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

Sort

(opscan) The mechanical sending of a into a separate bin or container from normal BALLOT ballot flow.

Medium consensus1 source

Sovc

CAST. STATEMENT OF VOTES.

Medium consensus1 source

Space Flight

Texas provides that a person who is unable to vote because of being on a space flight may vote electronically using NASA electronic transmission facilities.

Medium consensus1 source

Special Absentee Ballot

An for a "registered voter who completes an application stating that the ABSENTEE BALLOT voter will be unable to vote and return a regular absentee ballot by normal mail delivery…

Medium consensus1 source

Special Absentee Voter

An "ELECTOR who is any of the following: (1) A member of the armed forces of the United States or any auxiliary branch thereof.

Medium consensus1 source

Special Assistant Registrar

In Virginia, an assistant to the REGISTRAR.

Medium consensus1 source

Special Ballot

1. A BALLOT, in the District of Columbia, Iowa, the state of Washington, and PROVISIONAL elsewhere.

Medium consensus1 source

Special Ballot Clerk

An in the District of Columbia responsible for issuing and collecting ELECTION OFFICIAL BALLOTS.

Medium consensus1 source

Special District Election

An election for officers of specific types of political subdivisions, such as cemetery districts and hospital districts.

Medium consensus1 source

Special Election Review

An "ELECTION conducted in a county or counties whenever the unofficial returns of a REVIEW primary or election indicate that a mandatory recount is likely in a race for the state…

Medium consensus1 source

Special Federal Ballot

A ballot for a N.Y. Election Laws (consol.) §11-212.

Medium consensus1 source

Special Federal Voter

A citizen of the U.S. who resides outside the U.S.

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.