Report of Findings: Use of Language in Ballot Instructions

摘要

In a study of 45 voters in three geographic locations comparing a ballot with traditional language instructions to a ballot with plain language instructions, we collected both performance and preference data. The traditional language was language commonly found in actual ballots across the United States. A detailed explanation of plain language can be found in Part 1 of the full report. For performance data, participants voted on ballots that differed only in the wording and placement of instructions: Ballot A, traditional instructions; Ballot B, plain language instructions. Half of the participants voted in the order Ballot A / Ballot B; the other half in the order Ballot B / Ballot A. For preference data, after voting both ballots, participants commented on 16 pairs of pages, giving us preference page by page, as well as an overall preference at the end.