Vote-by-Mail Envelope Design for Californiaelections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/guidance.pdfDec...

Design Documentation

Vote-by-MailEnvelopeDesignforCaliforniaDecember15,2017

In2018,thefirstcountiesinCaliforniawillstartthetransitiontoanewelectionsmodelundertheVoter’sChoiceAct,inwhichallvoterswillreceivetheirballotsbymail,withoptionstoreturnthembymailordropbox,ortheycanchoosetovoteinperson.

Tohelpprepareforthistransition,theCenterforCivicDesignhasworkedwiththeCaliforniaSecretaryofState’soffice,countyelectionoffices,andnationalexpertstodesigntemplatesforthevote-by-mailpackages,includingtheenvelopessentoutbythelocalelectionoffices,theballotreturnpackages,andtheinstructionsforvoters.

Thegoalsforthedesign

Thegoalofthisprojectistocreatematerialsthatcanbeusedinanycounty,whetheritisimplementingthefullVoter’sChoiceActornot.Aconsistentdesignforvote-by-mailwillhelpelectionofficesandadvocacygroupshelpvotersidentifyandusevote-by-mailmoreeffectively.Itisalsoafreshdesigntogoalongwithanewvotingmodel.

Thisdesignisintendedtobeaflexibletemplate,providingconsistencyandalogicallayout,whileallowingforvariationsbasedonthesizeandlayoutofdifferentenvelopestylesandelectionmanagementsystems.

Anotherimportantgoalisavote-by-mailpackagethatevennewvoters,voterswithlowliteracy,orvoterswithlowcivicliteracycanuseaccurately,toreducethenumberofballotsthatcannotbecountedorrequirecorrections.

Vote-by-mailenvelopedesignforCalifornia-December15,2017 Page2CenterforCivicDesign|OxideDesignCo.

Asuccessfuldesignwillmakeiteasierforvoterstovotebymail,withinaffordableandrobustelectionadministration.Thedesignmustworkforallstakeholders:

• Makeiteasierforvoterstorecognizeandreturntheirballotaccurately,withclear,effectiveinstructions.

• SupportbilingualballotstomeetVotingRightsActlanguageaccessrequirements,whilestillmakingtheenvelopeseasytoreadanduse.

• Improveelectionadministrationbycreatingmaterialsthatreduceerrorsandmakeiteasiertoprocessvote-by-mailballots.

• Supportastatewidevotereducationcampaignabouthowtovotebymail,bycreatingrecognizableconsistencyacrossthestate.

• Supportlocalelectionofficeswithflexibilitytocustomizethetemplatestolocalinformationandtheirproceduresandsystemsforhandlingvote-by-mailmaterials.

• SupportaccuratehandlinganddeliveryofballotssentthroughtheUSPostalService(USPS).

What’sinthedesign?

Thedesignincludes:

• Alogicalarrangementofthecontentelementsthatcanbeadaptedtodifferentenvelopesystems.

• Alayoutthatcanadapttodifferentsizeenvelopes,withinareasonablerangeofsizesincommonuse.

• Sampletextfortheenvelopesandinstructionalinsertsthatcanbecustomizedtotheneedsofeachcounty.

• Guidelinesforhowcolorcanbeusedconsistentlyandmeaningfullytosupporteasyidentificationoftheenvelopesandspecifications.

• Sampleinstructioninserts.


TableofContents

Envelopelayouts..............................................................................................4Outgoingenvelopefront 4Outgoingenvelopeback 5Returnenvelopefront 6Returnenvelopebackwithoverprinting 7

Usingcolorstoidentifyballottypesandcounties.............................................8Vote-by-mailcolorpalette 9

Descriptionoftheelementsontheenvelopes...............................................10PostalandElectionMailrequirements 10Identificationasanofficialvote-by-mailenvelope 13Signaturesandotherforms 14Voter’sdeclarationandwarnings 17Finalchecklistandreminders 18Instructionsontheenvelope 19Envelopestructuralelements 20

Instructionsinsertorsecrecysleeve...............................................................21

Ballotsecrecyandsignaturesecurity..............................................................23

Listofelementsontheenvelopes..................................................................24

Howweranthisproject.................................................................................25

Sourcesforrequirements...............................................................................26


EnvelopelayoutsThelayoutsaredesignedforapproximately6”x9”envelopes.PleaseseetheseparatePDFfileforfull-size,higherresolutionimages.Theselayoutsareintendedasaguidetouseincreatingaccuratelayoutsforyourenvelopestyle.

