A Terms — Election Security Glossary

Ada accessibility guidelines for buildings and facilities.

A NICE Framework category consisting of specialty areas responsible for highly specialized review and evaluation of incoming cybersecurity information to determine its usefulness for intelligence.

The process of finding, fixing, and preventing security vulnerabilities at the application level, as part of the software development processes

Ballot that the voter did not place in the ballot box or record as cast on a direct electronic recording device (DRE) before leaving the polling place.

Absentee BALLOT. A “ballot voted by a person who expects to be or is absent from the polling place for his precinct or district on election day.” Nev. Rev. Stat. §293.013.

The absent ballot mailing precinct inspection board shall: 1. Perform functions similar to those of the central ballot inspection board and the ballot duplicating board as those functions are applicab…

A “registered voter who has received or who has voted an absent ballot.” Nev. Rev. Stat. §293.015.

A “ballot card attached to a backing that aids a voter to punch out the scored position on the ballot card.” 31 Ky. Admin. Regs. §2:010(1)(1). Similarly in Mich. Rules §168.771(1)(a).

A “ballot card with the names of candidates, issues and questions to be voted on, printed on the card.” 31 Ky. Admin. Regs. §2:010(1)(2).

A form of sample ballot that accompanies an ABSENTEE BALLOT. 31 Ky. Admin. Regs. §2:010(4)(5).

A voter who is not, or expects not to be, present on election day in the jurisdiction in which she is eligible to vote or who otherwise meets the requirements for obtaining an ABSENTEE BALLOT.

An application to receive an absentee ballot.

A ballot cast by a voter other than in-person on election day. Some jurisdictions use the term synonymous with mailed ballots while other jurisdictions use the term synonymous with early voting.

A “subdivision of the COUNTING BOARD consisting of at least two (2) individuals responsible for preparing the ABSENTEE BALLOTS for counting.” Wyo. Rules §1.4(a). Also ABSENTEE BALLOT COUNTING BOARD.

A local Nevada body that handles absentee and REJECTED BALLOTS. Also ABSENTEE BALLOT BOARD.

A person authorized “to collect absentee ballo ts from voters for delivery to the County Commissioner of Elections in counties in which the courier is registered.” Iowa Admin. Code §721-21.371(53).

A “list of the name and address of each applicant; the date and time of receipt of the application; the disposition of the application; the date of issue of the absentee ballot; the applicant’s precin…

A request for an absentee ballot under UOCAVA.

A form used by a voter to request an absentee ballot.

Abbreviation for Absentee BALLOT SYSTEM.

Historically, absentee ballots have been, simply, ballots cast by voters who are not able to vote in regular polling places due to travel or to some circumstance that makes it difficult for them to co…

An election official who counts ABSENTEE BALLOTS. La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §18:1313.

“A device capable of counting and producing results of votes cast on paper ABSENTEE BALLOTS.” La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §18:1351(1).

A person who oversees the process of ABSENTEE VOTING in a county. Ala. Code §17-10-2.

A voter who meets the requirements for obtaining a ballot prior to an election. See, e.g. O. R. S. 253.005(4).

A series of actions or steps taken when voting using an absentee ballot.

A “polling place designated for the conduct of absentee walk-in voting prior to election day.” Hawaii Admin. Regs. §2-51-1. The statutory defin ition is similar but not identical: “an office or other …

The established series of actions taken by an election official to process absentee ballots.

A vote cast using an absentee ballot.

A voter who uses an absentee ballot to vote.

A term used by election officials when determining whether a voter is eligible for, applied for or voted using an absentee ballot.

Another term for remote voting.

An “official designated to supervise in-person ABSENTEE VOTING.” Alaska Stat. 15- 060.010(1).

A “device capable of counting and producing re sults of votes cast on paper absentee by mail and early voting ballots.” La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §18:1351(1).

More than 50%.

(opscan) The property of paper that results in ta king up water vapor from the air, thus causing the paper to expand.

A “document signed by the members of the board of elections showing the votes for each candidate and ballot proposal on the official ballot in the election.” N. C. Gen. Stat. §163- 182(1). Likewise in…

Abstract. Iowa Admin. Code §721-21.800(4).

