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

Voting Equipment

Any "mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic components of a voting system." VVSG V.1, APPENDIX A.

Low consensus2 sources

Voting Equipment Operational Environment

All "software, hardware (including facilities, furnishings and fixtures), materials, documentation, and the interface used by the election personnel, maintenance operator, POLL…

High consensus2 sources

Voting Equipment User Documentation

The steps to taken to ready voting equipment for use, allowing it to be used, obtaining votes or vote totals and shutting it down after an election.

High consensus2 sources

Voting System Software

All the executable code and associated configuration files needed for the proper operation of the voting system.

Medium consensus2 sources

Vvpat Display

A misnomer for the transparent covering through which the VVPAT may be viewed but not touched or altered.

High consensus2 sources

Vaa

VOTING ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE ELDERLY AND HANDICAPPED ACT.

Medium consensus1 source

Vacancy In Election

The "vacancy in an elective office created by death, resignation, or other good and legal cause, arising prior to election to the office at a general or special election but…

Medium consensus1 source

Vacancy In Nomination

The "circumstances in which the person who received the majority of votes at the preferential primary election or general primary election cannot accept the nomination due to…

Medium consensus1 source

Vacancy In Office

The "vacancy in an elective office created by death, resignation, or other good and legal cause arising subsequent to election to the office at a general or special election or…

Medium consensus1 source

Valid Punch

A "punch of a ballot card such that the is completely removed or is hanging by one (1) CHAD or two (2) corners." 31 Ky.

Medium consensus1 source

Valid Write In Candidate

A "candidate who has qualified as a write-in candidate." Utah Code §20A-1-102(78).

Medium consensus1 source

Vbo

OPTION. VERIFIED BALLOT.

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.