Outgoingenvelopefront


Outgoingenvelopeback


Returnenvelopefront


ReturnenvelopebackwithoverprintingTextundertheflapnotshowninthisview


UsingcolorstoidentifyballottypesandcountiesThecolorsoftheenvelopeshelpvotersandelectionadministratorsidentifydifferenttypesofballotenvelopeseasily.ThecolorsarealsohelpfulfortheUSPS,becausetheyhelpdistinguishenvelopesontheirwaytovotersfromthosereturningtotheelectionsoffice.Thecolorwrapsaroundtheedgeoftheenvelopesoitisvisibleinastackofmailersmakingthemeasytoidentifyatthepostalfacility.[4]

• Alloutgoingenvelopesusethesamecolor,amediumblue.

• Thestandardcolorforreturnenvelopesisadarkgreen.Therearealso7alternativecolors(3additionalcolorsand4lightervariations)thatcanbeusedforoverlappingspecialelectionsreturnenvelopes,todifferentiateneighboringcounties,or(fornon-VCAcounties)toidentifyallVBMdistrictsvs.voterswhohavechosenvote-by-mail.

• UOCAVAreturnenvelopesusebrownoranalternativelightertan.

• Provisionalballotsusepink.CVRprovisionalballotsuseyellow.

Exampleofhowcolorsmightbeusedintwoneighboringcounties


Vote-by-mailcolorpalette

Theenvelopecolorsmeetaccessibilityrequirementsforlargewhitetext.ThedarkcolorsmeetWCAG2.0LevelAAAat7:1contrast.ThelightercolorsmeetLevelAAat4.5:1contrast.Theprovisionalenvelopecolorshavegreaterthan10:1contrastwithblacktext.


Descriptionoftheelementsontheenvelopes

PostalandElectionMailrequirements

Outgoingenvelope

Returnenvelope(top)

(A)Electionmaillogo

(B)FacingIdentificationMark(FIM)

(C)PostagePaidorPostageinstructions

(D)Countyreturnaddress

(E)Returnservicerequestednotice

(*/F)Voter’smailingaddress(andwindowontheoutgoingenvelope)

(G)Electionofficemailingaddress(onreturnenvelopefront)

(H)IntelligentMailBarcode(IMB)

InthisdesigntheUSPS“addressingarea”isthespacetotherightofthecoloredarea.

ThissectionincludesalloftheelementsneededtoaccuratelysendtheenvelopesthroughtheUSPostalService.Whendesigninganenvelope,pleaseconsultthepostalmanualstobesureyouunderstandtheentirerequirement.[3]

ElectionMaillogoSeeUSPSPub631forinformationabouttheelectionmaillogo.

• Followrequirementsforclearspacerequiredaroundthelogo.

• Besuretousethecorrectsizeofthelogo-mostvote-by-mailenvelopeswillusethemediumsize.

FacingIdentificationMarks(FIM)FollowUSPSspecificationsforspacingandplacementofthesemarks,whichareusedtohelptheautomationequipmentfindthefrontoftheenvelope.


PostagePaidorPostageinstructionsFollowUSPSregulationsforthepostageblockintheupperrightcorner.

• Textmustbeaminimumof8points.

Researchwithlow-literacy,lowcivicengagementvotersininnercityBaltimoresuggeststhattheinstruction“PostageRequired.PostOfficewillnotdeliverwithoutproperpostage”ismoreeffectiveifplacedbelowanemptyrectanglebecauseparticipantsinterpretedanythingexceptanemptyboxtobepostage-paidmail.[7]

ElectionofficereturnaddressSeeUSPSDMM-603foraddressinginstructions.