Abstract. A “compilation of votes cast for a particular candidate by office and precinct.” Nev. Rev. Stat. §293.016. “The abstracts shall contain the names of all persons receiving any vote for each o…

A concept from MARK-SENSE and PAPER balloting. “Any mark on a ba llot that meets the legal requirements to be counted as a vote.” Jones.

A demonstration by a VENDOR that its system can meet a state’s legal requirements.” Minn. Rules §8220.0450.

The “examination of voting systems and their components by the purchasing election authority in a simulated use environment to validate performance of delivered units in accordance with procurement re…

Examination of a voting system by the purchasing election jurisdiction to validate the performance of delivered devices to ensure they meet procurement requirements, and that the delivered system is, …

Ability to make use of any information system (IS) resource.

An entity responsible for monitoring and granting access privileges for other authorized entities.

Independent federal agency whose primary mission is accessibility for people with disabilities and a leading source of information on accessible design.

A four-digit randomly-generated number with a s hort lifetime that is entered by a voter to activate the Hart InterCivic DRE.

The process of granting or denying specific requests to obtain and use information, and related information processing services, and enter specific physical facilities.

A list of permissions associated with an object. The list specifies who or what is allowed to access the object and what operations are allowed to be performed on the object.

Security safeguards (i.e., hardware and software features, physical controls, operating procedures, management procedures, and various combinations of these) designed to detect and deny unauthorized a…

A policy concerning who may access various equi pment and functions of a voting system, required to be established by each voting jurisdic tion in Indiana. “The using jurisdiction in charge of voting …

Methods by which access to specific data, procedures, and other resources is restricted or controlled. The most common access control is a username/password combination. Election officials must contro…

A type of cross domain solution (CDS) that provides access to a computing platform, application, or data residing on different security domains from a single device.

The “device that is used by the voter to access the ballot at a direct recording electronic voting device. It may be a card or other media.” Wash. Admin. Code §434-335-510.

A category within a given security classification limiting entry or system connectivity to only authorized persons.

Roster of individuals authorized admittance to a controlled area.

A device that logically connects wireless client devices operating in infrastructure to one another and provides access to a distribution system, if connected, which is typically an organization’s ent…

Association of a user with a list of protected objects the user may access.

Privilege to perform action on an object. Read, write, execute, append, modify, delete, and create are examples of access types.

The process of granting or denying specific requests for or attempts to: 1) obtain and use information and related information processing services; and 2) enter specific physical facilities.

Measurable characteristics that indicate the degree to which a system is available to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. The most common disabilities include those associated with vision, …

The set of laws, statutes and procedures that govern the voting process to ensure that voting is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The ability of a voter to verify CONTEST CHOICES by using paper records such as a VVPAT, including a readback mechanism for vision-impaired voters. A HUMAN FACTOR identified in the 2007 VVSG.

“[A]ccessible to HANDICAPPED and ELDERLY individuals for the purpose of voting or registration, as determined under guidelines esta blished by the chief election officer of the State involved.” 42 U. …

A device that enables the disabled to mark opti cal scan ballots for subsequent counting. The voter makes choices as if on a DRE, but the output of the device is a marked optical ballot suitable for r…

A location that meets all of the laws and statues to ensure that it is available and usable by individuals with disabilities.

A VOTER VERIFIED PAPER TRAIL that is usable by the disabled without assistance. Accessibility is an issue because ordinary VVPAT machines produce verifiable paper records, which may be unreadable to t…

Voting station equipped for individuals with disabilities.

(KOA) A key management infrastructure (KMI) business relationship that is established 1) to manage the set of user devices that are under the control of a specific KMI customer organization; and 2) to…

Methods by which a system associates users and processes. Election officials must be able to detect when an error occurred by logging the event. A main function of event logging is being able to deter…

A numeric code used to indicate the minimum accounting controls required for items of accountable COMSEC material within the COMSEC material control system (CMCS).

A number assigned to an individual item of COMSEC material to facilitate its handling and accounting.

Formal recognition that a laboratory is competent to carry out specific tests or calibrations.

