Baseline usability data for a non-electronic approach to accessible voting

Abstract

The Help America Vote Act mandated that all polling places have an accessible method of voting that provides privacy and independence. Direct Recording Electronic voting machines (DREs) have been assumed to be the solution to providing accessible voting, but there is reason to believe extant systems do not adequately serve this goal (Runyan, 2007). This study is a first step in addressing the lack of existing data on the usability of nonelectronic accessible voting methods and examined the usability of Vote-PAD, a tactile paper ballot. In comparison with sighted users voting on an identical paper ballot, blind users took five times longer to vote. Both blind and sighted voters showed similar error rates and types, and reported similarly high satisfaction with the usability of paper ballots. Blindfolded subjects, representative of newly blind individuals, had reliably lower satisfaction using this interface, and took significantly longer than either blind or sighted subjects. This provides a baseline comparison point for future studies of accessibility solutions, including though not limited to DREs. 1.

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