• Theelectionofficereturnaddressontheoutgoingenvelopemustmatchthepostalpermitnumberusedforpostage.BesuretoincludethefullZIP+4.

• Forreturnenvelopesthatare“CourtesyReturn”(thatis,notpostage-paidreturn),USPSrequiresthattherebeaplaceforareturnaddress.

• Thelayoutleavesablankspaceonthereturnenvelopecorrespondingtothelocationoftheelectionofficereturnaddressontheoutgoingenvelope.Somemailingspecialistssuggestincluding3blanklinesforthevotertowriteareturnaddress.(USPS703.82.5)

AncillaryServiceEndorsementsSeeUSPSPub507dforreturnserviceoraddressservicerequests.

• Thereare4possiblelocationsforthistext,withthespaceunderthereturnaddresstheleastconfusingonthecrowdedoutgoingballot.

• Anendorsementmustbeatleast8-pointtypeinallcapitalletters.Itmuststandoutclearlyagainstthebackgroundandhave¼”clearspaceonallsides.

IntelligentMailBarcode(IMB)SeeIMBdetailsandguidelinesathttps://ribbs.usps.gov.

• TheIntelligentMailBarcodes(IMB)supporttheUSPSIntelligentMailServices,includingtrackingmailpieces.

Mailingaddresses• Theelectionofficemailingaddressisprintedonthefrontofthereturn

envelope,withtheassociatedIMBcode.


• Thevoter’soutgoingmailingaddressiseitherprintedonthebackofthereturnenvelopeandshowsthroughawindowintheoutgoingenvelope,orcanbeprintedontheoutgoingenvelope.

Anopenissue:thevoter’soutgoingmailingaddressThelocationandtreatmentofthevoter’soutgoingmailingaddressisstillanopenissue.Electiondepartmentswanttoprintitonthebackofthereturnenvelopesoitshowsthroughawindowintheoutgoingenvelope.Thisallowsalloftheinformationforeachvotertobeprintedononeenvelope,eliminatingthechallengeofsynchronizingtwoenvelopesandtheballottypes.

However,duringthe2016election,somereturnedenvelopesweredeliveredbacktothevoter,whenpostalautomationequipmentreadthevoter’saddressandIMBasthedestination.TheUSPSisstilltestingpossiblesolutionstothisissue.

Suggestedsolutionsbeingtestedinclude:

• PlacingtwoduplicateIMBaboveandbelowtheelectionsofficemailingaddressonthefrontofthereturnenvelope.Thismayincreasethealgorithmic“weight”ofthatsideoftheenvelopefortheautomationequipment.[3]

• PlaceanIMBfortheelectionsofficeinthelowerrightcornerofthebackofthereturnenvelope,whereitishiddenbelowthewindowontheoutgoingenvelope,butvisiblefortheautomationequipmentduringthereturntrip.[13]

Pleaseconsultyourelectionmailspecialistbeforefinalizingyourenvelopelayout.


Identificationasanofficialvote-by-mailenvelope

OutgoingenvelopeReturnenvelope

Identificationasanofficialballot

(I)Countyseal[8]

(J)Officialballotnotice[1-a.5]

(K)Envelopetype(returnenvelope)

(L)Canvassingboardnotice(returnenvelope)[1-a.5]

(W)Deadlines

(ø)Coloredarea

Backofthereturnenvelope

Identificationofthecountyandelection

(M)Thenameofthecounty[13]

(N)Thenameanddateoftheelection[13]

OfficialballotidentificationandcanvassingboardnoticeInthecoloredarea,thecountysealandtextidentifytheenvelopeandwhatitholds.

• Thecountysealorotherofficiallogoappearsonallenvelopes.Althoughvotersmightnotidentifyaspecificcountyseal,theydoseeseals,ingeneral,asasignofofficialinformation.Itwillalsohelpelectionworkersdifferentiatebetweenenvelopesfromtheircountyoranotherone.

