Design ideas to improve the usability and security of mail-in ballots

Résumé

Despite the renewed discussion on mail-in voting, there has been little evolution on ballot and protocol design for this specific set of protocol constraints. This paper describes multiple designs pertaining to ballots, envelopes and chain of custody, that seek to improve the usability, accuracy and security of mail-in ballots. Our proposals include stickers to show voters how many selections can be made and where, and foldable envelopes that allows a user to slide their ballot through a viewing area in an organised way. These proposals also address ways of reducing voting errors for people with reading disabilities, short term memory problems, or motor difficulties.

Publication
preprint