Usability and accessibility of electronic pollbooks :

Abstract

This document is the third part of a series of documents on the usability of electronic pollbooks. It is supplementary to Part Two in the series, Usability Testing for E-pollbooks: A Test Protocol. In the effort to create this series, dozens of items were identified that can be used to evaluate e-pollbooks for usability and accessibility. These items form the usability checklists in this document and are organized by poll workers’ tasks. They are not absolute requirements, but a guide to evaluating how well a specific e-pollbook supports poll workers and voters in the polling place. Research referenced in this report was conducted in 2017. The use of e-pollbooks presented throughout the document reflects the state of elections in 2017. In the time since this research was performed, e-pollbooks have made progress addressing usability and accessibility issues. Additionally, as part of its ongoing Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) program, the Election Assistance Commission developed the Voluntary Electronic Poll Book Requirements (VEPBR) in collaboration with NIST. This publication is intended to provide a deep dive into how to evaluate the usability and accessibility of e-pollbooks in order to meet the relevant VEPBR user-centered design process and usability testing requirements as well as any state certifications pertaining to usability and accessibility.