Better ballot design is not the sole cause for the steep drop in overvotes in New York State elections in 2012 from 2010. Design for machines can matter just as much as the design of ballots in keeping overvotes close to zero.
The best, most reliable voting machine is worthless if a ballot is poorly designed. The dramatic drop in overvotes in New York State elections in 2012 from 2010 illustrate this design need to ensure that voter intent is recorded accurately.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s Office took an important step this election to ensure the ballots of legitimate voters were counted. It’s worth highlighting because it didn’t receive any coverage, yet it’s an important example for other states to follow.
Long lines were the most visible manifestation of voting problems on Election Day, but those issues run deeper. Here are some key takeaways on the problems with our voting system.
In New York's 2010 election, a confusing ballot design and a misleading warning message on voting machines led to as many as 20,000 lost votes in the governor’s contest alone.
