Election Administrators Toolkit
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The Center for Technology and Civic Life leads a session on free and low-cost tools at the Midwest Election Officials Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Election Administrators Toolkit
- 1. Election Administrators Toolkit Free & low-cost tech solutions 2015 Midwest Election Officials Conference Bridging Today With Tomorrow Kansas City, Missouri | Thursday, October 1 | #MEOC2015
- 2. #MEOC2015
- 3. Who is in the room? Whitney May whitney@techandciviclife.org @whitneymaybe Tiana Epps-Johnson tiana@techandciviclife.org @tianaej Kurt Sampsel kurt@techandciviclife.org
- 4. The Center for Technology and Civic Life Using technology to improve how local government and communities interact. @HelloCTCL www.techandciviclife.org
- 5. ELECTricity A learning community of election officials who believe that technology can improve our democracy.
- 6. Why reinvent the wheel?
- 7. Tools to effectively communicate with voters Let’s dive in
- 8. Today’s session 1.Using mobile technology 2.Prioritizing content 3.Writing in plain language
- 9. After this session, you will: • Understand why technology is important when communicating election information. • Know how to best publish election information online. • Have additional tech resources to modernize your office’s communication.
- 10. Make your information available on any device Use mobile technology
- 11. Use mobile technology to share election information 1. Why is mobile important? 2. What are common mobile terms? 3. Breakout exercise 4. Report back to the group 5. Additional mobile tech resources
- 12. The rise of mobile tech
- 13. How we use cell phones • 81% of owners use their phones to send or receive text messages. • 60% of owners use their phones to go online. • 50% of owners use their phones to download apps.
- 14. Common mobile terms Responsive Web Design RWD creates an optimized viewing experience, like easy reading and navigation, across any device. Mobile website A mobile website is developed specifically for a fast and efficient experience on mobile devices. Pages load quickly, content is usually in a list format, and visuals are simplified. Web app A web app is software that runs a task in a web browser. Example: Google Maps on your computer. Native app A native app is built for a certain mobile device. Downloaded directly to the device, usually from an app store. SMS Short Message Service sends text messages to a mobile phone; a smartphone is not required.
- 15. Breakout #1 What apps or websites do you visit most on your phone? What do you like about them? What frustrates you about them?
- 16. Report back
- 17. SMS
- 18. Mobile website
- 19. Mobile app
- 20. Mobile tech resources •Google Developers’ Mobile Guide https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/ •Voting Information Project www.votinginfoproject.org/projects/
- 21. Mobile tech resources •EAC Quick Start Guides – Strengthen Voter Education Programs www.eac.gov/election_management_resources/ quick_start_guides.aspx •CTCL Website Template & Training www.techandciviclife.org/website-trainings/
- 22. What information are voters looking for online? Prioritize content
- 23. Prioritize your online content 1. Breakout exercise 2. Report back to the group 3. What research tells us about the types of questions voters are asking online 4. How your online presence can best meet your voters’ needs 5. Tools to understand what information your voters are looking for
- 24. Your website should reflect voters’ questions, rather than how your office’s work is organized.
- 25. Breakout #2 What are voters’ top 5 questions? Rank them in order of importance to voters.
- 26. Report back
- 28. #2 What are my options for where and how to vote?
- 29. #3 When is the next election? Other key dates?
- 30. #4 How do I contact my election official?
- 31. #5 What happens at the polling place?
- 32. Tools for voter research in your own jurisdiction
- 34. Focus group Victoria Lungu / CC BY
- 35. Web analytics
- 36. Make a plan • Who are you trying to reach? • What are their needs? • What are their pain points? • Are you answering their basic questions? • Are you speaking to them in language they can understand?
- 37. Voter communication resources • CTCL Website Template & Training • Field Guides from the Center for Civic Design: www.civicdesign.org • Google Analytics: www.google.com/analytics • Google Forms: https://docs.google.com/forms
- 38. Help everyone read, understand, and use your information Write in plain language
- 39. Write election information in plain language 1. What is plain language? 2. Why is it important? 3. Breakout exercise 4. Report back to the group 5. Additional plain language resources
- 40. Before: If that oval is not marked, your vote cannot be counted for the candidate.
- 41. After: You must fill in the oval for your vote to count. Source: Center for Civic Design
- 42. Plain language principles • Write in the positive • Use the active voice • Write directly to the reader • Include straightforward, familiar terms • Use short words and short sentences • List important information separate from paragraph text
- 43. Plain language edits Instead of: Adopting a collaborative approach to coordinating the utilization of office equipment would be much appreciated by the office staff. Use: Let’s work as a team to coordinate the use of office equipment. Source: PEI Literacy Alliance
- 44. Why is plain language important? • Reaches people with low literacy. • Avoids misunderstandings. • Saves your office time and money.
- 45. Plain design principles • Align text to the left of the page. • Use a font that is clear and easy to read. • Organize text to create white space on the page.
- 47. Breakout #3 Write information in plain language
- 48. If you tear, or deface, or wrongly mark this ballot, return it and obtain another. Do not attempt to correct mistakes on the ballot by making erasures or cross outs. Erasures or cross outs may invalidate all or part of your ballot. Prior to submitting your ballot, if you make a mistake in completing the ballot or wish to change your ballot choices, you may obtain and complete a new ballot. You have a right to a replacement ballot upon return of the original ballot.
