Pre Election Procedures

In plain English

Pre-election procedures are the laws, policies, and administrative steps carried out before an election, including filing deadlines, ballot preparation, equipment testing, and poll worker training.

Definition

Laws, policies, and administrative procedures that are conducted prior an election, often related to candidacy filings, ballot preparation, logic and accuracy testing of voting machines, poll worker training and all of the other activities required to prepare for voting in an election.

Also known aspre-election processes · pre-election preparations · election setup · pre-voting procedures · election readiness activities · pre-election logistics
1 sources cited4 related termsReviewed by Martins Ogundare · Aug 10, 2026
EAC Glossary of TermsView source
Example

Thirty days before election day, a county pre-election procedures include publishing the candidate list, finalizing the ballot layout, conducting logic and accuracy tests on all machines, and training poll workers on opening and closing procedures.

Why this term matters

Most election errors happen long before election day, in ballot proofing, programming, or poll worker preparation. Systematic pre-election procedures catch these problems while they are still cheap and possible to fix.

How it is used in election security

Election offices follow a written pre-election calendar covering candidate filing review, ballot layout and proofing, logic and accuracy testing, poll worker training, and site preparation. Completing and documenting each step is often required before ballots can be officially approved for the election.

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EAC
U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Laws, policies, and administrative procedures that are conducted prior an election, often related to candidacy filings, ballot preparation, logic and accuracy testing of voting machines, poll worker training and all of the other activities required to prepare for voting in an election.

EAC Glossary of Terms · 2024

Cite this term

Permanent URL · stable across revisions
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Pre Election Procedures. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved September 14, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/pre-election-procedures

Sources

1 cited · last checked Aug 10, 2026

01

EAC Glossary of Terms
EAC Glossary of Terms

Single-source

View source

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