A ballot that has been torn, bent, or otherwise mutilated or rendered unreadable such that it cannot be processed by the ballot tabulating equipment designed for use with the ballot.

The practice of protecting digital information from unauthorized access, corruption, or theft throughout its entire lifecycle.

The latest time and date that a citizen can vote.

Hearing loss so severe that there is very little or no functional hearing.

A form completed by a disabled voter to either request or deny assistance during the voting process.

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

The act of completing the required paperwork to declare a person's intent to become a candidate for public office.

A document filed with a governing authority to declare a person's intent to raise and spend political contributions.

A document filed with a governing authority to declare a person's intent to seek election to an office where their name will not be pre-printed on a ballot but need a voter to write in the candidate's name on a blank space for that contest.

A ballot that has been torn, defaced, or marked in a way that it cannot be tabulated by a scanner.

Multiple levels of logical and physical security measures that deny a single point of security failure in a system. Also called the “Castle” approach.

An authorized person sent to represent others, in particular an elective representative.

A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

A person who is empowered or authorized to act on behalf of a person in authority. Election officials can administer an oath to citizens to carry out official election duties as their deputies in some States.

A description, name, or formal title. In some jurisdictions, a candidate may submit a descriptive designation to be printed under their name on the ballot.

A technology by which systems and their users can employ the security applications of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). PKI is a set of roles, policies, and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates and manage public-key encryption.

To convert analog data to digital format for storage and use on a computer. The digital form of the character “A” is the byte: 01000001 (ASCII value 65). Any data stored in a computer must be digitized.

A form of democracy in which citizens decide on policy initiatives directly, such as when voters decide on initiative, propositions, and referendums.

A primary election in which members of a party nominate its candidates by direct vote.

A vote capture device that allows electronic presentation of a ballot, electronic selection of valid contest options, and electronic storage of contest selections as individuals vote. It also provides a summary of these contest selections.

A file storage architecture in which individual files are stored in separate, hierarchical directories. The directory is the map to where the file is stored. Most systems will store files in a default directory unless otherwise specified.

An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.

Voters that may require assistance during the election process to interact with systems not designed using universal design.

Unequal treatment.

To deprive someone of the right to vote.

Voters who have had to leave their homes, typically because of a natural disaster.

The action of disqualifying a candidate or voter from participating in an electoral process.