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| Glossary Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| oath | |
| oath of office | |
| observers | |
| office | |
| office holder | |
| office of the controller | |
| office of the registrar of voters | |
| officer | |
| offices | |
| official | |
| official ballot | |
| official ballot card | |
| official ballot card secrecy sleeve | |
| official envelope | |
| official party affiliation list | |
| official roster of voters | |
| official sample ballot | |
| on parole | |
| on probation | |
| open | |
| open primary | Primary election in which any voters can participate, regardless of their political affiliation. Some states require voters to publicly declare their choice of party ballot at the polling place, after which the poll worker provides or activates the appropriate ballot. Other states allow the voters to make their choice of party ballot within the privacy of the voting booth. |
| open records | |
| operating system | |
| operation manual | |
| operational environment | All software, hardware (including facilities, furnishings and fixtures), materials, documentation, and the interface used by the election personnel, maintenance operator, poll worker, and voter, required for voting equipment operations |
| opponent | |
| oppose | |
| optical scan | |
| optical scan ballots | |
| optical scan system | System by which votes are recorded by means of marks made in voting response fields designated on one or both faces of a ballot card or series of cards. An optical scan system reads and tabulates ballots, usually paper ballots, by scanning the ballot and interpreting the contents. Also known as Marksense. |
| option | |
| optional | |
| order | |
| order on the ballot | |
| ordinance | |
| original petition |