• Bothoutgoingandreturnenvelopesincludenoticethattheenvelopecontainsanofficialballot.

• TheReturnEnvelopeisnamedintheidentificationsoitcanbematchedtoinstructions,makingiteasierforvoterstounderstandwhichenvelopetouse.

• Thereturnenvelopeincludesanoticethatthereturnedballotistobeopenedonlybythecanvassingboard.


Deadlinesforreturningtheballotbymailorbydroppingitoff• Thedeadlinesforreturningtheballotareincludedsothatthiscritical

informationisavailabletothevoterontheenvelopeitself.

Duringusabilitytestingoftheprototypes,voterswantedthistextaslargeaswouldfitontheenvelopeeasily.[14]

Identificationofthecountyandtheelection• Printingthenameofthecountyonthebackofthereturnenvelopeishelpful

forelectionadministration,sothataworkerlookingonlyatthebackoftheenvelopecaneasilyidentifyballotsfromanothercounty

SignaturesandotherformsCaliforniaElectionsCode3011and354[1]requireseveraldifferentsignaturesontheballotreturnenvelope.Thissectionincludesalloftheadditionalformsthevotermayneedtocompletesigningandsealingtheenvelope.Thelayoutalsoincludesrelateddesignelementsthathelpmaketheenvelopeseasiertouse.

Alloftheseelementsareonthebackofthereturnenvelopesothatsomeoneexaminingtheenvelopecanseethemallatthesametime.

Themostimportantoftheseformsistheareaforthevoter’ssignatureandrelatedinformation.

Totheextentpossiblewithdifferentenvelopestyles,thelocationofthesignatureonthereturnenvelopeshouldbeasconsistentaspossible,sothatstatewidevotereducationcanaccuratelyportraythelocation.[5]

Evenifthesignatureareamovessothatitcanbeplacedappropriatelyaroundtheenvelopeflaporbelowapeel-awaytabthathidesthevotersignature,thesignatureareashouldbeconsistentlyplacedbelowthevoter’sdeclaration.


Votersignatureareawithwitnesssignature

Blanksignatureform

Formwithvoterinformationprinted

(O)Voter’ssignature[1-a.2]

(P)Thedateofsigning[1-a.4]

(Q)Voter’snameandregistrationaddress[1-a.3]

(R)Voterscancodefortheelectionmanagementsystem[13]

(S)Awitnesstoamarkinplaceofasignature[354.5]

(+)Holestoidentifythesignaturearea[12]

Voter’ssignatureandaddressThevoter’ssignatureblockincludesseveralelements,arrangedinaconsistentlayout.

• Theareaforthevoter’ssignatureisenclosedinarectangle,withalargeXinside.Thismakesitvisuallydistinct,andencouragesvoterstosignwithinthespaceprovided.Thisalsohelpswithsignatureverificationforbothmanualandautomatedsystems.Noothersignatureontheenvelopeshouldhavethismarkorbeenclosedinabox.[4,9,10]

• Thetitleforthisareaisaninstruction,“Voter:signhereinink,”placedjustabovethesignaturebox,with“Powerofattorneynotacceptable”insmalltypeonthesamelineorjustbelowit.[4,9,10]

Duringusabilitytestingoftheprototypes,votersaskedwhethertheyhadtosigninink.Theywantedconfirmationthattheyhadallthedetailsright.[14]

• Punchedholesaroundthesignatureareacanserveasguidestohelpblindorlowliteracyvoterssignaccurately


Thetwoholeshelpblindvoterstotactilelyidentifythelocationofthesignaturespaceandthecorrectorientationoftheenvelope.Onegoesallthewaythroughtheenvelope,oneonlythroughthefrontorback.[12]

Blankorpre-printedformTheformforthevoter’sname,andaddresscanbeleftblank,tobefilledinbythevoter,orcanbeprintedontheenvelopeaspartoftheaddressingprocess.

