NIST, ITL, Marking and Verifying Ballots Collection

NIST – Marking and Verifying Ballots Before Casting: Requirements for Usability and Accessibility

This collection of information contains Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) requirements approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to be 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn: Sharon Laskowski, MS 8940, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899

OMB Control #0693-0043
Expiration Date: 03/31/2022

The Center for Civic Design and NIST are exploring voters’ experiences with casting their ballots in an election. We want to understand how you mark and review your votes before casting your ballot and what makes this process usable and accessible for you. Completing this questionnaire and the other activities in this research session is expected to take 60 minutes.

About Your Voting Experiences

1. Are you registered to vote right now?  Yes  No  Don’t know

2. When was the last election you voted in?
   ______________________________ Year and month or type of election
    I have never voted before
    I don’t remember

3. Where did you vote
    I voted on election day at a polling place or vote center
    I voted before election day at a vote center
    I voted by mail or absentee ballot
    I don’t remember
    Other: ___________________________

4. The last time you voted, what did you use to vote?
    A paper ballot (filling in a box, oval or arrow)
    A touch screen voting system that cast my ballot for me
    A touch screen voting system that printed a paper ballot
    An accessible voting system using the audio or tactile key features
    Other: ___________________________
    I don’t remember

5. Did you use any of the preference options on the voting system you last voted on? (If yes, list what you used)
    No  Yes

 Set the text size

 Changed the colors

 Used the audio 

 Used the tactile input buttons

 Used a personal device ____________

 Other _____________

6. Do you use a smartphone or tablet
    Yes  No  Not sure

7. Do you use a laptop or desktop computer
    Yes  No  Not sure

About Your Voting Experience Today (post-observation questions)

Please answer the following questions based on the process of marking, verifying and casting that you saw today.

1. I am confident that my ballot would be cast as I intended.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

2. I understood the process for marking and casting my ballot.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

3. The instructions for voting and casting my ballot were easy to follow.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

4. I could review my ballot before printing it.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

5. It was easy to make corrections to my ballot while I was voting.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

6. The printed ballot was easy to read.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

7. I was never confused while I was voting.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

8. I could verify my ballot before it was cast.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

9. I feel that I had enough privacy while voting.
    Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree

Your Comments

10. Did you have any problems voting today?
    
    
    
    

11. What did you like most about the process of voting as you experienced it today?
    
    
    
    

12. What did you like least about the process of voting as you experienced it today?
    
    
    
    

13. What made you feel confident that your ballot would be cast as you intended?
    
    
    
    

14. What made you feel that you ballot would not be cast as you intended?
    
    
    
    

15. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about this process for voting?

Information About You

Before we finish, we would like some information about you, so we can show that we talked to many different kinds of people. Providing this information is strictly optional and you may skip questions if you would prefer not to answer them.

1. Do you speak or read a language other than English in your daily life?
   
   If so, what language(s): ___________________________

2. What is your age?
    18-21  22-34  35-60  61-70  71 or over

3. What is your highest level of education
    Less than high school  High school  Vocational or professional training
    Some college  College graduate  Post graduate

4. What is your zip code? _______

5. What is your gender?
    Female  Male

6. Do you consider yourself to be Hispanic or Latino?

 Yes

 No

7. What is your race? (please check all that apply)

 American Indian or Alaska Native

 Asian

 Black or African American

 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and

 White

8. Do you have physical limitations you would like to share, such as:
   (Check any that apply to you)
    Blindness
    A severe vision impairment
    Deafness, or a severe hearing impairment
    A condition that substantially limits the use of your hands for activities
   such as handling paper or using a keyboard or other keys
    A condition that substantially limits one or more physical activities,
   such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying
    Other: ___________________________

9. Do you have difficulty doing any of the following?
   (Check any that apply to you)
    Learning, remembering, or concentrating?
    Dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home?
    Going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor’s office?
    Working at a job or business?

Collection Instrument for Marking and Verifying Ballots Before Casting: Requirements for Usability and Accessibility
Center for Civic Design - Contract GS-06F-0942Z / Order #333ND18FNB770325