Glossary of Election Terminology

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A

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.

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.

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.

Affidavit

A written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation.

Affidavit For Absentee Ballot

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

Affidavit of Identity

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

Affidavit of Registration

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

Alternative Format

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

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

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.

Application for Ballot By Mail (ABBM)

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

Appointed Incumbent

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

Appointed Member

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.

Approval Voting

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 voter may choose only one option among several, whereby the option with the most votes is chosen.

Assistance to Vote

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

Assistant of Voters

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

Assistive Technology

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

At Large

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

Attest

Be a witness to or formally certify.

Automated Voter Registration

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

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR)

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).

 B

Ballot

The official presentation of all of the contests to be decided in a particular election. Either in paper or electronic format, the mechanism for voters to show their voter preferences.

Ballot Access

The ability to mark, cast, and verify a ballot privately and independently.

Ballot Box

A sealed container that holds ballots cast by voters.

Ballot Card

A card or a number of cards upon which are printed, or identified by reference to the ballot, the names of candidates for nomination or election to one or more offices or the ballot titles of one or more measures.

Ballot Cast

The final action a voter takes in selecting contest options and irrevocably confirming their intent to vote as selected. Examples include when a ballot has been deposited by the voter in the ballot box, mailbox, drop box or electronically submitted for tabulation.

Ballot Configuration

Particular set of contests to appear on the ballot for a particular election district, their order, the list of ballot positions for each contest, and the binding of candidate names to ballot positions.

Ballot Counter

Feature in a voting device that counts the votes cast in an election. This can also refer to a person who counts vote by hand.

Ballot Data

A list of contests and associated options that may appear on a ballot for a particular election.

Ballot Designation

A description, name or formal title printed under a candidate's name on a ballot. May also include a candidate's political party or incumbent status.

Ballot Drop Box

A locked container, either indoor or outdoor, where voters can return an absentee ballot for collection directly by an election official.

Ballot Envelope

The official inner and outer envelopes used to transport absentee and mailed ballots.

Ballot Exhaustion

Refers to processing a ranked choice voting contest on a cast ballot, when that ballot becomes inactive and cannot be advanced in the tabulation for a contest because there are no further valid rankings on the ballot for continuing contest options.

Ballot Fatigue

Phenomenon where voters opt not to vote on races or issues appearing further down the ballot.

Ballot Format

The concrete presentation of the contents of a ballot appropriate to the particular voting technology being used. The contents may be rendered using various methods of presentation (visual or audio), language or graphics.

Ballot Harvesting

The act of collecting ballots, typically by a political party or nonprofit organization, for multiple voters and returning those ballots to an elections office on behalf of those voters. The legality of this practice varies by state, with some states allowing the practice, limiting who can return ballots on behalf of others or banning the practice completely. In Massachusetts, household members, caregivers, and/or family members may return ballots.

Ballot Image

Electronically produced record of all votes cast by a single voter. Also, can mean a digital image of a voted ballot captured by a voting system or ballot tabulation device.

Ballot Instructions

Information provided to a voter that describes the procedures for marking the ballot. This information may appear directly on the paper or electronic ballot or may be provided separately.

Ballot Label

The portion of voting materials that contains information about voters, candidates, ballots, contests or other election data.

Ballot Layout

The concrete presentation of the contents of a ballot appropriate to the particular voting technology being used. The contents may be rendered using various methods of presentation (visual or audio), language or graphics.

Ballot Manifest

A catalog prepared by election officials listing all the physical paper ballots and their locations in sequence. This is a requirement for a Risk Limiting Audit but can be used to track ballot inventory and create an audit record for other types of audits.

Ballot Marking Device

A device that permits contest options to be reviewed on an electronic interface, produces a human-readable paper ballot, and does not make any other lasting record of the voter's selections.

Ballot Measure

(1) A question that appears on the ballot for approval or rejection. (2) A contest on a ballot where the voter may vote yes or no.