• Whenanamemustbeprinted,includethatinformationintheprompt,makingitaclearerdirection.[4,10,14]

• Printingthenamehelpsavoidspousalswaps(whenfamilymembersreturntheirballotintheother’senvelope).Thiscausesproblemswhenthewrongvoteris“checkedin”ashavingreturnedaballot.[4]

• Preprintingthevoter’sregistrationaddress(ratherthantheaddressfortheirvote-by-mailballot)ontheenvelopehelpslowliteracyandlowcivicliteracyvoterscomplywiththisrequirementforacceptingavote-by-mailballot.

• Somecountiesalsoprintasmallcodethatcanbescannedtobringupthevoter’srecordintheEMS.

WitnesssignatureareaAwitnesstothesignatureisrequiredforvoterswhoonlymakeamark.

• Thissignatureshouldbeplacedonaline(notinabox)sothatitdoesnotcompetewiththecriticalvotersignature.

Duringusabilitytestingoftheprototypes,voterswereconfusedaboutwhosenametowriteandwhoshouldsignwhenthepromptjustsaid“Name”[14]

Bearernameandsignature

Backofthereturnenvelope

(T)Bearer’snameandsignature[1-a.9,10,11]


Californialawrequiresthatifsomeoneotherthanthevoterreturnsavote-by-mailballot,theymustbeidentified.Thissectionofthecodewasamendedin2017toallowanyperson,notjustthosewithalistofspecificrelationships.

• Thename,relationship,andsignatureofapersonauthorizedtoreturnaballotforavoterisinasmallformontheoutsideflapoftheenvelope.

Inusabilitytestingtheprototype,voterswereconfusedaboutwhosenameandsignaturewasneeded,sothepromptwaschangedtosay“Theirname”and“Theirsignature”toclearlyidentifywhoshouldsign.[14]

• Thenameanddateoftheelectionishelpfultoensurethatonlyenvelopeswithvoterinformationforthecurrentelectionareused.Itisalsousefulinthecaseofoverlappingspecialelections.Itisalsoonthebackofthereturnenvelopewithotheractiveelements.

Voter’sdeclarationandwarnings

(V)Voter’sDeclaration(1-a.1,8)

(X)Signaturewarning(1-a.6)

(Y)Votingtwicewarning(1-a.7)

Thevoter’sdeclarationincludesseveralsections:

• Adeclaration,underpenaltyofperjury,statingthatthevoterresideswithintheprecinctinwhichheorsheisvotingandisthepersonwhosenameappearsontheenvelope.(a.1)

• Astatementthatthevoterhasneitherapplied,norintendstoapply,foravotebymailvoter’sballotfromanyotherjurisdictionforthesameelection(a.8)

• Awarningthatthevotermustsigntheenvelopeinhisorherownhandwritingandthatitmustmatchthevoterregistrationsignaturefortheballottobecounted.(a.7)

• Awarningthatvotingtwiceisacrime.(a.6)


Finalchecklistandreminders

(Z)“Beforeyouseal”checklist

(U)Howtogetareplacementballot

Afinalchecklist,placedsothatitisvisibleastheenvelopeissealedremindsvotersto:

• Signthevoter’sdeclaration

• Puttheirballotintheenvelope

InShastaCounty,somevoterscheckedoffitemsintheinstructionsandthefinalchecklist,showingthattheyhadseenandusedthisinformation.[11]

Otherhelpfulremindersincludehowtocorrectamistakeontheballot.Thisinformationcanbeintheinstructionsinsertinmoredetail,butshouldalsobeontheballot.

• Howtogetareplacementballot[13]


Instructionsontheenvelope

(AA)Messagearea

(BB) Contactinformation

(CC) Howtoreturntheballot

Theoutgoingenvelopehasroomonthebackforinstructionsorotherhelpfulinformation

Messagearea• Thebackflapoftheoutgoingenvelopecanbeusedforamessage.Thisarea

cancallattentiontoanythingnewintheelection–suchastheVoter’sChoiceAct

Contactinformation• Thecontactinformationshouldincludeallofthewaystocommunicatewith

theelectionsoffice,includinginformationinanylanguagestheofficesupports.

