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

Powerprofile

(ES&S) A SYSTEM. VOTER REGISTRATION.

Medium consensus1 source

Pre Election Lat

A performed before an election to verify that the voting system is LOGIC AND ACCURACY TEST operating properly.

Medium consensus1 source

Pre Voting State

A of a prior to opening the polls.

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Adjustment Record

A record that must be produced by the for purposes of ELECTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM showing the "changes made to each contest based on the resolution of AUDIT PROVISIONAL choices,…

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Ballot Counter

An "automatic tabulating device used at the precinct to tabulate and process ballots." Ky.

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Ballot Scanning Device

A "device used by the voter at the precinct on election day or during early voting for the purpose of scanning the voter's ballot after the ballot has been voted but prior to…

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Caucus

A "meeting of registered electors of a precinct who are eligible to participate, ...

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Code

An indication on a ballot designating the to which it applies.

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Election Officer

A "person appointed to serve in a precinct as one (1) of the following: (1) Inspector.

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Election Records

The "precinct election returns, voted ballots, and other records of an election," as described in Texas Elec.

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Inspector

An official appointed to "be present in the polling place of the precinct during all elections and act as the personal agent and deputy of the election commissioner.

Medium consensus1 source

Precinct Summary Count Record

A record that must be produced by the for purposes of ELECTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Its detailed contents are specified in the VVSG, but fundamentally it ties the unique AUDIT.

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.