Ballot on Demand

A process that produces a paper ballot of the required ballot style with the contests and candidates specific to a voter. This process requires a system with a printer that can create paper ballots that can be tabulated on a voting system and device with all of the data needed to print a ballot style associated with a specific voter. Note: "ballot on demand" is a registered trademark of ES&S, but it is a term that is commonly used for similar systems.

Ballot Order

(1) The order in which contests and candidates appear on a ballot. The order candidates and issues appear on the ballot vary by state. (2) The term used when an election official requests a ballot printer to print a specific number of ballots.

Ballot Pamphlet

Official information about your ballot issued from an elections office, often referred to as a voter information guide.

Ballot Pickup

Refers to the act of collecting an absentee or mailed ballot, instead of returning it via drop box, through the mail, or delivery.

Ballot Position

A specific place in a ballot where a voter's selection for a particular contest may be indicated. Positions may be connected to row and column numbers on the face of a voting machine or ballot, particular bit positions in a binary record of a ballot (for example, an electronic ballot image), or the equivalent in some other form. Ballot positions are bound to specific contests and candidate names by the ballot configuration.

Ballot Preparation

Selecting the specific contests and questions to be contained in a ballot format and related instructions; preparing and testing election-specific software containing these selections; producing all possible ballot formats; and validating the correctness of ballot materials and software containing these selections for an upcoming election.

Ballot Production

Process of generating ballots for presentation to voters, for example, printing paper ballots, or configuring the ballot presentation for an electronic display.

Ballot Question

Proposals to enact new laws or constitutional amendments that are placed on the ballot for approval or rejection by voters.

Ballot Remake

A ballot substituted for a damaged or partially invalid ballot -- usually remade by a regulated process where the votes from the damaged or partially invalid ballot are duplicated onto another ballot that can tabulated by a scanner.

Ballot Rotation

Process of varying the order of the candidate names within a given contest. This practice varies by state.

Ballot Scanner

Device used to read the voter selection data from a paper ballot or ballot card.

Ballot Secrecy

A set of rules and procedures to establish the fundamental right of voters in the United States to cast a secret ballot. These procedures ensure that no ballot can be associated with a voter, thereby allowing voters to mark their ballots freely and without fear of repercussion or reprisal.

Ballot Stub

A small strip, usually located at the top of a ballot, that is perforated with information about the ballot such as a serial number, the date of the election, and jurisdiction where the election is being held.

Ballot Stuffing

The act of casting illegal votes or submitting more than one ballot per voter when only one ballot per voter is permitted.

Ballot Style

A ballot with a specific set of contests and candidates for a particular precinct. Ballot styles vary based on which combination of contests and which party affiliation (in primary elections), that voters are eligible to participate in. Ballot style varies based on the contests voters are eligible to vote on and, during primary elections, their party affiliation.

Ballot Title

(1) The official short summary of a ballot measure that appears on a ballot. (2) The ballot title typically includes the election date and type (Special, Primary, or General) of election.

Ballot Types

A ballot with a specific set of contests and candidates for a particular precinct. Ballot styles vary based on which combination of contests and which party affiliation (in a primary election), that voters are eligible to participate in.

Barcode

An optical and machine-readable representation of data as a sequence of bars and spaces that conform to accepted standards. A QR code is an example of a barcode.

Barcode Reader

Device used to scan barcodes and convert the encoded information into a usable format. Barcode readers are used to scan codes on a variety of election materials including ballots, driver's licenses, voter ID cards, voter information packets, envelopes, and other election documents.

Baseline Voting

A vote variation in which the candidate with the most votes wins. In single-seat contests, the voter may only select one contest option. In multi-seat contests, the voter may select up to the number of contests specified on the ballot.

Batch

A collection of paper ballots gathered as a group for tabulation and auditing.