SummaryofhowtoreturntheballotTheotherareaforinstructionsisanoverviewofhowtoreturntheballot.

• Theinformationistailoredtoeachcountyandtheoptionsavailable.

• Includealinktofindalistofdropboxes,pollingplaces,andvotecenters.

• Bilingualenvelopeshaveashorterversiontoallowbothlanguagestofit.

• Bothversionsuseiconstoillustrateeachoption.


EnvelopestructuralelementsSomefeaturesarebuiltintotheenvelope,ratherthanprintedonit.Whenthesefeaturesareused,thelayoutoftheotherelementsmayneedtoshifttofittheenvelopedimensions.

• Thebottomofanaddresswindowshouldbeatleast¾ofaninchfromthebottomoftheenvelopetoensurethestabilityoftheenvelope.

• Apunchedholeinthereturnenvelopeshowselectionworkersifaballotisintheenvelopewithoutopeningit.Thisholemightbepartofthepairofholessurroundingthevoter’ssignatureareaasaguide.

• Someoutgoingenvelopeshaveasmallwindowpositionedtomakeiteasytocheckthatthecorrectballottypehasbeeninsertedintoeachenvelope.

• Usingasignatureprivacytabmeansthatthesignatureareamustbepositionedundertheflapofthereturnenvelope

• AnycoloredareathatwrapstothebackoftheenvelopemustbenarrowenoughthatitdoesnotinterferewiththeUSPSclearspacearoundtheaddressorautomationfeatures.Amaximumof½”isagoodstartingruleofthumb.

• Thesizeofthereturnenvelopeshouldallowvoterstoeasilyfitallofthematerials(includingballotandsecrecysleeve,ifused).

IntheVSAPstudy,whenthefitwastootight,participantsworriedthattheenvelopewould“notstaysafelysealedinthemail.”[6]


InstructionsinsertorsecrecysleeveTosupportvoters,thedesignincludesavoterguideinsertwithdetailedinstructions,appropriatetowhetherthecountyhasimplementedtheVoter’sChoiceAct.Theseinsertsgivevoterscomplete,clear,plainlanguageinstructionsincludedwithintheballotpackagethatwalksthroughtheentireprocessfrommarkingtheballottoreturningit.

Theinstructionsinclude:

• Theprocessforvoting,includingremindingvoterstoreturntheirballot[5,7,8]

• Alistofoptionsforreturningtheballot,includingdropboxes[4,13]

• Awaytofindthelocationanywheretoreturnavote-by-mailballot[4,12]

• InstructionsforRemoteAccessibleVotebyMail,ifavailable[413]

• Thedeadlineforreturningballotsandanyrelatedrequirements[1,4,13]

Somecountiesuseasecrecysleevesotheballotisprotectedwhiletheballotisbeingopened.Instructionsformarkingtheballotcanbeprintedonthesecrecysleeve.Finalinstructionsforsigningthereturnenvelopeandreturningtheenvelope,however,shouldbeonaninsertthatisnotreturnedwiththeballot.

InusabilitytestinginBaltimore,participantshadlesstroubleunderstandinghowtopacktheirballotwhenaninnerenvelopeorsecrecysleevewasdistinctinsizeandappearancefromthemailingenvelope.[7]

Goodpracticeforpackingtheenvelopesistopacktheballotinsideanyinstructioninsertorasecrecysleevesovotersnoticeit.[6,7]


SampleinsertsThesampleinsertsinahalf-pagebrochure

Cover

Howtovote

Electionnameanddate

Optionsforreturningtheballot

Informationaboutpollingplacesorvotecenters

Insideleft

Mark,seal,andsignyourballot

Instructionsforvoting

Howtogetareplacementballot

Howtotrackyourballot

Insideright

50waystoreturnyourballot

Informationaboutoptionsandhours

Maptoshowrangeoflocations

Back

Accessiblevoting

Accessiblevotingmachines

Accessibleremotevoting(ifavailable)

Languagesupport

Contactinformation

ThesampleinsertisavailableonlineasaPowerPointfileinthreeversions:

• EnglishversionfortheVoter’sChoiceActcounties

• SpanishversionfortheVoter’sChoiceActcounties

• Englishversionforothercounties

Thetranslationsfilesarealsoavailable.ThetranslationsweremadebyCTSLanguageLink,buthavenotbeenverified.