(1) Authoritative body that performs accreditation. (2) An independent organization responsible for assessing the performance of other organizations against a recognized standard, and for formally con…

(C. F. D.) 1. Identifies the information resources covered by an accreditation decision, as distinguished from separately accredited information resources that are interconnected or with which informa…

Product comprised of a system security plan (SSP) and a report documenting the basis for the accreditation decision. Rationale: The RMF uses a new term to refer to this concept, and it is called RMF s…

A laboratory approved by a majority of the ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION to perform testing, certification, decertification and recertif ication of voting system hardware ands software.

Synonymous with designated accrediting authority (DAA). See also authorizing official. Rationale: The Risk Management Framework uses a new term to refer to this concept, and it is called authorizing o…

To total the contents of individual memory car ds or other storage devices from individual voting machine to produce jurisdiction-wide vote totals.

(1) Extent to which a given measurement agrees with an accepted standard for that measurement. (2) Closeness of the agreement between the result of a measurement and a true value of the particular qua…

The “county or city clerk shall appoint three pe rsons, not more than two of whom are of the same political party, to serve as an accuracy certification board.” Nev. Rev. Stat. §293B.140. “[T]he accur…

Ability of the system to capture, record, store, consolidate and report the specific selections and absence of selections, made by the voter for each ballot position without error. Required accuracy i…

A “test conducted to determine that the program and the computer being used to tabulate the results of the election count the votes in the manner prescribed by the [electronic voting statute].” 31 Ky.…

Stakeholder that acquires or procures a product or service.

A composite VOTING STATE of a VOTE-CAPTURE DEVICE which includes the simples states IN USE and READY. 2007 VVSG. See ACTIVE PERIOD.

A pass-phrase, personal identification number (PIN), biometric data, or other mechanisms of equivalent authentication robustness used to protect access to any use of a private key, except for private …

Programmed device that creates credentials necessary to begin a voting session using a specific ballot style. Examples include electronic poll books and card activators that contain credential informa…

A device used to activate a voting machine for voting. Ark. Code §7-5-517(d).

An attack on the authentication protocol where the Attacker transmits data to the Claimant, Credential Service Provider, Verifier, or Relaying Party. Examples of active attacks include man-in-the midd…

Electronic documents that can carry out or trigger actions automatically on a computer platform without the intervention of a user.

Synchronized, real-time capability to discover, detect, analyze, and mitigate threats and vulnerabilities.

An “ELECTOR who voted in the previous federal GENERAL ELECTION and whose name is on the active list.” Mont. Code Ann. §13-1-101(1).

Span of time during which a vote-capture device either is ready to begin a voting session or is in use during a voting session.

A voter whose record is current with the appropriate election authority and is eligible to vote.

A term used by election officials when a voter's record shows that the voter is eligible to vote. Active status may not be accurate if the facts have changed since a voter last updated their record.

A “voter who … has registered or voted in a ny election during the preced ing four (4) years at the address indicated on the voter's registrati on record; [or] has not voted in any election during the…

An assessment object that includes specific protection related pursuits or actions supporting an information system that involve people (e.g., conducting system backup operations, monitoring network t…

Incorporation of new or additional hardware, software, or firmware safeguards in an operational information system.

Another term for Mixed Member Proportional System.

Used in request messages. Class for specifying information not addressed in this model by other attributes, e.g. state-specific information that does not “fit” in any other attribute. The information …

A program of the state of Washington to protect the addresses of crime victims, which creates difficulties in ABSENTEE VOTING. See ONGOING ABSENTEE BALLOT.

Security commensurate with the risk and the magnitude of harm resulting from the loss, misuse, or unauthorized access to or modification of information. See also risk assessment

A voted ballot that contains contest selections that required adjudication.

Process of resolving cast ballots to reflect voter intent. Common reasons that ballots require adjudication include: write-ins, overvotes, marginal machine-readable mark, having no contest selections …

A ballot that contains contest selections that require adjudication.

The ability of a voter to control some aspect of the VOTING STATION throughout the VOTING SESSION. A HUMAN FACTOR identified in the 2007 VVSG.

