Category Overview

Physical Security — Election Security Glossary

23 election security terms in the Physical Security category, with definitions sourced from NIST, CISA, EAC, and 30+ authoritative documents.

Browse all 23 terms in Physical Security

Chain Of Custody

A process that tracks the movement of evidence through its collection, safeguarding, and analysis lifecycle by documenting each person who handled the evidence, the date/time it…

Medium consensus3 sources

Closed Storage

The storage of classified information in properly secured General Services Administration-approved security containers.

Medium consensus2 sources

Controlled Area

Any area or space for which the organization has confidence that the physical and procedural protections provided are sufficient to meet the requirements established for…

Medium consensus2 sources

Controlled Space

Three-dimensional space surrounding information system equipment, within which unauthorized individuals are denied unrestricted access and are either escorted by authorized…

High consensus2 sources

Custodian

The "person charged with the storing and caring for the voting machines when not in use in elections." Ala.

Low consensus2 sources

By ESG Editorial Team · Drawing on CISA physical security guidance, EAC checklists, and 25+ sources on election facility security

Physical security covers the measures that protect election facilities, equipment, and materials from physical threats. A locked ballot box, a tamper-evident seal on a tabulation machine, a badge reader at a warehouse door, a camera watching a ballot storage area. These controls exist because some threats are not digital. Some are doors, windows, forklifts, and people with bad intentions.

Why this category matters for election security is that the most carefully encrypted ballot is still vulnerable if someone can walk into an unsecured office and swap a USB drive. The layers of security in modern election administration are designed to work together: digital controls assume physical controls are in place, and physical controls assume procedures are documented and followed.

Chain of custody is the central concept. A ballot that is physically secure from the moment it is printed to the moment it is counted has a stronger evidentiary foundation than one whose journey is uncertain. Tamper-evident seals, signed transfer forms, video surveillance, and two-person handling are all designed to make any attempt at interference visible.

The terminology in this category reflects both the physical controls themselves (locks, cameras, seals) and the procedural documentation that makes them effective. Each term is a small piece of a system designed to ensure that what voters put in the box is what gets counted.

Key Concepts

Physical Security

The measures that protect election facilities, equipment, and materials from physical interference.

Chain Of Custody

The documented sequence of possession and transfer for ballots, equipment, and records.

Secure Storage

Locked, monitored, and access-controlled storage for ballots, voting equipment, and election records between elections.

How These Terms Relate

These concepts together describe the physical infrastructure that protects election materials and equipment. Physical security is older than digital security and has been refined over centuries of work with sensitive documents. The terminology here draws on that lineage while adapting it to the specific demands of election administration. The unifying principle is the same one that governs evidence handling in any legal proceeding: every interaction with a ballot or piece of equipment should leave a clear record, and any break in that record should be visible.