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

Expanded Receiving Board

"A ... and one additional team of poll clerks." W.

Medium consensus1 source

Expedited Recount

A rapid statutory procedure available in offices in which a majority vote is required RECOUNT to win and votes were cast for more than two candidates.

Medium consensus1 source

Experimental Use

Use of a that has not yet been CERTIFIED.

Medium consensus1 source

Exposure Of Count

The process of revealing vote totals to the public at the close of voting at a POLLING LOCATION.

Medium consensus1 source

Extension

An additional function, feature, and/or capability included in a voting system but not defined in the VVSG.

Medium consensus1 source

Exterior Circulation Route

"That part of a from the street or parking area to the point of entry to the CIRCULATION ROUTE polling place building." Mont.

Medium consensus1 source

Extremely Inclement Weather

One of a class of emergency situations that may result in the postponement of an election.

Medium consensus1 source

Fail Safe Voting

A method under the "by which a registered voter who has changed his address within NVRA the same jurisdiction may vote at any polling place within that jurisdiction, even if his…

Medium consensus1 source

Failsafe Ballot

A ballot for use in VOTING. "There must be provided for each voting place a FAIL-SAFE number of failsafe ballots, or ballots containing only the races for federal, statewide,…

Medium consensus1 source

Fairness

A "method by which a registered voter who has changed his address within the same jurisdiction may vote at any polling place within that jurisdiction, even if his name is not on…

Medium consensus1 source

False Information In Registering And Voting

A crime defined in HAVA. "Any individual who knowingly commits fraud or knowingly makes a false statement with respect to the naturalization, citizenry, or alien registry of such…

Medium consensus1 source

False Negative Mark

"A on a ballot that meets the legal definition of an but that is, on MARK ACCEPTABBLE MARK some occasion, not detected by a vote tabulating machine as a vote.

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.