A Facebook admin/administrator controls and manages settings on pages and groups

Under HAVA, “[I]f a State receives any payment under a program under this Act, the State shall be required to establish and maintain State-based administrative complaint procedures.” 42 U. S. C. §1551…

The policies and procedures implemented as part of its overall information security strategy. Election officials must create and IT and security strategy that addresses the policies and procedures for…

(COMSEC) A violation of procedures or practices dangerous to security that is not serious enough to jeopardize the integrity of a controlled cryptographic item (CCI), but requires corrective action to…

A recount ordered or requested by an authorized election officer, whether or not any candidate demands one. “When the commissioner suspects that voting equipment used in the election malfunctioned or …

A voting system user with the highest level of access.

In Connecticut, an official who examines the qualifications of a person applying to be admitted

Day or days for voting prior to general voting day; the period during which vote by mail is offered is not typically referred to as advance voting.

A ballot cast prior to election day.

A U. S. Government-approved cryptographic algorithm that can be used to protect electronic data. The AES algorithm is a symmetric block cipher that can encrypt (encipher) and decrypt (decipher) inform…

(AKP) A cryptographic device that performs all cryptographic functions for a management client node and contains the interfaces to 1) exchange information with a client platform, 2) interact with fill…

An adversary who possesses sophisticated levels of expertise and significant resources that allow it to create opportunities to achieve its objectives by using multiple attack vectors (e.g., cyber, ph…

Early voting

Individual, group, organization, or government that conducts or has the intent to conduct detrimental activities.

(C. F. D.) Notification of significant new trends or developments regarding the threat to the information systems of an organization. This notification may include analytical insights into trends, int…

A member of an advisory board or panel.

A non-binding election “to determine the wishes of the electorate.” Wash. Admin. Code §434- 208-010.

A group of individuals and organizations that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation.

A non-binding PRIMARY election in which the result does not affect the state’s allocation of convention delegates. Cf. LOOPHOLE PRIMARY.

Usually refers to unwanted advertisements or malware (malicious software)

A written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation.

A form of PROVISIONAL BALLOT in Mississippi, cast by placing the ballot in an envelope along with the voter’s affidavit that he “believes he is a registered voter in the jurisdiction in which he desir…

A form used by a voter to request an absentee ballot that is confirmed by oath or affirmation.

A written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation by a person who gathered voters' signatures on a petition.

A document containing personally identifiable information used to verify your identity or signature.

A document containing personally identifiable information used to verify your identity or signature.

Officially associated with an organization. In terms of voting, this usually refers to voters registering to vote and formally associating themselves with a recognized political party.

A device to prevent further voting on a voting mach ine once the polls have closed. Iowa Code §52.9.

Any executive department, military department, government corporation, government controlled corporation, or other establishment in the executive branch of the government (including the Executive Offi…

A cloud-based service offering artificial intelligence (AI) outsourcing

A physical separation between systems that requires data to be moved by some external, manual process. Denotes no connection to the internet or other digital networks.

Cities in Wisconsin having a population exceeding 7500 may be divided into “aldermanic districts” composed of one or more WARDS. Wisc. Stat. §8.17(10(b).

Notification that a specific attack has been directed at an organization’s information systems.

The amount of time that a voting device will wait for a detectible voter activity after issuing an alert, before going into an inactive state requiring election official intervention.

A sequence of actions to perform to accomplish some task or solve a technical problem; the term is often used in the context of computer programming.

(opscan) A printed mark, normally at the edge of a BALLOT, which is used to identify the vertical position of a VOTE RESPONSE FIELD. 2007 VVSG.

Intelligence products and/or organizations and activities that incorporate all sources of information, most frequently human resources intelligence, imagery intelligence, measurement and signature int…

(F) general information on Federal and State laws regarding prohibitions on

A nation allied with the U. S. in a current defense effort and with which the U. S. has certain treaties. For an authoritative list of allied nations, contact the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser…

The process an organization employs to determine whether security controls are defined as system-specific, hybrid, or common.

A list of entities that are considered trustworthy and are granted access or privileges.

Extremely inclement weather, other disaster.

See Authorizing Official. (NISTIR)

(dac).

COMSEC custodian (C. F. D.) Individual designated by proper authority to perform the duties of the COMSEC custodian during the temporary absence of the COMSEC custodian.

A ballot format other than in written Englis h normally displayed to non-disabled English- literate voters. The format of an ALTERNATIVE BALLOT.

A “site outside the office of the county clerk, established by the county clerk, where a voter may cast an absentee ballot.” N. M. Admin. Code §1.10.12.7(D).