Batch-fed scanner

An electronic voting device that:

· accepts stacks of hand-marked or BMD-produced paper ballots and automatically processes them until the stack is empty;

· is usually used at an election jurisdiction’s central location;

· is mostly commonly used to process absentee ballots;

· usually has input and output hoppers for ballots;

· scans a ballot and rejects it if either unreadable or un-processable;

· detects, interprets, and validates contest selections;

· detects and sorts (either digitally or physically) ballots that are unreadable or unprocessable, or

· that contain undeterminable selections, marking exceptions, or write-ins; and

· tabulates and reports contest results as required.

Benchmark

Quantitative point of reference to which the measured performance of a system or device may be compared.

Bicameral

A legislative body having two branches or chambers. Congress has two houses: House of Representative and the Senate.

Biennial

Taking place every other year. Federal elections take place biennially in even-numbered years.

Biennium

A specified period of two years.

Bilingual Requirements

The list of laws and regulations that determine which election materials need to be available in languages other than English.

Blank Ballot

An issued ballot without any selections made.

Blank Space

An area on the ballot typically used by voters to write in a name that is not already pre-printed with the other candidate's name on the ballot for that contest.

Blanket Primary

Primary election wherein a voter may vote for candidates from any party, regardless of the political party affiliation of the voter or candidates.

Blind

Very limited or lack of vision.

Block Voting

A system in which a voter can select as many candidates as there are open seats.

Board (Election)

A group of individuals working together to complete an elections task. Examples include Precinct Boards, Canvassing Boards, Auditing Boards, among others.

Board of Canvassers

A group of individuals working together, following specific rules and procedures, to compile, review, and validate election materials.

Board of Commissioners

The governing body of a county in many U.S. states, especially in the Midwest and the East, consisting of members elected by the voters.

Board of Directors

A board that manages the affairs of an institution or local government.

Board of Elections

A group of individuals appointed, usually by local authorities, and charged with control of elections and voting procedures.

Board of Registrars

A group of individuals appointed, usually by local authorities and charged with control of elections and voting.

Board of Supervisors

The governing body of a county in many U.S. states, especially in the West, consisting of members elected by the voters.

Bond

A debt in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and is obliged to repay the principal and interest at a later date. Bonds questions may be placed on local ballots to approve or deny a bond and, if approved by voters, the bond may be repaid through the collection of property taxes within a determined jurisdiction, school district, or special district. Ballot questions may be placed on Statewide ballots and, if approved by voters, the bond is repaid with taxes or fees collected by the State.

Bond Election

An election where a proposal to allow a state or local government to approve additional spending in which a debt and obligation are repaid with interest appears on the ballot for voters to decide on.

Bond Issue

A proposal to allow a state or local government to approve additional spending in which a debt and obligation are repaid with interest.

Bond Proposition

When a state or local government places a question before the voters as a ballot measure, asking them to approve additional proposed spending using a bond.

Bond Referendum

A proposal to repeal a law authorizing a bond that was previously enacted by a governing body, and that is placed on the ballot to be approved or rejected by voters.

Boundary Line

The line that divides a precinct, city, or other political unit from another.

Braille Voting Instructions

Voting instructions written in characters that are represented by patterns of raised dots which are read through touch.

 C

Call an Election

When an authorized government authority proclaims that an election will take place at a particular time.

Campaign

A series of democratic activities to influence a political vote for or against candidates or ballot questions.

Campaign Contributions

Anything of value given, loaned or advanced to influence a political vote for or against candidates or ballot questions.

Campaign Disclosure

The act of reporting campaign contributions.

Campaign Expense Report

Report that details political expenses required to be filed by a governing authority.

Campaign Finance

The act of raising and spending funds for political purposes.

Campaign Finance Disclosure Statements

Reports that detail political contributions and expenses required to be filed by a governing authority.

Campaign Finance Laws

A set of laws that detail the rules and regulations for raising and spending funds and contributions for political purposes.

Campaign Finance Report

Reports that detail political contributions and expenses required to be filed by a governing authority.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

A set of requirements that detail the rules and regulations for raising and spending funds and contributions for political purposes.

Campaign Materials

The documents, resources and other materials used to influence a political vote for or against candidates or ballot questions. Campaign materials may include t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, yard signs, and other printed materials.

