Maryland 2002 Election Usability
Benjamin B. Bederson
Computer Science Department
Human-Computer Interaction Lab
University of Maryland, College Park
Reporting results from work with
Paul Herrnson
Owen Abbe
Dept. of Government and Politics
www.cs.umd.edu/~bederson/voting
2002 Election Exit Poll
Montgomery & Prince George’s
Counties
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 Administered broad exit poll




questionnaire
1,276 respondents
22 precincts in two counties
response rate was 74.6%
 Summary:
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Majority like new system
But significant minority have concerns
Diebold AccuVote-TS
Deployed at 2002 General Election
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Voter Acceptance
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 The voting system was easy
 I was comfortable using the system
 Characters on the screen were easy
to read
 Terminology on screen was precise
 Correcting my mistakes was easy
 I am confident that my vote was
accurately recorded
94%
93%
94%
93%
91%
90%
Voter Trust
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 Previously, voters had used punch
cards or mechanical lever systems.
 I trust the previous voting machine
 I trust the touch screen voting machine
71%
91%
Problems Using the System
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 Asked for help using the machine
 Received help using the machine
 Experienced technical problems
9%
17%
3%
 Election officials are pro-active
 Most technical problems are with cards
 Navigation was troublesome – sometimes
jumping multiple screens
 Couldn’t change language after selection
 Ballot review with scrollbar was difficult
Usability and Assistance
by Computer Use
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Usability and Assistance
100%
80%
Frequence of Computer
Use <= 1/month
60%
Frequence of Computer
Use 2/month - 2/week
40%
Frequence of Computer
Use >= 3/week
20%
Got help
using
machine
Asked for
help using
machine
Terminology
was precise
0%
Voting
system
easy to use
Percentage Reporting
120%
Frequency of Computer Use
Assistance by Education
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Assistance by Education
35%
30%
Percent received
25%
20%
No college
Some college to BS
15%
Graduate school
10%
5%
0%
Asked for help
Got help
Assistance and Trust
by Race
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Assistance and Trust by Race
100%
90%
Percent received
80%
70%
60%
Black
50%
White
Other
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Asked for help
Got help
Trust machine
Assistance and Trust by Sex
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Assistance and Trust by Sex
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Female
50%
Male
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Asked for help
Received help
Percent received
Trust machine
Assistance by Age
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Assistance by Age
30%
25%
20%
18 to 24
23 to 34
15%
35 to 49
50 to 64
10%
65 or older
5%
0%
Asked for help
Received help
Percent received
Information Visualization
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 Visualization helps users see patterns
and detect outliers in large data sets
 A ballot is a large dataset
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Most DREs show less than 4 races per screen
How do voters understand how they voted?
 Show more than fits on the screen by:
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Good, dense information design
Overview+detail
Abstracted representations
Simple navigation mechanisms
Navigating Large Spaces
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 Imagine driving from NY to CA with
only street maps.
 You need abstracted overview maps
– that show states and highways.
 We have the same problem with
voting systems:
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How do you get an overview of the state
of your ballot?
A Motivating Example
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 Zoomable User Interface (ZUI)
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Single screen interface
Overview + Detail
Natural navigation and
progress indication
Conclusion
University of Maryland, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
 Studies leave us optimistic, but concerned
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With elections called by 1%, leaving 10%
unconfident voters is a problem
 The requirements of DREs are unique, but
the design issues aren’t
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Typical of public access information systems
Need closer work with HCI professionals
Need qualitative and quantitative user studies
Need further field studies
www.cs.umd.edu/~bederson/voting