Category Overview

Voting Systems — Election Security Glossary

1,792 election security terms in the Voting Systems category, with definitions sourced from NIST, CISA, EAC, and 30+ authoritative documents.

Browse all 1,792 terms in Voting Systems

Operational Environment

The collection of "all software, hardware (including facilities, furnishings and fixtures), materials, documentation, and the interface used by the election personnel, maintenance…

Medium consensus4 sources

Optical Scan

A voting system that can scan paper ballots and tally votes.

Low consensus4 sources

Observational Test

Operational test conducted on voting devices during an election by real voters to establish confidence that the voter verifiable paper record is produced correctly when assistive…

Medium consensus3 sources

Optical Scan System

System by which votes are recorded by means of marks made in voting targets designated on one or both sides of a ballot card or series of cards.

High consensus3 sources

Optical Scan Ballots

These are paper ballots, marked by voters, either manually with (typically) pens or through the use of a ballot marking device, which can be counted by optical scanners or by hand.

Low consensus2 sources

Oath Of Voter

A voter in Kentucky whose name is not on the may vote open executing a PRECINCT ROSTER oath of voter declaring that he is eligible to vote.

Medium consensus1 source

Object Code

The "binary code produced by a compiler or assembler that can be executed directly by a computer without further simplification.

Medium consensus1 source

Observation Board

A board appointed to observe central counting procedures in Montana.

Medium consensus1 source

Observer

WATCHER. N.C. Gen. Stat. §163-45.

Medium consensus1 source

Oevt

TESTING. VVSG. OPEN-ENDED VULNERABILITY 2007.

Medium consensus1 source

Office Of Public Integrity

Under HAVA, the Chief of the Office of Integrity of the (or his DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE designee) is a member of the ADVISORS.

Medium consensus1 source

Officer Of Election

1. Any "person who, under color of any Federal, State, Commonwealth, or local law, statute, ordinance, regulation, authority, custom, or usage, performs or is authorized to…

Medium consensus1 source

By ESG Editorial Team · Drawing on NIST, the EAC, VVSG, IEEE, and 30+ authoritative sources on voting system design and certification

Voting systems are the machines, software, and supporting infrastructure through which voters mark, cast, and have their ballots counted. The category includes optical scanners, ballot-marking devices, direct-recording electronic (DRE) systems, hand-marked paper ballots, and the back-end systems that aggregate results from precincts and report them to the public.

Why this category matters for election security is rooted in the trust voters place in the systems that record their intent. A voting system that loses votes, that miscounts, or that allows manipulation without detection undermines the legitimacy of the entire election. Conversely, a system that is well designed, well tested, and well understood by election officials produces results that withstand scrutiny even when contested. The work of building and maintaining that trustworthiness is continuous.

Federal testing and certification programs establish a baseline. The Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), administered by the Election Assistance Commission, define the technical and security requirements a system must meet to be used in federal elections. State testing goes further in some cases, certifying specific configurations, requiring additional documentation, or limiting the use of particular system features. Once a system is in the field, the work of securing it continues through patch management, configuration control, and pre-election logic and accuracy testing.

The terminology in this category reflects the technical and procedural landscape that voting systems inhabit. The concepts here are not optional. Every term describes a system property that has been the subject of standards, recommendations, and in some cases federal law.

Key Concepts

Voting System

The integrated hardware and software used by voters to cast ballots and by election officials to count them.

Optical Scan

A voting system that reads marked paper ballots using optical sensors and counts the marks electronically.

Ballot Marking Device

A device that allows voters to mark their choices on an electronic interface, then prints a human-readable paper ballot.

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail

A printed paper record produced simultaneously with an electronic vote, allowing the voter to confirm their choices before casting.

Cast Vote Record

The permanent record of a single vote as captured and stored by a voting system, in electronic and/or paper form.

Direct Recording Electronic

A voting system that records votes directly into electronic memory, with or without a contemporaneous paper record.

Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

The federal technical standards published by the EAC that define security, accuracy, and accessibility requirements for certified voting systems.

How These Terms Relate

These concepts together describe the technical core of how votes are cast and counted. A voting system is more than a single device. It is an integrated chain of hardware, software, and procedures that begins when a voter enters the booth and ends when results are reported. The terminology here covers that full chain. Optical scan, ballot-marking devices, DRE systems, and VVPAT each represent different points on a spectrum of automation and paper reliance. The choice between them is a policy decision shaped by jurisdiction, voter expectations, and the trade-offs between speed, accessibility, auditability, and security.