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Glossary of Election Terms

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Glossary of Election Terms 1 Contents Purpose ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Glossary of Election Terminology ............................................................................................................. 4 A ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 B........................................................................................................................................................ 10 C ........................................................................................................................................................ 16 D ....................................................................................................................................................... 29 E ........................................................................................................................................................ 34 F ........................................................................................................................................................ 42 G ....................................................................................................................................................... 46 H ....................................................................................................................................................... 47 I ......................................................................................................................................................... 49 J ........................................................................................................................................................ 50 K ........................................................................................................................................................ 50 L ........................................................................................................................................................ 50 M ...................................................................................................................................................... 52 N ....................................................................................................................................................... 56 O ....................................................................................................................................................... 60 P ........................................................................................................................................................ 64 Q ....................................................................................................................................................... 75 R........................................................................................................................................................ 77 S ........................................................................................................................................................ 84 T ........................................................................................................................................................ 93 U ....................................................................................................................................................... 97 V ....................................................................................................................................................... 99 W .................................................................................................................................................... 110 X ...................................................................................................................................................... 112 Y ...................................................................................................................................................... 112 Z ...................................................................................................................................................... 112 2 Purpose This glossary contains nearly 1,300 terms and phrases used in the administration of elections in the United States. The main purpose of the glossary is to provide election officials with a comprehensive resource of common words and phrases used in the administration of elections. The establishment of uniform election terminology is beneficial for ensuring consistency when communicating with the public about elections and voting. However, because election procedures and terminology vary by jurisdiction, it is best to always refer to state and local election officials when a term differs with the definitions in this glossary. 3 Glossary of Election Terminology A Abandoned Ballot 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 Application An application to receive an absentee ballot. 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. Absentee Ballot Request Form A form used by a voter to request an absentee ballot. Absentee Mail Process A series of actions or steps taken when voting using an absentee ballot. Absentee Procedures The established series of actions taken by an election official to process absentee ballots. Absentee Vote A vote cast using an absentee ballot. Absentee Voter A voter who uses an absentee ballot to vote. Absentee Voter Status A term used by election officials when determining whether a voter is eligible for, applied for or voted using an absentee ballot. Absolute Majority More than 50%. Acceptance Testing 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, in fact, the certified system purchased. This usually happens in a simulated-use environment. 4 Access Control The process of granting or denying specific requests to obtain and use information, and related information processing services, and enter specific physical facilities. Access Board Independent federal agency whose primary mission is accessibility for people with disabilities and a leading source of information on accessible design. Accessibility 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, hearing and mobility, as well as cognitive disabilities. Accessibility Requirements The set of laws, statutes and procedures that govern the voting process to ensure that voting is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Accessible Facility A location that meets all of the laws and statues to ensure that it is available and usable by individuals with disabilities. Accessible Voting Station Voting station equipped for individuals with disabilities. Accreditation Formal recognition that a laboratory is competent to carry out specific tests or calibrations. Accreditation Body (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 confirming the status of those that meet the standard. Accuracy (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 quantity subject to measurement. Accuracy is a qualitative concept and is not interchangeable with precision. Accuracy For Voting Systems 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 is defined in terms of an error rate that for testing purposes represents the maximum number of errors allowed while processing a specified volume of data. Activation Device 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 information necessary to determine the appropriate ballot style for the voter. 5 Active Registered Voter A voter whose record is current with the appropriate election authority and is eligible to vote. Active Status 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. 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 marked on the entire ballot, or the ballot being unreadable by a scanner. Adjudicated Ballot A voted ballot that contains contest selections that required adjudication. Advance(d) Ballot A ballot cast prior to election day. Advisory
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