A species of voting system that does not employ a DOCUMENT BALLOT. Any “voting system that does not use paper ballots and includes a direct recording election machine (DRE) but does not include a leve…

A form of BALLOT ROTATION. used in Minnesota, which involves “changing the order of the names on an electronic voting system in the vari ous precincts so that each name appears on the machines or mark…

ROTATION. when the number of candidates exceeds the number of precincts in a municipality

A ballot to be used by a disabled or elderly voter in lieu of voting at a polling place. The VAA requires that if a polling place is not ACCESSIBLE then an “alternative means” of voting for HANDICAPPE…

Providing a different way of accessing information, such as an accessible ballot.

The HAVA requirement that voting materials be pr ovided in the languages of minority groups. 42 U. S. C. §15481(a)(4).

A VOTING STATION capable of displaying a BALLOT in a language other than English. 2005 VVSG V.1, APPENDIX A. Abbreviated ALVS.

A candidate-centred preferential plurality/majority system used in single-member districts in which voters use numbers to mark their preferences on the ballot paper. A candidate who receives an absolu…

Instant RUNOFF VOTING

Anywhere Voting Architecture A Java language framework of Election Systems & Software for Internet voting and reporting Abbreviated AVA.

The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life and all public and private places that are open to the general public.

The approach used to define the orientation or starting point of the risk assessment, the level of detail in the assessment, and how risks due to similar threat scenarios are treated.

The inability to identify the voter who cast a particular ballot.

An anonymous proxy is a tool that attempts to make activity on the Internet untraceable

Financial contributions made to an organized campaign, that do not require disclosure of the person or organization that made the contribution.

Related pairs of tokens given to users to validate their requests and prevent issue requests from attackers via the victim

The result of measures to resist attempts to interfere with communications reception.

Result of measures used to resist attempts to uniquely identify a particular transmitter based on its signal parameters.

Result of measures used to resist attempts to achieve imitative or manipulative communications deception based on signal parameters.

Countermeasures taken to prevent the unauthorized use of legitimate identification & authentication (I&A) data, however it was obtained, to mimic a subject different from the attacker.

(AT) Systems engineering activities intended to deter and/or delay exploitation of critical technologies in a U. S. defense system in order to impede countermeasure development, unintended technology …

Stands for the “anti-fascist” movement that had its roots in left-wing protests against right-wing conservatism; a loose collection of regional groups and individuals aiming — through peaceful and vio…

A set of techniques used to conceal or destroy evidence to frustrate or deceive digital forensic investigations

A technique for identifying and dropping packets that have a false source address.

A program that specializes in detecting and blocking or removing forms of spyware.

A program that monitors a computer or network to detect or identify major types of malicious code and to prevent or contain malware incidents. Sometimes by removing or neutralizing the malicious code.

Anywhere VOTING Architecture

Short for “application,” a program for personal electronic devices

In the event of a recount, normally the candidate tentatively receiving the highest vote total. “Any person who received votes for an office, including the person who received the most votes, may requ…

A term of French origin for a provision which can be included in List Proportional Representation (List PR) systems which enables two or more parties or groupings which fight separate campaigns to rea…

(1) When parties to an action request that a higher authority review a formal decision. (2) A formal process by which the EAC is petitioned to reconsider an Agency Decision.

The individual or individuals appointed to serve as the determination authority on appeal.

The process in which decisions are reviewed after an appeal to a decision has been requested.

A term, defined in HAVA, relating to verification of certain voter registration information by the Commissioner of Social Security with state driver’s license agencies. “(i) the term `applicable infor…

A software program hosted by an information system.

“Software, firmware, or

“[T]he punch card deck or equivalent capacity in other program medias as provided, containing specific options used and necessary to modify the program of general application, to conduct and tabulate …

A set of procedures capable of being invoked by other programs to access application software.

Specification for input data and output data for a system. Election officials can use APIs to adapt their election systems for commonly used applications, such as the Voter Information Project (VIP) f…

A document used to request a ballot be mailed to a voter.

Custom-designed and/or custom-manufactured integrated circuits.

A member of a governing body who is appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than a subset.

A candidate who is currently serving in an office they were appointed to, and they are a candidate for election to the same office.

