About
To us, democracy is a design problem.
The centerpiece of solving that problem is ensuring voter intent through design. Our goal is to make every interaction with government easy, effective, and pleasant.
Through our work, we have helped hundreds of election officials create the materials that are the touchpoints of the voter journey, and touched millions of voters in important ways.
We bring civic design skills in research, usability, design, accessibility, and plain language to improve the voting experience, make elections easier to run, and invite participation in elections.
The voter journey—all of the information, decisions, interactions that get a voter from an intention to vote to actually casting a ballot—is a story of seemingly small barriers that can add up to a vote not cast. We aim to smooth out those barriers, help more people vote, and strengthen democracy.
We approach the challenge of democracy as a design problem through the intersection of voters, elections administration, and policy.
Elections place too many burdens on voters. We start with the voter experience, because the burdens on voters—especially those who have been historically disenfranchised—contribute to low participation and a break down in trust in US elections.
Elections need excellent design. Election materials can be confusing in ways that create barriers to for everyone: voters, officials, and advocates. When we work with elections offices, we not only help solve immediate problems but add to our toolkit of materials that can be used across the country.
We are also leading authorities on usability and accessibility for elections, helping set requirements for ballot design and voting systems from the first version of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines.
Civic design starts with good policy. When policy is designed well, it invites participation. We bring a design approach to existing election procedures and to imagining how elections can engage voters with innovative new policies.
Key supporters and partners
And individual donors
We are also supported by our partners in election departments across the country, with the generous gift of their time and expertise.
The Center for Civic Design is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational research organization, registered in Maryland. Our Federal EIN is 46-3535619. Information about our governance or financial reporting is available on request.
Official address: 5443 Tates Bank Road, Cambridge, MD 21613