Campaign Signs

A sign advertising a particular vote.

Cancellation Notices

Written messages to voters informing them they have been removed from voter registration lists.

Cancellation of Registration

The act of removing a voter from a voter registration list.

Cancelled Voter Status

A term used by election officials when a voter's record shows that the voter has been removed from the voting rolls.

Candidacy

The state of being a candidate.

Candidate

A person who is seeking nomination or election to a specified office and who either has met the legal requirements to have his/her name printed on the ballot or is eligible to have his/her name written in on the ballot and counted as the voter's choice for the contest. Note - federal campaign finance and some states do not require a person to have filed petitions to be considered a candidate. Raising money alone can make you a candidate.

Candidate Committee

A group of individuals organized for political purposes to support or oppose candidates for public office.

Candidate Nomination Procedures

The official procedures to propose an individual to be considered for public office.

Candidate Petitions

A formal written document signed by registered voters to request the names of candidates be placed on election ballots.

Candidate Registration

The act of completing the required paperwork to become a certified candidate for public office.

Candidate Roster

A formal list of candidates.

Candidate Statement

A written summary of information about a candidate for public office for the purposes of influencing voters.

Candidate Withdrawal

When a person announces a candidacy or files for an election but later decides—by their own choice—not to appear on the final ballot.

Candidate Withdrawal Periods

The time frame when an individual may remove their name from the list of candidates for public office.

Candidates List

Official listing of all qualified candidates for a public office up for election.

Canvass

(1) Aggregating or confirming every valid ballot cast and counted, which includes absentee, early voting, Election Day, provisional, challenged, and uniformed and overseas citizen. (2) Solicit votes.

Canvass Report

A detailed report of activities and information about the canvass of an election.

Canvassing Board

A group of individuals working together, following specific rules and procedures, to compile, review and validate election materials.

Carry an Election

To win an election.

Cast

The final action a voter takes in selecting contest options and irrevocably confirming their intent to vote as selected.

Cast Ballot

A ballot has been deposited by the voter in the ballot box, mailbox, drop box or electronically submitted for tabulation.

Cast Vote Record

Permanent record of all votes produced by a single voter whether in electronic, paper or other form.

Also referred to as ballot image when used to refer to electronic ballots.

Cast Your Ballot (Cast Your Vote)

The act of a voter to place their completed paper ballot in a ballot box, to confirm and record their choices on a touch screen voting device at a voting location, to place a completed ballot in the mail or a drop box or to send a completed ballot through electronic transmission to an elections office. Once a ballot is cast, it usually cannot be changed.

Central Absentee Precinct

A central absentee precinct (CAP) is a precinct established in the courthouse or other public building in a county or city for the receiving, counting, and recording of absentee ballots cast in the county or city.

Central Committee

The organization of the central or executive committees of the political parties in a county, state, or other political subdivision.

Central Count

An act of tabulating ballots from multiple precincts at a central location.

Central Count Process

The rules and regulations followed when tabulating ballots from multiple precincts at a central location.

Central Count Voting System

A voting system that tabulates ballots from multiple precincts at a central location. Voted ballots are placed into secure storage at the polling place. Stored ballots are transported or transmitted to a central counting place which produces the vote count report.

Central Counting Station

A site used to check in, process or tabulate ballots from multiple precincts as a central location.

Central Reporting Device

Electronic voting device that consolidates and reports vote totals from multiple precincts at a central location.

Central Voter Register List

A list of voters maintained in a single, uniform, official, computerized statewide database of registered voters.

Centralized Voter Registration Database (CVR)

A single, uniform, official, computerized statewide database of registered voters.

Certificate

An official document attesting a certain fact.

Certificate of Circulator

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

Certificate of Election

A written statement confirming that a candidate was elected to public office.

Certificate of Error

A written statement detailing an election error.

Certificate of Nomination

A written statement confirming that a candidate received one of the highest numbers of votes for public office, usually indicating they will be moving on to a general or run-off election.