A member of Congress who holds an office they were appointed to, and they are a currently a candidate for election to the same office.

A person who has been appointed by a governing authority to fill a vacancy in a public office, that will be on the ballot in the next General election.

A person who has been appointed to a position in government by an appointing authority.

An officer or agency having power to make appointments to positions of public service.

A county board that appoints various local election officers, such as INSPECTORS and CLERKS. “The judge of probate, sheriff and clerk of the circuit court, or a majority of them, acting as an appointi…

Process of dividing membership or voters.

An expected mark made according to the ballot instructions.

A sum of money or total of assets devoted to a special purpose.

Permission for a product or process to be marketed or used for stated purposes or under stated conditions. NOTE: Approval can be based on fulfillment of specified requirements or completion of specifi…

An electoral system where each voter may select any number of candidates, and the winner is the candidate approved by the largest number of voters. It is distinct from plurality voting, in which a vot…

The official management decision issued by a designated accrediting authority (DAA) or principal accrediting authority (PAA) to authorize operation of an information system and to explicitly accept th…

A “manufacturer model which has been approved by the State Board of Elections to tabulate ballot cards.” 31 Ky. Admin. Regs. §2:010(1)(5). Similarly in Mich. Rules §168.771(1)(d). Architectural and Tr…

Generally, suitable for long-term storage. At a minimum, suitable for storage for the statutory period for which election records must be mainta ined, typically 22 months. “Able to preserve content fo…

Storage media that is designed to preserve content for an extended period of time with minimal data corruption or loss.

The “ability of a medium to preserve its conten t for a period of time without significant loss.” 2007 VVSG. See also ARCHIVAL. Arizona rotation A form of BALLOT ROTATION used in Arizona in which each…

The theory, development, and simulation of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence.

The name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government.

One of a fixed number of districts into which a state is divided, each district electing one member to the lower house of the state legislature.

A person elected or appointed to the lower house of a state legislature.

Used in request and response messages. Enumeration for assertions from a voter or a third party such as a department of motor vehicles (DMV) in response to questions on a registration form, used in th…

See security control assessment or risk assessment.

The approach used to assess risk and its contributing risk factors, including quantitatively, qualitatively, or semi-quantitatively.

Assessment results produced by the application of an assessment procedure to a security control or control enhancement to achieve an assessment objective; the execution of a determination statement wi…

One of three types of actions (i.e., examine, interview, test) taken by assessors in obtaining evidence during an assessment.

The item (i.e., specifications, mechanisms, activities, individuals) upon which an assessment method is applied during an assessment.

A set of determination statements that expresses the desired outcome for the assessment of a security control or control enhancement.

A set of assessment objectives and an associated set of assessment methods and assessment objects.

See security control assessor or risk assessor.

A major application, general support system, high impact program, physical plan, mission-critical system, personnel, equipment, or a logically related group of systems.

A format for expressing the transport format of information about assets and the relationships between assets and reports.

“[A]ssistance in physically marking the official ballot for a voter, or reading or directing the voter's attention to any part of the official ba llot, or physically operating the voting machine.” W. …

Voters with disabilities are allowed assistance from a person of their choice with limited exceptions.

A “person involved in the administration of electi ons at the state or county level who has been designated as an assistant election administrator by the state director of elections or the county audi…

In New Hampshire, an ELECTION OFFICER. N. H. Rev. Stat. §652:14. See also DEPUTY MODERATOR, MODERATOR. Assistant Registrar In Virginia, an assistant to the GENERAL REGISTRAR. Va. Code §23.2-112. See a…

The TABULATION SUPERVISOR may appoint one or more assistants” to “assist the tabulation supervisor in the operation of the au tomatic tabulating equipment” at a COUNTING STATION. Texas Elec. Code §127…

A poll worker or individual chosen by a voter to assist in the voting process.

A voter who asks for assistance in marking the ba llot. In Georgia, poll officials must record “the exact disability of any assisted voter which makes the assistance necessary.” Ga. Stat. §21-2-592.

An item used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.

A “touch-activated screen, buttons, keypad, SIP-AND-PUFF input device, keyboard, earphones, or any other device used with an ELECTRONIC BALLOT MARKER that assists voters to use an audio or electronic …

The grounds for confidence that the set of intended security controls in an information system are effective in their application.

