While the 2006 midterm elections were a resounding success for Democrats, some races served to highlight serious and persistent flaws in the administration of our elections. In Florida’s thirteenth Congressional district (the former seat of Bush crony Katherine Harris), lawsuits are being filed after the Republican candidate was certified the winner with a margin of 369 votes–despite the fact that approximately 18,000 voters apparently failed to vote for either candidate. An Orlando Sentinel analysis of those undervotes reveals that those voters solidly backed Democratic candidates in other state races.
Electronic voting machines are receiving much of the blame for this mess, but as a couple good posts at TalkLeft point out, the real culprit seems to be the design of the electronic ballot. If electronic voting devices are indeed here to stay, election officials need to familiarize themselves with some basic theories about user interface design and how the human brain processes written information. Part of my job involves the creation and review of forms and other written materials. It’s a painstaking process that requires constant peer review and revision. I’m not sure that always happens in elections offices, especially elections offices in Florida.
