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

Swell

A temporary rise in voltage supplied to an DEVICE." Under the VVSG, a ELECTRONIC 2007 device must be able to withstand a " temporary overvoltage of up to 120% of nominal system…

Medium consensus1 source

Swelling

The phenomenon by which paper BALLOTS, such as optical scan and punched DOCUMENT cards, physically expand in conditions of high humidity, interfering with the ability of machines…

Medium consensus1 source

Symmetric Encryption

Encryption is which the same key is used for both encryption and decryption, as opposed to ASYMMETRIC ENCRYPTION.

Medium consensus1 source

Synchronized Audio And Video

The requirement that a disabled voter should be able to conduct both visual and aural interaction with a voting device.

Medium consensus1 source

System Event Logging

Because of the need to voting systems after an election, it must be possible to AUDIT reconstruct the history of all significant events that took place during system preparation,…

Medium consensus1 source

System Identifier

A unique identifier required of every under the VVSG.

Medium consensus1 source

System Integrity Management

Because of the dynamic and rewritable nature of computer systems, it is crucial to be able to verify that system components have not been altered or substituted.

Medium consensus1 source

System Maintenance Manual

A document required as part of the which shall "provide information to support election TDP workers, information systems personnel, or maintenance personnel in the adjustment or…

Medium consensus1 source

System Operations Manual

A document required as part of the which shall "provide all information necessary for TDP system use by all personnel who support pre-election and election preparation, polling…

Medium consensus1 source

Tabulation Board

A board whose responsibility is "to handle and process all ballots delivered to the computer area" for counting.

Medium consensus1 source

Tabulation Memory Device

A term that is used, but not defined, in the West Virginia Code: "The 'tabulation memory device' may be removed from the ballot-scanning device only after the polls close and the…

Medium consensus1 source

Tabulation Supervisor

The person "in charge of the operation of the automatic tabulating equipment at the COUNTING STATION." Texas Elec.

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.