RE: Anoka County Ballot shading

How thick are we talking here?

Thick.

Are these thick lines and text for blind people?

No. Also its not thick text, its white on black text.

I don't know what they are "for". I suspect that is a tough question to answer logically.

Are they state requirements?

In Anoka yes. Shawnee already has the thick race line option due to a statutory requirement. I imagine there are other places we don't know about. Other accounts like Puerto Rico just think they look nice I guess. Expect an embossed line option soon.

Thick race boundaries and text next to the timing marks can reduce the image we see on the timing marks if a ballot left or right shifts. Thick race boundaries and text next to voting ovals can affect scanning of voting marks, i.e., increase in invalid marks.

Right.

Place any thick black line or text at least 1/2 a voting column clear away from any timing mark, voting position, diagnostic mark, or ID mark, then the reader wouldn't care how thick you made those black lines and text. But then you drastically reduce the available area for race and candidate text. Kind of a rock and a hard place situation.

Well said.

Experience has taught me that given the choice of spending $100,000 on multiple card printing costs and $0 on moving the line against the oval, they'll move the line 100% of the time if their test deck feeds okay. Wish we could control that.

What flipped me from my hard stance against doing these was Tab pointing out that if we don't do it they can (and do) just contract with the print shop (read, Spectrum) and do it themselves. We can of course say "they are on their own if they do that" but as you put it that's not very constructive. Believe me when I say: I think there are enough drawing buttons already.

Anyway, everyone should heed Ian's warning and make sure the ovals are clear of the thick (or thin for that matter) lines.

Ken