BallotsecrecyandsignaturesecurityThereisawidevarietyofdesignsforhowballotsecrecyisprotectedandwhethersignaturesarehiddenorexposedonthereturnenvelope.

Althoughelectionofficialsdonotreportmanyissueswithexposedsignatures,inanageofincreasingidentifytheft,hidingthevoter’ssignaturemightbeanissueinthefuture.

Thereissomeevidencethatvoters,especiallyincities,donottruststreet-cornermailboxesassafeorsecure[7,11].Officialsinotherall-vote-by-mailstatesreportthatasignificantmajorityofballotsarereturnedusingdrop-boxesorotherelectionoffice.Thismaybemotivatedbythedesiretoreturntheballotdirectlytoanarmoftheelectionoffice,concernsaboutUSPSreliability,concernsaboutprotectingtheirpersonalinformation,oramixofalloftheseissues.

HidingthesignatureThereareseveralenvelopedesignsthathidethesignatureinuse.Theyinclude:

• Largeenvelopeflapsthatcovertheentireformwiththevoter’ssignatureandaddress.Typicallytheflapcanbeopenedwithoutopeningthepartoftheenvelopeholdingtheballot,sotheballotremainssecretuntilthevoterisauthenticated.

• Rolledenvelopeflaps,whicharefoldedtwicetohidethesignature.Likethelargeflaps,themaincompartmentoftheenvelopeisopenedseparately.

• Signaturewindowsorsmallsectionsoftheenvelopethataretornawaytorevealthesignature.

Thesedesigns,however,haveanimpactonelectionadministrationprocesses,asalmostallofthemrequiretheenvelopetobehandledtwice:oncetorevealthesignaturesothevotercanbeauthenticated,andasecondtimetoopentheenvelopeandextracttheballot.

Otherballotsecurityorprivacysolutions• Inaddition,somecountiespositionthesignatureblocksothevotersignsover

thesealedflap,makingtamperingeasiertodetect.

• Somecountiesincludeasecrecysleeve.Thisisapaperfolderopenontwosides,whichprotectstheballotfromcasualvisualinspectionastheenvelopeisopened.


ListofelementsontheenvelopesID Name Used on PostalandmailingelementsA ElectionMaillogo Outgoing,ReturnB FIM Outgoing,ReturnC USPSPostage Outgoing,ReturnD Countyreturnaddress Outgoing

E Returnservicerequested OutgoingF Voter’smailingaddress ReturnG Electionofficemailingaddress ReturnH IntelligentMailBarcode(IMB) Outgoing(voter),Return(office)ElementstoidentifytheenvelopeorelectionI Countyseal AllJ OfficialVBMnotice Outgoing,ReturnK Envelopetype ReturnL Canvassingboardnotice ReturnM Nameofcounty ReturnN Nameanddateofelection Returnø Coloredarea AllVoter’ssignatureandotherformsO Voter’ssignature ReturnP Dateofsigning ReturnQ Voter’snameandregistrationaddress ReturnR Voter’sEMSscancode ReturnS Witnesssignature ReturnT Bearer’snameandsignature ReturnVoter’sdeclarationandothernoticesandremindersV Voter’sdeclaration ReturnW Electiondeadlinenotice ReturnX Signaturemustmatch ReturnY Votingtwiceisacrime ReturnZ Beforeyousealchecklist ReturnInstructionsAA Promotionalarea OutgoingBB Contactinfoforelectionsoffice OutgoingCC Howtoreturninstructions OutgoingStructuralelementsontheenvelope* Windowtoshowvoter’saddress Outgoing+ Holestoidentifythesignaturearea Return


HowweranthisprojectThedesignguidelinesaredrawnfromtheCenter’sexperiencetestingavarietyofelectionmaterials,includingvote-by-mailenvelopesinBaltimoreandShastaCounty,voterregistrationforms,otherelectionforms,andusabilitytestingofdesignprototypes,aswellasfromtheexperienceandwisdomoftheelectionofficialswhohaveworkedonthisprojectwithus.