Certificate of Permanent Disability

A form completed by a licensed or certified health professional, or designated agency attesting to an individual’s disability.

Certificate of Registration

An official, sworn statement by an elections office to attest that a citizen is a registered voter.

Certificate of Restoration

A certificate issued by a judicial system to restore voting rights.

Certification

Procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, or service conforms to specified requirements.

Certification of Election

A written statement attesting that the tabulation and canvassing of the election is complete and accurate.

Certification of Official Election Results

A written statement attesting that the election results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in a particular election.

Certification of Signatures

A written statement attesting that the number of signatures on a petition counted as valid or rejected is a true and accurate accounting of the facts.

Certification Requirements

The laws and regulations that govern the conditions that are essential elements to certify an elections or voting process.

Certification Testing

Testing performed under either national or state certification processes to verify voting system conformance to requirements.

Certified Election Results

Final vote tallies that have been attested as true and accurate by the official responsible for confirming their accuracy.

Certify

The act of a third party giving written assurance that a product, process or service conforms to specified requirements.

Chad

A small piece of wastepaper produced by punching a hole in punched card or tape.

Chain of Custody

A process used to track the movement and control of an asset through its lifecycle by documenting each person and organization who handles an asset, the date/time it was collected or transferred, and the purpose of the transfer.

Challenge

Questioning the eligibility of a voter to cast a ballot, or to accept a ballot for counting.

Challenged Ballot

Ballot voted by an individual whose eligibility to vote has been questioned by another (typically an election official). The ballot is held until the reason for the challenge is resolved.

Challenged Voter

A voter whose eligibility to cast a ballot has been questioned.

Challenger

An individual or official who questions the eligibility of a voter to cast a ballot, or to accept a ballot for counting.

Change in Political Affiliation

The act of a voter re-registering to vote with a different political preference or association.

Change of Address

The act of a voter re-registering to vote to update their residence or mailing address. Voters can also update their address at approved government agencies such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and the United States Postal Service.

Change of Party

The act of a voter re-registering to vote with a different political preference or association.

Charter

A written document by a legislative authority, such as a City or County, that defines the laws and regulations of that body.

Charter Amendment

An amendment to a written document that has been adopted by a legislative authority, such as a City of County, that modifies its organizing charter.

Check the Box

The act of marking a vote on a ballot.

Chief Election Officer

The official responsible for overseeing elections in a jurisdiction.

Chief Inspector

The official responsible for the proper and orderly voting at a polling location or an election process.

Chief State Election Officer

The official responsible for overseeing elections in a state.

Circulate

The act of attempting to gather signatures from voters for initiatives, referendums, or candidates.

Circulation

The process of gathering signatures for initiatives, referendums or candidates.

Circulator

A person who presents petitions to voters to gather signatures for initiatives, referendums, or candidates.

Circulator Statement

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

Citizen

A person who, by place of birth, nationality of one or both parents, or naturalization is granted full rights and responsibilities as a member of a nation or political community, including the right to vote if not otherwise ineligible.

Citizen Initiatives

The procedure by which citizens can propose a law directly to a governing body.

City

An incorporated local government body within a state.

City Charter

A written document by a City that defines the laws and regulations of that body.

City Clerk

A city official who is responsible for election administration for a city.

City General Municipal Election

A regular election of candidates and measures within a city.

City Ordinance

A law passed by a city.

City Special Municipal Election

An election held other than a regularly scheduled primary or general election within a city.

Claim of Conformance

Statement by a vendor declaring that a specific product conforms to a particular standard or set of standard profiles; for voting systems, NASED qualification or EAC certification provides independent verification of a claim.

Clerk

An official responsible for administering an election or an election process.

Clerk of Absentee Voting

An official responsible for overseeing absentee voting or a portion of the absentee voting process.

Close of Registration

The last day that a citizen can register to vote or update their voter registration before an election.

Closed Primary

Primary election in which voters receive a ballot listing only those candidates running for office in the political party with which the voters are affiliated. In some states, non-partisan contests and ballot issues may be included.

