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

Secure Sockets Layer

A protocol for exchanging information securely over a network using public-key encryption to transmit a symmetric key so that subsequent data can be encrypted and decrypted…

Medium consensus1 source

Secure Storage

Those "locations provided for the storage of all material connected with the absentee ballot process, including ballots, and shall be under the direct control of the county…

Medium consensus1 source

Secured

"A shall not be considered 'secured' unless it is stored in a room or other BALLOT CONTAINER facility access to which is limited only to the clerk of the election district or to…

Medium consensus1 source

Security Architecture

A document in the to "provide an architecture level description of how the security TDP requirements are met, and shall include the various authentication, access control, audit,…

Medium consensus1 source

Security Code

For security purposes, each touchscreen must "along with each associated activating and DRE recording device and component, employ a unique, electronically implanted election…

Medium consensus1 source

Security Designation

A "printed designation placed on a ballot to identify to the computer program the offices and propositions for which votes may be cast and to indicate the manner in which votes…

Medium consensus1 source

Security Envelope

The outer envelope in which a voter returns an by mail.

Medium consensus1 source

Security Peer Review Group

A body engaged by Project SERVE to evaluate the system's security design.

Medium consensus1 source

Security Punch

A "punch placed on a ballot card to identify to the computer program the offices and propositions for which votes may be cast and to indicate the manner in which votes cast should…

Medium consensus1 source

Security Test And Evaluation

Abbreviated ST&E.

Medium consensus1 source

Security Testing And Vulnerability Analysis Documentation

A document in the to "describe security tests performed to identify vulnerabilities and the TDP results of the testing.

Medium consensus1 source

Security Threats Controls

A document in the to "identify the threats the voting system protects against and the TDP implemented security controls on voting system and system components." VVSG.

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.