Communications — Election Security Glossary
53 election security terms in the Communications category, with definitions sourced from NIST, CISA, EAC, and 30+ authoritative documents.
Browse all 53 terms in Communications
Information Sharing
An exchange of data, information, and/or knowledge to manage risks or respond to incidents.
Key Distribution Center (kdc)
COMSEC facility generating and distributing key in electronic form.
Line Conditioning
Elimination of unintentional signals or noise induced or conducted on a telecommunications or information system signal, power, control, indicator, or other external interface…
Line Conduction
Unintentional signals or noise induced or conducted on a telecommunications or information system signal, power, control, indicator, or other external interface line.
Link Encryption
Encryption of information between nodes of a communications system.
National Security Emergency Preparedness Telecommunications Services
Telecommunications services that are used to maintain a state of readiness or to respond to and manage any event or crisis (local, national, or international) that causes or could…
Null
Dummy letter, letter symbol, or code group inserted into an encrypted message to delay or prevent its decryption or to complete encrypted groups for transmission or transmission…
Off Line Cryptosystem
Cryptographic system in which encryption and decryption are performed independently of the transmission and reception functions.
One Part Code
Code in which plain text elements and their accompanying code groups are arranged in alphabetical, numerical, or other systematic order, so one listing serves for both encoding…
Over The Air Rekeying (otar)
Changing traffic encryption key or transmission security key in remote cryptographic equipment by sending new key directly to the remote cryptographic equipment over the…
Overt Channel
Communications path within a computer system or network designed for the authorized transfer of data.
Per Call Key
Unique traffic encryption key generated automatically by certain secure telecommunications systems to secure single voice or data transmissions.
By ESG Editorial Team · Drawing on EAC, CISA, professional associations, and 25+ sources on election communications
Election communications covers the public messaging, official notices, and information flows that surround an election. It includes voter outreach (registration deadlines, polling place locations, what to bring on election day), official communications during and after the election (results release, certification announcements, incident disclosures), and the information environment that election officials operate within.
Why this category matters for election security is that the public's trust in an election depends in part on the quality of communication around it. Confusing communications, late disclosures, or inconsistent messaging can undermine confidence even when the underlying procedures are sound. Conversely, clear, timely, and consistent communication can strengthen public trust even when problems occur.
Election communications also have a defensive dimension. The information environment around an election is a venue for influence operations, misinformation, and disinformation. Defending that environment requires accurate, well-timed, and well-targeted official communications that reach voters through the channels they actually use.
The terminology in this category covers both the work of communicating with the public and the work of defending the information environment. The concepts here are practical. They describe the work of getting accurate information to voters and supporting media coverage.
How These Terms Relate
These concepts together describe the discipline of election communications. The terminology covers both the operational work of getting information to voters (voter education, voter notifications) and the responsive work of communicating with the public during and after elections (election night reporting, official statements). The unifying theme is that communication is part of administration, not separate from it. How an election office communicates is part of how the election itself is conducted.
Related categories
3 terms
The reporting systems that communications deliver to the public.
Operational Security53 terms
The practices that effective communications support.
Influence Operations4 terms
The information threats that defensive communications counter.
Media3 terms
The press that election offices work with to reach voters.
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