G Terms — Election Security Glossary

To set up triggers so that when a device such as an internet-connected smartphone enters a defined geographical boundary, the user gets an alert

(opscan) A gauge used to determine whether an op tical scan ballot is of sufficiently constant width to be used.

An intermediate system (interface, relay) that attaches to two (or more) computer networks that have similar functions but dissimilar implementations and that enables either one-way or two-way communi…

A GENERAL ELECTION for city offices. Nev. Rev. Stat. §293.059. Cf. GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

A statutory position in Texas whose occupant has charge of election records for a political subdivision. Texas Elec. Code §66.001.

Election in which voters, regardless of party affiliation, are permitted to select persons to fill public office and vote on ballot issues. Where the public office may be filled by a candidate affilia…

An election “held pursuant to the provisions of a sp ecial charter of an incorporated city.” Nev. Rev. Stat. §293.059. Cf. GENERAL CITY ELECTION.

Seemingly a contradiction in terms, this is either of: 1. A PRIMARY ELECTION. Texas Code §41.007. 2. A RUNOFF ELECTION following a PREFERENTIAL PRIMARY. Ark. Code §7-7-203(a). General Registrar In Vir…

(GSS) An interconnected set of information resources under the same direct management control that shares common functionality. It normally includes hardware, software, information, data, applications…

The “annual or biennial election for village officers.” N. Y. Election Laws (consol.) §15- 102(1). General Services Administration The U. S. agency charged with making payments to states under HAVA. A…

The “regular biennial or annual elections for election of United States, state, district, county, township, and municipal officials and the special elections to fill vacancies therein and special elec…

A system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial or geographical data.

A technique allowing to locate a web user based on their IP address

Describes units of geopolitical geography so that they can be associated with contests, offices, ballot styles, and election results.

The distribution of mission-critical components or infrastructures across multiple geographic locations

The deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries so as to advantage or disadvantage a particular political interest.

A gathering of individuals from various backgrounds and different stages in their careers (hobbyist to professionals) to solve problems of common interest.

WHITE BOX Testing. Testing based on the assumption that the structure of the system under test is completely known.

An intermittent system error of undetermined cause. A system glitch may cause a network to go offline or a program to crash. Election officials are expected to track down all errors to their root caus…

(C. F. D.) The globally interconnected, end-to-end set of information capabilities for collecting, processing, storing, disseminating, and managing information on demand to warfighters, policy makers,…

(GII) Worldwide interconnections of the information systems of all countries, international and multinational organizations, and international commercial communications. (CNSSI-4009) (NISTIR)

A form of middleware used to integrate disparate components of a system, as with wrappers or other means of encapsulation. 2007 VVSG.

The government counterpart to the Sector Coordinating Council for each sector established to enable interagency and intergovernmental coordination; comprises representatives across various levels of g…

(GOTS) A software and/or hardware product that is developed by the technical staff of a Government organization for use by the U. S. Government. GOTS software and hardwar e may be developed by an exte…

Termination of a process that allows the operating system or parent process to regain normal control.

A security system that provides several levels (e.g., low, moderate, high) of protection based on threats, risks, available technology, support services, time, human concerns, and economics. (FIPS 201…

(opscan) The direction in which the fibers of optical scan ballot are oriented, which is the direction most resistant to change in shape when exposed to tension or moisture.

See focused testing.

Distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer.

(opscan) The leading edge of an optical scan ba llot that is “grabbed” by a printing press during printing.

The reasons that citizens would begin the process to remove an elected official from office.

A written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation by a group of individuals.

Used, sometimes in addition to a sign-on authenticator, to allow access to specific data or functions that may be shared by all members of a particular group.

(system) A computer system that (a) acts as gateway between two information systems operating under different security policies and (b) is trusted to mediate information data transfers between the two…

A barrier to keep members of the public away fr om voters who are in the act of voting. “The polls shall be provided with a guard rail, so that no one except as herein authorized shall approach nearer…

Relating to a state governor or the office of state governor.

Election where the office of the state governor is also on the ballot. Typically includes the other statewide office contests and is held in a year other than when the Presidential contest is on the b…

Election in which all eligible voters, regardless of party affiliation, are able to vote for candidates to fill public office and/or vote on ballot measures, and the office of the state governor is al…

Election held to determine which candidate will represent a political party for a given office in the general election and the office of the state governor is also on the ballot. Some states have an o…

A measure of the difficulty that an Attacker has to guess the average password used in a system. In this document, entropy is stated in bits. When a password has n-bits of guessing entropy then an att…

The VOLUNTARY VOTING SYSTEM GUIDELINES.