California Voter Registration Typography
In the first election I was old enough to vote in, I, like many Democrats, unenthusiastically cast my ballot for John Kerry. This seemed to set the tone for voting career. Since then I have gone to the polls a small handful of other times, each time carrying with the the lack of enthusiasm that I had for John Kerry. It was, in fact, quite the chore to go out to the polls to vote for candidates who have gotten obliterated by the Republican opposition due to their mediocrity.
My enthusiasm picked up, however, as the current Democratic Primary made its way to California, thanks to Barack Obama1. It was absolutely delightful to be presented with a candidate who I wanted to vote for, as opposed to being forced to vote against the opposition. But, in order to get out my vote I had to re-register to vote as a result of my bi-yearly address change. Being a California citizen I had three options for voter registration:
- Print a voter registration form, fill it out and mail it in.
- Fill out a voter registration form online, which will be mailed to you for a signature. Once you receive it, sign it and mail it in.
- Pick up a voter registration form at a county elections office, library or U.S. Post Office, fill it out, mail it in.
I chose option number 2, simply because it seemed to be the easiest for me. I filled out the form and within a few weeks received my nearly completed voter registration form in the mail. This is when I discovered the State of California’s peculiar typographical choice for voter registration forms.
Of all the possibilities, Comic Sans. You’d think a state that places such an emphasis on aesthetics could do better.
1 I will withhold the detailed list of reasons why I support Obama for the time being as it is only tangentially related to the topic at hand.
May 20, 2008