(a) In any primary or election, the superintendent shall cause the ballots to be printed in the form prescribed by this chapter.

(b)

(1) Paper ballots other than those printed for optical scanning voting systems shall be at least six inches long and four inches wide and shall have a margin extending beyond any printing thereon. They shall be printed with the same kind of type, which shall not be smaller than the size known as "brevier" or "eight-point body," upon white paper of uniform quality, without any impression or mark to distinguish one from another, and with sufficient thickness to prevent the printed matter from showing through, except that ballots being used in primaries held by more than one party may be of different colors or may have colored stripes or blocks to distinguish the ballots if the parties so agree. Each ballot shall be attached to a name stub, and all the ballots for the same precinct shall be bound together in books of 25, 50, or 100, in such manner that each ballot may be detached from its stub and removed separately. The ballots for each party to be used at a primary shall be bound separately. The name stubs of the ballots shall be consecutively numbered; and, in the case of primary ballots, the number shall be preceded by an initial or abbreviation designating the party name. The number and initial or abbreviation which appears upon the stub shall also be printed in the upper portion of the front of the ballot, separated from the remainder of the ballot by a horizontal perforated line so as to constitute a number strip and so prepared that the upper portion of the front of the ballot containing the number may be detached from the ballot before it is deposited in the ballot box. The number strip on the ballot shall also have the following words printed thereon: "Tear off before depositing ballot in ballot box."

(2) Ballots for direct recording electronic voting systems shall be designed as prescribed by the Secretary of State to ensure easy reading by electors.