A structured set of arguments and a body of evidence showing that an information system satisfies specific claims with respect to a given quality attribute.

The ability to confidently share information with those who need it, when and where they need it, as determined by operational need and an acceptable level of security risk.

Computer application that has been designed, developed, analyzed and tested using processes, tools, and techniques that establish a level of confidence in it.

Encryption system that uses a public and private key pair for cryptographic operation. The private key is generally stored in a user's digital certificate and used typically to decrypt or digitally si…

Encryption is which a different key are used fo r decryption than the one used for encryption, e.g., in PUBLIC-KEY ENCRYPTION. Cf. SYMMETRIC ENCRYPTION.

Two related keys, a public key and a private key that are used to perform complementary operations, such as encryption and decryption or signature generation.

The whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than a subset.

An attempt to gain unauthorized access to system services, resources, or information, or an attempt to compromise system integrity, availability, or confidentiality.

The manner or technique and means an adversary may use in an assault on information or an information system.

The steps that an adversary takes or may take to plan, prepare for, and execute an attack.

Similar cyber events or behaviors that may indicate an attack has occurred or is occurring, resulting in a security violation or a potential security violation.

Detection, correlation, identification, and characterization of intentional unauthorized activity with notification to decision makers so that an appropriate response can be developed.

A specific sequence of events indicative of an unauthorized access attempt.

The set of ways in which an adversary can enter a system and potentially cause damage.

A branching, hierarchical data structure that represents a set of potential approaches to achieving an event in which system security is penetrated or compromised in a specified way.

Mechanism or method used by an attacker to gain access to a target’s computer system and/or deliver an effect.

Indicates that a cyber actor has attempted to degrade, destroy, disrupt, manipulate, or otherwise detrimentally affect the operation of a system or network. However, manipulation or deletion of data s…

A party who acts with malicious intent to compromise an information system.

Under continuous positive control of personnel authorized for access or use.

Be a witness to or formally certify.

Issue of a statement, based on a decision following review, that fulfillment of specified requirements has been demonstrated. NOTE: the resulting statement, is also known as a statement of conformity.

An attribute is any distinctive feature, characteristic, or property of an object that can be identified or isolated quantitatively or qualitatively by either human or automated means. Source: ISO/IEC…

(ABAC) Access control based on attributes associated with and about subjects, objects, targets, initiators, resources, or the environment. An access control rule set defines the combination of attribu…

A structured process that determines when a user is authorized to access information, systems, or services based on attributes of the user and of the information, system, or service.

Identification of technical evidence of a cyber event and/or the assignment of responsibil- ity for a cyber event. The technical source may be different from the responsible actor.

Audio ballot

A ballot in which a set of offices is presented to the voter in spoken form.

An “audio representation of a ballot that can be used with other assistive voting technology to permit a voter to mark votes on a nonelectroni c ballot or to securely transmit a ballot electronically …

A ballot display format in which contest options and other information are communicated through sounds and speech.

A ballot display format in which contest options and other information are communicated through sounds and speech.

A “VEDB that communicates ballot information to the voter using sound.” 2007 VVSG.

Voter interface designed to not require visual reading of a ballot. Audio is used to convey information to the voter and sensitive tactile controls allow the voter to communicate ballot selections to …

(1) Systematic, independent, documented process for determining the extent to which specified requirements are fulfilled. (2) A review of a system and its controls to determine its operational status …

A group of individuals tasked with reviewing and tallying the selected ballots to audit in a risk-limiting audit.

A requirement under HAVA in elections for FEDERAL OFFICES for a permanent record from which an election may be audited. “Audit capacity.— (A) In general.--The voting system shall produce a record with…

Device dedicated exclusively to independently verifying or assessing a voting systems' performance.

Officials participating in performing the audit.

A chronological record of system activities. Includes records of syste m accesses and operations performed in a given period.

An individual entry in an audit log related to an audited event.

Preprocessors designed to reduce the volume of audit records to facilitate manual review. Before a security review, these tools can remove many audit records known to have little security significance…

Information recorded during election activities to reconstruct steps followed or to later verify actions taken with respect to election procedures and voting systems.

