Does democracy have a design problem?

By Lily Tyson

Published October 31, 2024 at 11:53 AM EDT

A copy of the Palm Beach County, FL, presidential ballot, 08 November 2000, shows the staggering of the candidates on the ballot that lead to some confusion for Palm Beach County voters during polling for the presidential election 07 November. The voting machine would punch a hole by the arrows signifying the voters choice, but some voters apparently punched next to Reform Party nominate Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore.

This hour we talk with experts in ballot design about how to put together a ballot that's accessible to everyone, and all of the things to keep in mind, from font size to the length of candidate's names. Plus, a look at the evolution of ballots throughout history.

GUESTS:

Whitney Quesenbery: Executive Director of the Center for Civic Design
Alicia Cheng: Head of Design at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and author of This is What Democracy Looked Like: A Visual History of the Printed Ballot

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Colin McEnroe, Frankie Devevo, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.