Primary definition
A printed mark, general at the edge of an optical scan ballot to indicate the vertical location of POSITIONS. Improperly printed timing marks can lead to a ballot being read incorrectly VOTING or not read at all.
Also known astiming track · timing line · timing pattern · ballot timing mark · scan timing mark
1 sources cited4 related termsReviewed Aug 9, 2026
— Electronic Voting GlossaryView source
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Carnegie Mellon University
A printed mark, general at the edge of an optical scan ballot to indicate the vertical location of POSITIONS. Improperly printed timing marks can lead to a ballot being read incorrectly VOTING or not read at all.
Electronic Voting Glossary · 2024
Cite this term
Permanent URL · stable across revisions
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Timing Mark. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 22, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/timing-mark
Sources
1 cited · last checked Aug 9, 2026
01
Electronic Voting Glossary
Electronic Voting Glossary
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