我们的方法

本指南是如何制作的

我们收录了什么、如何选择，以及有意省略了什么。

This page is available in English only for now.

What this guide is

A plain-language, illustrated explanation of what a well-run polling place looks like in New Haven, Connecticut, organized as 13 topics and 60 things a voter could notice during one visit. Each item links to the federal or Connecticut law, regulation or official guidance it relates to.

It is made by residents. It is not affiliated with any campaign, party, candidate, or government office, and it does not take positions on candidates or ballot questions.

How the topics were chosen

The thirteen topics follow the main federal voting laws that apply at a polling place (the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act's voting provisions, the National Voter Registration Act, UOCAVA, the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act, the Help America Vote Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act) and the Connecticut rules that carry them out. We kept only observations an ordinary voter could make without special access, measuring tools or legal training.

Topics are ordered on the home page the way a voter meets them: outside, at the door, at check-in, getting help, in the booth, and when something goes wrong. Topics that come up during almost any visit are marked "Likely during any visit"; topics that only come up when a voter needs them are marked accordingly. Topic 11 (military and overseas voters) is a companion topic because it is rarely encountered at the polls.

Observations, not findings

Every item is phrased as something you may notice, not as a legal test. Not noticing something is not evidence of a problem: a provisional ballot or language help only appears when a voter needs it. Each topic also lists what one visit cannot tell you. Submitted observations are unverified firsthand reports. They are not findings of legal compliance or noncompliance, not election challenges, and not a substitute for contacting election officials.

How the legal summaries were written

Summaries were written in plain language from the statutory and regulatory text, targeting roughly a sixth-grade reading level without changing meaning. Every summary links to the official source: the Government Publishing Office edition of the United States Code, the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, ADA.gov, the Connecticut General Assembly and the Connecticut Secretary of the State. Where an official link could not be reached by our automated check, the entry says so and offers an alternative.

The summaries have not been reviewed by an attorney. They are educational, not legal advice. Whether a law applies in a particular situation depends on facts a visitor cannot see.

Illustrations

Illustrations are original vector drawings made for this guide with a shared set of characters and settings, so the series reads as one publication. They show realistic, calm Election Day scenes. They never show real ballots, readable voter records, official seals, or anyone's political choices.

Languages

The language set is based on the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates) for the city of New Haven: after English, Spanish is by far the most common language spoken at home, followed by Chinese, Slavic languages, French and Haitian Creole, and Arabic. English and Spanish are the priority languages. Other languages on this site are machine-assisted drafts awaiting review by qualified translators and are labeled as such. Read the language data and decisions.

Audio

"Listen to this page" uses the voices built into your device, in the page's language, and never starts on its own. The page text is the transcript. Where pre-recorded narration exists, it is used instead; no personal information or submitted observation is ever sent to a speech service.

What we leave out

• No ratings, rankings or scores of polling places.
• No publication of individual observations.
• No questions about party, candidates, ballot choices or immigration status.
• No tracking scripts, advertising, or third-party analytics.

Versions

Content version 2026.11.1, updated 2026-11-03. First published content set: 13 topic groups, 60 observation items, federal and Connecticut authorities. See also 隐私信息.