.
Nate, what are you going to do about the other 538.com? They must be sucking up some of your traffic. I heard this site mentioned on the McLaughlin group the other night (good job, by the way) but as just plain "538". When I am referring someone to the site, I usually say something like "538, spelled out", with an accompanying horizontal finger-gesture to emphasize the relative lengthiness of the title, to make sure there is no mistake. Clarence Page would not let RCP get mentioned on McLaughlin without mentioning Fivethirtyeight, but he made no attempt to distinguish this site from the one entitled 538. You may just have to buy them out. Maybe start a PayPal donation area where readers can contribute to a "buyout fund"?
I smell a trick question but I've been paranoid before.
A: A is the worst with its weird mix of lines and circles.
B: is the best: it doesn't distract from the circles (which are the important thing!)
Another thing: Ballot B may produce some unintended votes, because people may mark the wrong bubble, but that's not an undervote. So my guess is B will not produce many undervotes. It may not be the best design, but that's not the question!
D?
I vote for IrishPanther---eir comment above gives exactly the explanation I had in mind. (A) clear worst, (C) best because it clarifies that the oval is part of the ballot line.
Looks like so far the count is:
A - 55 (for logically-reasoned answers)
B - 39 ("definitely", largely because it looked the most different)
C - 15 (mostly because it had lots of lines and was "ugly")
B
You know, at first I thought B was the worst ballot and C was the best, since the lines went all the way across, making it more difficult to choose an oval that doesn't match your preference.
But then I started thinking about Nate's question, which is which one will produce an UNDERVOTE. This is really asking us which ballot will cause something to think they've voted, when in fact, they haven't voted at all.
I think the answer to that is C because the separation lines may cause one to think each line is a separate office or cause a voter to think the choices are unrelated to the office of the U.S. Senate, or finally, that names outside the grouping also count for the office. Compare this to Ballots A and B, where the ovals are "grouped" together, with only separator lines above the first and below the last oval (regardless of whether they exist around the names).
This is the first time I understood the point of the "complete-the-arrow" ballots that we often have in Michigan.
The samples in the article would be improved by a fat arrow pointing to the correct oval. And if you're making an arrow anyhow, you might as well use that as the mark location.
http://www.delhitownship.com/forms/clerk/Sample_Ballot_11_04_2008.pdf
(As to how well they pick up skinny lines vs full overflow messy lines; I'm not sure.)
And to give foreigners perspective, yes, multipage ballots are pretty typical here.
About 538.com.
No one should EVER type a URL into the URL line of their browser!
Google 538 and the first link is the correct one!
I think B is worst because the text is all too close together, and A is second worst.
None of the above
My friends, the choice is clear. Ballot A is the worst.
I vote C. Definitely C.
C. As others have said, it leaves the most chance to have people just mark the ballot anywhere and say, "That's right."
Either A or B is better.
Ballot B, Then A.
A is the worst, then B. C is the best for getting an accurate result.
I assume most of the people on this board have filled out thousands of scantron forms for tests and whatnot. Anyone with that background would have no trouble with any of these ballots. It's so ingrained in my experience to fill in the bubble that I really can't approach this from any other reference point.
The answer is whatever we agree it is. Really, no one theory is actually going to account for all the possible ways that a person is going to vote; instead, you have to look who responds and go from there. So, in reality, the most representative answer here of our opinion as to which is worst is going to be the one that most likely corresponds to the worst design in reality - or at least does so more than any of our single theories would predict. Not that I'm going to calculate that, but isn't that really in the spirit of 538 anyway?
B invites the voter to just circle their choice, regardless of the oval that should be filled in. I know it seems obvious to us, but a lot of people don't read well and generally struggle taking simple directions.
If you approach this from the perspective that a ballot usually has instructions with an example, and the voter understands they need to fill in a circle, the only issue is lining up the name with the circle and B is clearly the worst.
I'd say B, simply because of the lack of dividing lines.
@Walt526
You're so right, I was taking a shortcut for all the insults to the military perpetrated over the last many years, including leaving Afghanistan incomplete. I especially resent Cheney as being in the pocket for Halliburton and friends. Ironic that China has the first contract on Iraqi oil.
But next time I will wait for an appropriate topic to bring my side issues up.
By the way, Obama totals increasing considerably in their jerky way. I think we will see 52.7% to 46.0% soonish. Where did I see all totals have to be in by the 18th (except some special cases)? There's a huge chunk of Alaska due to be counted starting tomorrow, so those might tilt the other way, but otherwise ...
So wait...
You're supposed to put an X to the right of your candidates name and then write his name on the "write-in" line, right?
Note that these all assume only the correct ovals could possibly be filled in. I have marked ballot papers which had extra ovals (or, more often, extra chads to punch out).
x
x Candidate X
x Party Y
x Candidate Z
x Party A
Depending on the separation, it was harder to vote for the wrong candidate, but easier to vote for a blank line (undervote).
-jJ
I vote for Ballot A, because it gives the impression that one should mark the ballot on the right side of the name.