Code of Conduct

A set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual or organization.

Code of Conduct of Elected Officials

A set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of election officials.

Combined Precinct

Two or more precincts treated as a single precinct for a specific election.

Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)

Software, firmware, device, or component that is used in the United States by many different people or organizations for many different applications other than certified voting systems and that is incorporated into the voting system with no manufacturer- or application-specific modification.

Common Data Format

Standard and practice of storing and creating data in a common, described format that can be read by other systems.

Component

Element within a larger system; a component can be hardware or software. For hardware, it is a physical part of a subsystem that can be used to compose larger systems (e.g., circuit boards, internal modems, processors, computer memory). For software, it is a module of executable code that performs a well-defined function and interacts with other components.

Computer Judge

Vote center election worker who checks the voter’s ID and signature, and processes the voter in the electronic poll book.

Conditional Voter Registration

Some states use this term to define the action of an individual registering and casting a provisional ballot after the statutory deadline, but whose eligibility or registration status could not be confirmed when they present themselves to vote.

Conduct an Election

The act of managing, running, and overseeing an election.

Configuration Management

Discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to identify and document functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item, control changes to these characteristics, record and report change processing and implementation status, and verify compliance with specified requirements.

Configuration Management Plan

Document detailing the process for identifying, controlling and managing various released items (such as code, hardware and documentation).

Configuration Status Accounting

An element of configuration management, consisting of the recording and reporting of information needed to manage a configuration effectively. This includes a listing of the approved configuration identification, the status of proposed changes to the configuration, and the implementation status of approved changes.

Confirmation Mailing

A notice mailed to a voter to confirm changes made to their information on a voter list. The notice may request that the voter take an action to confirm that the information contained in the notice is accurate.

Confirmation Notice

A notice mailed to a voter to confirm changes made to their information on a voter list. The notice may request that the voter take an action to confirm that the information contained in the notice is accurate.

Conformance

Fulfilling specified requirements by a product, process, or service.

Conformance Testing

Process of testing an implementation against the requirements specified in one or more standards. The outcomes of a conformance test are generally a pass or fail result, possibly including reports of problems encountered during the execution. Also known as certification testing.

Congressional District

The area within the boundaries of a state which a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is elected.

Congressional Election

An election when voters participate to election their U.S. House of Representative.

Connect the Arrow

On certain ballots, voters are instructed to draw a single line to connect the head and tail of the arrow that points to the choice to vote for a candidate or measure, instead of filling in a bubble or marking an X.

Consolidated Election

An election where more than one jurisdiction is holding an election on the same day, and participating jurisdictions take an official action to combine elections on the same ballot.

Consolidated Precinct

Two or more precincts treated as a single precinct for a specific election.

Consolidated Primaries

An election where more than one jurisdiction is holding an election on the same day, one of which is a scheduled primary election, and participating jurisdictions take an official action to combine elections on the same ballot.

Constituent

A person who is represented politically by a designated government official or officeholder, especially when the official is one that the person represented has the opportunity to participate in selecting through voting.

Constitution

The basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.

Contest

(1) A single decision or set of associated decisions being put before the voters (for example, the option of candidates to fill a particular public office or the approval or disapproval of a constitutional amendment). This term encompasses other terms such as “race,” “question,” and “issue” that are sometimes used to refer to specific kinds of contests. (2) A legal challenge of an election outcome.

Contested Races

An election contest with more candidates that there are vacancies for that election.

Continue Voting

Terminology used in some electronic voting systems or ballot marking devices to indicate that the voter either has more selections or has not cast their ballot.

Contribution

Anything of value given, loaned or advanced to influence a political vote for or against candidates or ballot questions.

Contribution Limit

The maximum amount that an individual or organization may give, loan or advance to influence a political vote for or against candidates or ballot questions.

Contributions and Expenses Reports

Reports that detail political contributions and expenses required to be filed by a governing authority.