- 49. Report back
- 50. Plain language edits Instead of: If you tear, or deface, or wrongly mark this ballot, return it and obtain another. Do not attempt to correct mistakes on the ballot by making erasures or cross outs. Erasures or cross outs may invalidate all or part of your ballot. Prior to submitting your ballot, if you make a mistake in completing the ballot or wish to change your ballot choices, you may obtain and complete a new ballot. You have a right to a replacement ballot upon return of the original ballot. Use: If you make a mistake, ask a poll worker for another ballot. Source: Center for Civic Design
- 51. 5 steps for plain writing 1. Identify and describe your target audience. 2. Write the content in plain language. 3. Structure the content to guide the reader through it. 4. Use plain design to help the readers see and understand. 5. Test with your audience. www.centerforplainlanguage.org
- 52. Plain language resources • CTCL training & website template • Field Guides from the Center for Civic Design www.civicdesign.org • Center for Plain Language checklist www.centerforplainlanguage.org
- 54. 1/3
- 56. Professional development opportunities with CTCL • In-person training at your office • Online workshop with a small group October 21 – October 23 December 2 – December 4 January 12 – January 14 • Self-paced online course
- 59. Let’s talk shop. Visit our table.
- 60. hello@techandciviclife.org @HelloCTCL www.techandciviclife.org Thank you & the Johnson County Election Office.
Editor's Notes
- There are many familiar faces in the room, but to those of you we haven’t met before: The Center is a non-profit based in Chicago ELECTricity Professional development programs for election officials to build tech skills Occasionally building tools when there are gaps Amplify the reach of the really rich info your offices publish through our civic data programs
- In 2013 we launched our ELECTricity program. Before making any major decisions about the type of services we offered we hopped in Whitney’s minivan and traveled across the country to meet w/ local election offices. We talked with over a hundred people at conferences and in their offices and asked two main questions: 1) what are you proud of? 2) what are challenges you have in your office? Two big themes: Keeping pace w/ new technology & communicating w/ voters, especially using tools like social media >> huge trend toward using tech, but resource strapped offices With those things in mind we got to work and have built a network of hundreds of election officials who believe in the power of technology, want to improve their tech skills, and run excellent elections in their jurisdictions at the same time
- Ethos – especially given limited budget/staff/time, why reinvent the wheel? We highlight offices doing smart things and include guides on how you might to the same in your jurisdiction We also have a training program that – that includes both in-person and online options // usually 2-3 days
- So given that we’re here in the midwest, let’s get to the meat of it. We’re going to spend today’s sessions exploring 3 topics that are vital to effectively communicating with voters. Each section will be interactive – so great ready to talk w/ folks around you. You have a few handouts in front of you. Right now you’re going to want the one with mobile terms in front of you. We left a lot of whitespace to take notes and jot down questions, which we’ll be happy to answer at the end or at our table in vendor hall.
- For each of these topics we’ll cover: What research tells us Highlight real-world examples And explore tools that may be useful for you jurisdictions
- We’ll wrap up with a few opportunities for you to dig deeper into these skills at the very end
- Raise your hand if you own a smartphone. This looks like an above average group. In 2014, according to Pew research, 65% of U.S. adults owned a smartphone. We are using our smartphones for more than just making phone calls, texting emojis, and liking family pictures on Facebook. Increasingly we are using our smartphones to access the Internet and search for issues that we care about, including government services and information. In fact, some people only have access to the Internet via their smartphones, because they do not own a laptop or desktop computer. These are predominantly low-income communities and young people. For these reasons, it’s absolutely necessary that your election website be viewable and easy to navigate on a mobile device. In this section we will discuss the nuts and bolts of using mobile technology to reach people with your election information.
- This graph is from Pew Research Center. The top line is percentage of adults who own a cell phone. It is by far, the most popular piece of mobile technology. You will also notice that the ownership of desktops or laptop computers, the second line from the top, has somewhat plateaued in the last few years, and appears to be declining. Smartphones, the black line in the middle, on the other hand, are increasing in popularity, but are still below the ownership of cell phones.
- We know that when voters can’t find the answers to their questions that they are less likely to vote. They are also more likely to call your office taking up precious staff time and resources.
- In this section we’ll discuss what research tells us about the types of information voters are looking for online, how your online presence should reflect voter’s questions, and how to better understand exactly what questions YOUR voters have.
- The way that we think about our own work doesn’t always match up to way our audience thinks about what we do. If you’ve ever visited a website where you are looking for something very basic, but can’t have to dig to find it, you’ve maybe experienced this. Your website should reflect voters questions, not how you office’s work is organized. Let’s talk about what information voters are looking for online.
- Research is generalizable but
- When to use a community survey: You need a quick and efficient way of getting information You need to reach a large number of people Pro Large numbers of people can give their input Low cost People can respond at their convenience Con Often has low return rate Limited alternative expression of respondent's reaction May not truly represent the whole group
- When to use a focus group: When you are considering the introduction of a new program or service. When you want to ask questions that can't easily be asked or answered on a written survey. When you want to supplement the knowledge you can gain from written surveys. depth and complexity of response group members can often stimulate new thoughts for each other Time and facilitator
- Today we’ve discussed the importance of making your election information mobile-friendly and organizing your online content so it answers’ voters questions. In this final section we will dig into the principles of writing your information in a way so that voters, once they have found your information, can understand it and act on it confidently.
- Studies show that over 40% of U.S. adults have low literacy.
- Who is your audience? What do they want to do? What do they need to know? Readers understand the words the first time they read them. Readers can quickly find the information they are looking for. (effective headings) Readers move through the information quickly. (white space and font size/colors as signposts) Readers find what they need, understand what they find, act on it.
- Based on research from the Center for Civic Design, in 2013 over 900 counties in the U.S. (or 1/3 of counties) did not have an election website.