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

Vote Card

A "card upon which the voter casts his or her votes by the process of punching." Ark.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Client

In Internet voting, a machine on which a voter casts a vote.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Data

Data comprising vote or vote totals.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Data Pack

The "apparatus which contains electronic instructions for a voting device and in which electronic results are stored." 26 Okla.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote For No More Than N

M. This form is preferable to "Vote for N," which sometimes misleads VOTE FOR N OF voters into believing that they are required to vote for N candidates and that a lower number…

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Indicator

A device "with which votes are indicated for candidates or for or against questions." Georgia Code Ann.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote List

A "list by precinct of the names and addresses of all persons who voted in the election and their political party affiliation." Alaska Stat.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Marking Device

Any "approved device for marking a paper ballot with ink or other substance which will enable the ballot to be tabulated by means of EQUIPMENT." Ky.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Recorder

Any "apparatus which the elector uses to record votes by marking or punching a hole in a paper ballot or tabulating card and which subsequently counts the votes by electronic…

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Recording Device

"[E]quipment in which ballot labels and ballots are placed to allow a voter to record his or her vote by perforating or equipment with a screen upon which votes may be recorded by…

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Response Field

(usually opscan) The geometric area in which a voter marks a BALLOT, or indicates a choice on a DRE.

Medium consensus1 source

Vote Server

A computer which receives and stores vote in Internet voting systems, e.g.

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.