Contributions and Spending Limits

The regulations that govern the maximum amount that a candidate or committee can spend to influence a political vote and that an individual or organization may give, loan or advance to influence a political vote for or against candidates or ballot questions.

Controls

A device, procedure, or subsystem, which when properly designed and implemented, ensures correctness of operation in a system. Common controls include completeness of processing checks, authentication of users, and accuracy in processing. Controls can be preventative (prevent anomalies from occurring) or paired, detective and corrective controls.

Corrective Action

Action taken to eliminate the causes of an existing deficiency or other undesirable situation in order to prevent recurrence.

Council District

The area within the boundaries of a state which a member of a City or Town Council is elected.

Count

Process of totaling votes.

Counted Ballot

Ballot that has been processed and whose votes are included in the candidates and measures vote totals.

County

A political and administrative division of a state, providing certain local government services.

County Auditor

A county official, in some states, who is responsible for election administration for a county.

County Board of Election

A group of individuals charged with control of elections and voting procedures for a county.

County Board of Supervisors

The governing body of a county in many U.S. states, especially in the West, consisting of members elected by the voters.

County Clerk

A county official who is responsible for election administration for a county.

County Commission

The governing body of a county in many U.S. states, especially in the Midwest and the East, consisting of members elected by the voters.

County Election Commission

A group of individuals appointed, usually by local authorities and charged with control of elections and voting procedure.

County Election Officer

An official who is responsible for election administration for a county.

County Election Precinct

Election administrative division corresponding to a geographic area that is the basis for determining which contests the voters legally residing in that area are eligible to vote on.

County Elections Officials

Officials who are responsible for election administration for a county.

County Measure

A law, issue, or question that appears on a ballot for voters of a county to decide on.

County Recorder

A county official, in some states, who is responsible for election administration for a county.

County of Residence

The county in a state or territory in which, at the time a person or receives services, the person is living and has established on ongoing presence for a permanent or indefinite period of time.

County Special District

A political subdivision of a county established to provide a single public service (such as water supply or sanitation) within a specific geographic area.

Competency Order

An order issued by a court determining whether a person has the mentally capacity to vote.

Critical Infrastructure

The physical and cyber systems and assets that are so vital to the United States that their incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on our physical or economic security or public health or safety.

Cross-Filing

Endorsement of a single candidate or slate of candidates by more than one political party. The candidate or slate appears on the ballot representing each endorsing political party. Also referred to as cross-party endorsement.

Cross-party endorsement

Endorsement of a single candidate or slate of candidates by more than one political party. The candidate or slate appears on the ballot representing each endorsing political party.

Crossover Voting

The act of a voter participating in a partisan primary election of a party that they are not officially registered or affiliated with.

Cryptographic Key

Value used to control cryptographic operations, such as decryption, encryption, signature generation or signature verification.

Cryptography

Discipline that embodies the principles, means, and methods for the transformation of data in order to hide their semantic content, prevent their unauthorized use, prevent their undetected modification and establish their authenticity.

Cumulative Voting

A vote variation used in a multiple seat contest where a voter is permitted to distribute a specified number of votes to one or more contest options. Two major variations are used in US elections, one of which may result in fractional votes.

Curbside Voting

When a voter cannot enter a polling place, in some jurisdictions election officers are authorized to assist a voter with voting and casting a ballot outside of the polling place.

Cure

The process of fixing an error or providing information to an elections office when your ballot has originally been rejected for counting.

Cured Ballot

A ballot that was originally rejected for an error or because it was missing required information but was ultimately counted because the voter corrected the error or supplied the required information.

Cure Period

The time period authorized by law or regulations that a voter has to provide required information to allow a ballot to be counted that was originally rejected. This process is often authorized when signatures on ballot envelopes do not compare to signatures on voter registration cards, or if a voter forgets to sign their ballot envelope.

Current Resident Address

The address where you are current living.

Custodian

Person with the responsibility for protecting information assets.

Cybersecurity

Measures taken to protect computer systems and data from attach and unauthorized access or use.