A is the worst, B in the middle and I believe C would lead to the best results.
When do we get the answers?
I feel pretty good about a C vote.
i'll go with the A crowd, for the reasons posted by many.
i'd also add that if this was indeed the design (any of the 3) there shouldn't be much undervote, and it sad that we have to rely on the vote of people who can't figure this out to decide a us senator.
i don't understand why they don't use a ballot that is based on the same design for the entire nation, at least for the federal elections.
i would like two have two separate ballots: one federal one with votes for president, house representative and senator (when needed), based on a uniform design and mode of vote (optical scanners seem the best), and a separate for all the local decisions.
i would also have anyone receiving a ballot at the poll station sign a receipt that includes filling an oval in a similar context and having it scanned properly *before* you vote.
that way people would 'learn' how to vote on the spot.
Susan,
even a "huge chunck of Alaska" is insignificant so far as the natl. popular vote is concerned.
You'd have to be an idiot for any of the three to be confusing.
B has the most potential for confusion, I think, since there are no lines separating the choices/ovals.
We should all (US citizens at least) be smart enough to know that there is no such thing as a "federal election" in the US. There are 51 state run elections that all take place on the same day. National standards for ballots would propbably also lead people to the absurd demand to have each vote worth the same regardless of the size of you state's population or the political tendencies of your state.
mclever: "I notice that in the civilised world, you only have 2 votes to make."
That's a deliberate decision, local offices are voted for in separate local elections with postal ballots, and referenda (similar to ballot initiatives) are handled the same way.
We had 100% of normal ballots counted within 5 hours of polls closing. Local elections are counted within a few days, but that doesn't hold up our national elections.
Canada for the win, though.
A is worst and it's also the one used most often in Minnesota. Hence being the first choice and appearing on the front page.
To someone unfamiliar with Scantron, it looks like the bubbles may be there to guide the machine, as insignificant as the three holes in the left margin of notepaper.
Why isn't there a huge message FILL IN CIRCLES BELOW?
@matt w
hey smarty-pants,
care to illustrate to the rest of us which one would be the 51st 'state-run' election?
B is the best because it doesn't have the lines/boxes, which might be confused by the voter as a space to put a checkmark. The oval is the only graphic in the entire ballot, meaning it stands out and thus is most likely to be used.
As other posters have said, however, it does present the highest risk of voting for the wrong candidate, but that's not an undervote.
My personal guess is ballot C. The question is tricky. It's not "Which is more likely to cause a wrong vote" but an undervote.
Look at it this way, Ballot C is definitely the least confusing to select the right candidates because of the lines going all the way.
However, BECAUSE of those lines, I think it'd be more likely that the voter would write a X to the right of the name or whatever and trea the whole box and not just the voting box intended for the vote.
Meanwhile, ballot B is the most confusing and most likely to cause a voter to vote for the wrong candidate. But both leave the voting box completely seperate and visually easy to find.
So my guess is C because I think someone visually impaired might write something to the right on the candidate.
Don't Panic,
The district of Columbia is the 51st
I considered explaining this but I figured you would all be smart enough to know.
If we are getting technical there aren't even 50 states!
A!
B is ironically the best design because there it no reason to think you should mark on the right
dikankan-
Most of the vote additions are either:
A) Provisional ballots: Where the voters registration was questioned so before it is counted or discarded it has to be subject to legal challenge/database verification and other procedures.
or
B) Absentee ballots. These also frequently need verification and many states legally allow them to be counted provided that they were postmarked the day of elections so some are just arriving.
There is also the 'canvassing' going on where the state and county boards go over the totals tabulated by tired volunteers at the end of a long day when numbers are not always mentally processed clearly and make sure that the initial reports and math were right.
I'd say ballot A since my own state's ballot (WA) was similar to this and I had to make sure I was voting for the person I meant to several times.
"A" due to the natural misinterpretation of the lines leading voters' eyes away from the area to the left of the candidates' names.
"B" is least likely to produce an undervote b/c there is no ambiguity in where the voter's mark should be placed.
I vote C. With complete boxes, people are more likely to do stupid things like put an X to the right of the candidate's name.
B.
I'm going to guess that this is what the ballot of MN looks like. C is obviously the least ambiguous.
wv: syche - HA!
@matt w said
Don't Panic,
The district of Columbia is the 51st
yeah, thanks for stating the obvious.
i was just pointing that in 'correcting' other people's (correct and obvious) statements you stated an incorrect one at multiple levels.
you might also want to drop a line at the Federal Election Commission (http://www.fec.gov/) that they -in fact- do not exist ;¬)
Pat Buchannan.
The fact that we need to analyze the relative utility of these ballots means I am now thrilled that education reform is an Obama priority
I'd say C, because you might think you need to put the mark to the right of the name. Ballot B would make it more likely to vote for the wrong candidate, but that wouldn't be an undervote. Ballot A is better than C, because the lines include the ovals, so one is more likely to mentally connect them with the names.
Here is a photo of a Canadian Federal Election ballot:
Canadian ballot on flickr
Notice how most of the ballot is black, so people aren't tempted to make stray marks?