Preparationfortheprojectincluded:

• Reviewandanalysisofthecontentsandformatcurrentvote-by-mailenvelopesfromallCaliforniacounties,collectedbytheSecretaryofState’soffice.

• ReviewoftheCaliforniaElectionCoderequirementsforinformationandformsonvote-by-mailreturnenvelopes.

• ReviewofUSPostalServicerequirementsforelectionmail.

• Reviewofbestpracticesinvote-by-maildesignsfromotherstates.

• Reviewofrecentresearchonvote-by-maildesignandworkconductedfortheVotingSystemAssessmentProject.

Feedbackduringtheprojectincludedseveralsources:

• ReviewandfeedbackfromCaliforniaelectionofficialsandtheSecretaryofState’soffice.

• ReviewandfeedbackfromtheUSPSElectionMailunitandotherexpertsonelectionmail,includingTammyPatrick.

• UsabilitytestingwithvotersinCalaveras,SantaCruz,Shasta,andTuolumnecounties,includingreviewofthereturnedenvelopesbyelectionofficialsinthosestates.

Wecreatedsampleenvelopes:

• WeusedthemostcommonsizeinthecollectionofenvelopesinuseinCalifornia—9.5”x6.5”outgoingenvelopesand9”x6”returnenvelopes.

• ThefirstsetincludedoutgoingandreturnenvelopesinEnglishandbilingualEnglishandSpanish.Afterusabilitytestingthebilingualreturnenvelopeswerereprintedwithcorrections.


SourcesforrequirementsElectionofficialssuggestedmanyoftherequirementsduringourinterviews.Othersourcesthateitherconfirmedthatinputoraddedspecificdetailsbasedonpolicyorresearcharelistedhere.

1. CaliforniaElectionsCodeSection3011and354

2. USPSPublications(includingPub631OfficialElectionMail—GraphicGuidelines)

3. USPSpresentationstotheEACStandardsBoard,CACEO,andotherconferences

4. PresentationsorpersonalcommunicationwithTammyPatrick(PresidentialCommissiononElectionAdministrationandpostalelectionmailexpert)

5. CaliforniaSecretaryofState’sOfficepresentationsorpersonalcommunication

6. “Vote-by-MailResearchReport”–LACountyVSAPandIDEO,March2016

7. “MakingVotingbyMailUsable,Accessible,andInclusive”–KathrynSummers,WhitneyQuesenbery,AmyPointer,paperatAHFE2016

8. “BestPracticesforOfficialVoterGuides”–CenterforCivicDesignandLeagueofWomenVotersofCalifornia

9. Showcase:AbsenteeBallotInstructionsinMinnesota–CenterforCivicDesignandMinnesotaSecretaryofState’sOffice

10. Showcase:VoterregistrationformsinPennsylvania(andothers)–CenterforCivicDesignandPennsylvaniaSecretaryofState’sOffice

11. Usabilitytestingvote-by-mailenvelopesinShastaCounty(2015)

12. Oregonvote-by-mailaccessibleenvelopedesign

13. FeedbackfromCaliforniaelectionsofficialsormailingspecialists

14. UsabilitytestingforthisprojectwithvotersinCalaveras,SantaCruz,Shasta,andTuolumneCounties(November2017)

Downloadthisreport

Youcandownloadacopyofthisreportandallsamplefilesforenvelopelayoutsandinsertsfrom:

https://www.civicdesign.org/projects/vote-by-mail

Formoreinformation

Ifyouwouldlikemoreinformationaboutthisproject,orhelpusingthesedesignstoupdateyourvote-by-mailenvelopes,we’dlovetotalktoyou:

CenterforCivicDesign

www.civicdesign.org

[email protected]

410-921-6811

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