Paper printout of votes cast, produced by direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machines, which election officials may use to cross-check electronically tabulated totals.

The degree to which the integrity of the overall system for voting and, ultimately, the results of the election, can be confirmed.

A person who is performing an audit of any part of the election process.

That property of a voting system that prevents anyone other than the voter from hearing the

To confirm the identity of an entity when that identity is presented.

Verifying the identify of a user, process, device, or component of a system, often as a prerequisite to allowing access to resources in an information system but can also refer to verifying the authen…

Hardware or software-based mechanisms that force users to prove their identity before accessing data on a device.

The period between any initial authentication process and subsequent re-authentication processes during a single terminal session or during the period data is being accessed.

1. A well specified message exchange process between a claimant and a verifier that enables the verifier to confirm the claimant’s identity.

The means used to confirm the identity of a user, process, or device (e.g., user password or token).

The property of being genuine and being able to be verified and trusted; confidence in the validity of a transmission, a message, or message originator. See authentication.

(CA) A CA that is signed by a superior CA (e.g., a Root CA or another Intermediate CA) and signs CAs (e.g., another Intermediate or Subordinate CA). The Intermediate CA exists in the middle of a trust…

Access privileges granted to a user, program, or process or the act of granting those privileges.

All components of an information system to be authorized for operation by an authorizing official and excludes separately authorized systems, to which the information system is connected.

See security authorization package

(ATO) The official management decision given by a senior organizational official to authorize operation of an information system and to explicitly accept the risk to organizational operations (includi…

See authorization.

ID The key management entity (KME) authorized to order against a traditional s hort title.

A “person who is identified and authorized by an applicant who is medically unable to cast a ballot at a polling site due to unforeseen medical necessity as set forth in an affidavit from the administ…

In certain states, a chairperson of an organized party committee, candidate or precinct committee who is appointed to observe an election.

The “person specifically designated by the voter in his written request to the county clerk for an alternative ballot.” N. M. Admin. Code §1.10.5.7(D). In other states, AUTHORIZED AGENT.

Any appropriately cleared individual with a requirement to access an information system (IS) for performing or assisting in a lawful government purpose.

Manufacturer of information security (INFOSEC) equipment authorized to produce quantities in excess of contractual requirements for direct sale to eligible buyers. Eligible buyers are typically U. S. …

A senior (federal) official or executive with the authority to formally assume responsibility for operating an information system at an acceptable level of risk to organizational operations (including…

An organizational official acting on behalf of an authorizing official in carrying out and coordinating the required activities associated with security authorization.

Automark Information Management SYSTEM

Use of automated procedures to ensure security controls are not circumvented or the use of these tools to track actions taken by subjects suspected of misusing the information system. See information …

Voter registration system whereby eligible voters are given the option to register to vote electronically whenever they interact with government agencies.

Automatic Election Returns Operation

A recount that is conducted without the re quirement of a petition or other requested, occasioned because some statutory condition, such as a TIE VOTE, has been satisfied. Texas Elec. Code § §211.002(…

Procedure to rekey distant cryptographic equipment electronically without specific actions by the receiving terminal operator. See manual remote rekeying.

An “apparatus which automatically tabulates and counts votes recorded on ballots or entered directly into a computer or other electronic device by means of a touchscreen or other data entry device and…

Under an automatic voter registration system, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote whenever they interact with government agencies (e.g., departments of motor vehicles).

An “independent component having a life of its own that is incorporated into the voting system, such as a card reader, printer or modem. It is not a permanent or enclosed part of the voting system.” C…

The percentage of time during which a system is operating properly and available for use.

For a country, local authority or supranational institution, the number of representatives to be elected divided by the number of electoral districts. See also District magnitude.

A “BENCHMARK used in the VPP, but not used to pass or fail systems. Mean confidence level expressed by the voters that the system successfully recorded their votes.” 2007 VVSG.

A “BENCHMARK used in the VPP, but not used to pass or fail systems. Mean time taken per voter to complete the process of activating, filling out, and casting the ballot.” 2007 VVSG.

Abbreviation for Accessible VOTER Verified PAPER TRAIL.

Explains proper rules of behavior for the use of agency information systems and information. The program communicates information technology (IT) security policies and procedures that need to be follo…