Notice also how there are little dots beside the candidate and party names, to prevent circling, checkmarks or stray X's.
Given the three choices in a vacuum, I'm inclined to vote for B. The lack of any grid lines would make it easier for a person to lose track of which bubble they intended to mark.
However, if there are bubbles for a separate issues to the right of the candidates names, option A might be the easiest choice due to the fact that the inconsistent grid lines would make it appear that you are supposed to mark the bubble to the right of the candidate's name rather than to the left of his or her name.
Here is a provincial ballot in Canada:
Canadian Provincial Ballor on flickr
White text on black rendering an under-vote essentially impossible to cast.
@Don't Panic,
Drop the tone. I have read lot's of your comments and generally agree with you. My point is valid. The states run elections and there is no election that voters vote in for actual federal candidates. We vote for representatives to represent our State, Senators to represent our state, and a slate of electors to vote in the electoral college for the President and Vice President. There is a federal commission that oversees elections and especially campaigns, they are called the Federal Election Commission. They are a (federal)(election commission) not a (federal election)(commission).
My point is/was:
Since the states run the elections the ballots are distinct to each state, commonwealth, and the District of Columbia. If we went to national standards I think we would also have to standardize the value of a vote, potentially remove the federal race from state and local races, and set up an entire new beuracracy and infrastructure (which do not currently exist).
A - someone could think they could use the spot on the right for an X
representatives represent our district...I got ahead of myself
National standards for ballots would propbably also lead people to the absurd demand to have each vote worth the same regardless of the size of you state's population or the political tendencies of your state.
I'm not seeing the nexus between national standards for ballots and same "power of vote." The fact that the electoral college was established in the main body of the Constitution and further revised by the 12th Amendment would seem to inoculate the electoral college to any sort of equal protection challenge. On the other hand, the issue of equality with respect to process (as ballots are) would seem to be within the purview of the 14th Amendment.
Barack Obama made a colossal blunder on his way into the Presidency yesterday when he allowed information to leak concerning the details of his meeting with President Bush. Bush was reportedly seething over the leak. It seems President-Elect Obama does not know what is meant by “private talks”.
It casts a pall over his immediate future negotiations -- foreign or domestic – now people will go into discussions with an Obama administration with some level of doubt concerning the confidentiality of the proceedings.
Worse, the man who billed himself, at least subliminally, if not actually, on competence, as he tried to dilute the notion that he was noting more than an air-headed celebrity, is seen as having a club-footed beginning. The embarrassing disclosure of his leaky ship, now sheds on the Rahm Emmanuel pick, a less than flattering light.
Contrast Obama’s week with that of Sarah Palin. The much vilified Vice Presidential nominee has captivated the press as she has unleashed herself like no one else has done in recent history – more so even than Obama who faded to a degree after his political debut in 2004 and was not THE STORY of the post-election period as Palin currently is– at least this week.
Indeed Palin’s domination of the news cycle is benefiting Obama as it has pushed the whole story of his meet with Bush off the front pages, including the foot fault over leaking the details.
Meanwhile Palin is acquitting herself very well and has managed to go quite some distance toward rehabilitating her image. The primary impetus being the outrageous assertions that she did not know which countries comprise North America or that Africa was a continent instead of a country!
Despite Chris Matthews craven embrace of these patently false charges, they collapsed of their own weight and gave Palin an opening through which she drove the truck like force of her personality
She has more interviews, a speech and a press conference this week.
As I see it, Palin is on the upswing and is clearly the one to watch in this immediate post-election period.
A
I'm sorry but if you can't figure out how to mark a vote in any of those designs, you are too stupid to be voting in the first place. I understand some people might be visually challenged, but asking a poll worker where you are supposed to mark if you are confused by the design is the right thing to do in that situation. If people put an "X" to the left or right of a candidates name, within a box or not, they should realize that is not what the directions on the ballot call for, and as such, their vote has every right NOT to be counted for the simple fact that they did not follow the SIMPLE directions (shade the box or oval next to your choice with a black pen or pencil).
walt526,
I think the problem would arrise with a federal agency running elections. If the states continued to run the elections but were somehow mandated as to how to run them I think you would get into a State's rights issue. Perhaps not? maybe this slope is not as slippery as I think.
A. The lines draw your eye to the right, then people are likely to just put their X there.
Actually, I'll give you a couple of scientific arguments for the option C being the best.
There is an optical property that the eyes and brain have (and I can't remember the name of it) that creates an illusion of an horizontal mirage.
There is also the argument behind font usage. It has been postulated that letters with a 'serif', or a little point on their bases, form an implied underline making them easier to read than 'Sans Serif' (without the flourish) such as this post uses.
In the 'C' example lines are used to compartmentalize the choices in a clear manner.
So, Nate, when is the reveal? Which balot does MN use?
Ballot A
It's got to be "a"
Looking at it, with the little half-lines, just make your eye get all crazy and jump to the wrong circle.
Here in Oregon we had ballots like "b," but obviously "c" would be the best choice
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