Voting — Election Security Glossary
79 election security terms in the Voting category, with definitions sourced from NIST, CISA, EAC, and 30+ authoritative documents.
Browse all 79 terms in Voting
Fvap
Federal Voting Assistance Program.
Fwab
Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot.
Instant Runoff Voting
A voting method in which voters indicates their choices in ranked order (first choice, second choices, etc.).
Majority Voting
A vote variation which requires the winning candidate to receive more than half of the votes cast.
Mark
A "character or symbol which is distinguishable and noticeable to a reasonable person but which does not identify or reveal the voter in a primary, general or special election."…
Marked Ballot
Ballot that contains voter's selections.
N Of M Voting
A "VOTING in which the voter is entitled to allocate a fixed number of votes (N) VARIATION over a list of M or WRITE-INS, with the constraint that at most 1 vote may CONTEST…
Party Specific Contest
A "CONTEST such that eligibility to vote in that contest is restricted based on political party or lack thereof." VVSG.
Pattern Voting
Selecting contest options across multiple contests in a predetermined pattern intending to signal one's identity to someone else.
Plurality
Usually, the largest number of votes but less than a majority.
Presidential Preference Primary
Primary election in which voters choose the delegates to the presidential nominating conventions allotted to their states by the national party committees.
Recall Election
An "election held for the purpose of allowing the voters of a jurisdiction to decide whether an elected official shall be recalled from office." N.J.
By ESG Editorial Team · Drawing on NIST, EAC, CISA, and 29 authoritative sources on election security
Voting encompasses the methods and mechanisms through which citizens exercise their fundamental right to participate in elections. It spans the diverse ways Americans can vote (early in person, by mail, provisionally, or from overseas) and the tools used to mark and record their choices. The terminology of voting reflects both legal structures, especially the Help America Vote Act of 2002, and the technical systems that translate voter intent into recorded votes.
Why this category matters for election security begins with a core principle: the security of an election depends on the ability to verify that votes are cast as intended and counted as cast. This requires three critical capabilities. First, accessibility. Voting systems must be usable by citizens with disabilities, including those with visual and mobility impairments, without compromising security. This is a mandate established by the Americans with Disabilities Act and HAVA. Second, voter verification. When ballots are marked electronically, voters must have the ability to review and confirm a voter-verifiable paper audit trail before their vote is recorded, ensuring they can detect and correct errors. Third, uniformity and transparency. Election officials, observers, and voters themselves must understand and be able to verify the procedures through which votes are cast and recorded.
The terminology in this category reflects the methods and safeguards that operationalize these principles. Absentee and mail voting require distinct security procedures compared to in-person voting, including signature verification and ballot tracking. Provisional ballots serve as a safeguard when voter eligibility is questioned. Accessibility accommodations must be integrated into every method of voting.
UOCAVA provisions extend these protections to military members and overseas citizens, who must be able to register, request, receive, and return ballots from remote locations, often under compressed timelines. The security challenges of remote voting are distinct from those of in-person voting, and the terminology that governs UOCAVA participation reflects those differences.
Key Concepts
Absentee Voting
A method of voting in which a registered voter casts a ballot outside the polling place, either in person during early voting or by mail, with identity verification.
Paper Ballot
A paper record of a voter's selections that the voter can personally inspect before the vote is recorded, enabling verification that electronic systems captured intent correctly.
Ballot Marking Device
Equipment that assists voters in marking choices and produces a paper record, designed to be accessible to voters with disabilities while maintaining a verifiable vote record.
Provisional Ballot
A ballot cast by a voter whose eligibility is uncertain at the time of voting, reviewed and counted during canvassing only if the voter is determined to be eligible.
Early Voting
An in-person voting method in which voters can cast ballots at designated polling locations before election day, expanding access and reducing day-of polling place congestion.
Overvote
A condition in which a voter marks more choices for a contest than allowed, resulting in an invalid vote that is rejected by the tabulation system.
Undervote
A condition in which a voter marks fewer choices for a contest than are available. A key indicator of potential ballot design problems or voter confusion.
Uocava
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, enabling military members and citizens abroad to register and vote by absentee ballot with extended deadlines.
Electronic Ballot Delivery
The transmission of blank ballots to voters electronically, typically by email or web portal, enabling remote voters to receive their ballot without postal delays.
How These Terms Relate
These concepts describe the pathways through which citizens vote and the safeguards integrated into each method. Absentee and early voting methods expand access but require distinct security procedures, including identity verification, ballot tracking, and signature matching. Provisional ballots serve as a second-chance mechanism for voters whose eligibility is questioned, with eligibility verified during canvassing. UOCAVA voting extends these protections to overseas and military voters who must navigate postal and logistical barriers. The voting process itself creates accuracy risks: overvotes and undervotes can occur due to voter confusion or unclear ballot design. Ballot marking devices and voter-verifiable paper audit trails are the technical safeguards that detect and mitigate these risks, creating an auditable record that voters can inspect before committing their vote. Together, these concepts establish that secure voting is not a single procedure but a set of parallel pathways, each with its own verification requirements, all converging on a single principle: that every eligible voter's intent is accurately captured and preserved.
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