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Glossary Term | Definition |
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random audit | A public process of manually tallying a percentage of votes, selected at random by the elections official, and typically involves a defined minimum number of precincts or races. This procedure is conducted to verify the accuracy of an automated count. |
Ranked Choice Voting | A vote variation which allows each voter to rank contest options in order of the voter’s preference, in which votes are counted in rounds using a series of runoff tabulations to defeat contest options with the fewest votes, which elects a winner with a majority of final round votes in a single winner contest and provides proportional representation in multi-winner contests. |
ranked order voting | A vote variation which allows each voter to rank contest options in order of the voter’s preference, in which votes are counted in rounds using a series of runoff tabulations to defeat contest options with the fewest votes, which elects a winner with a majority of final round votes in a single winner contest and provides proportional representation in multi-winner contests. |
Ransomware | Malware that holds the victim’s device (computer, phone, etc.) and data for ransom (a sum of money or other payment), by means of encrypting the files on the device or preventing access to the device. |
ratification | |
ratify | |
re-elect | To elect for another term to the same public office. |
re-election | |
Read Ballot | Cast ballot that has been successfully accepted and initially processed. |
reappointment | To appoint for another term to the same public office. |
reapportion | To assign or distribute seats differently in a legislative body based on changes in population. |
reapportionment | The process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions based on changes in population. |
recall | Process that allows voters to remove elected representatives from office prior to the expiration of their terms of office. |
recall ballot | |
recall election | An election in which the question of whether to remove an elected official from office before their term is completed appears on the ballot for approval or rejection. |
recall grounds | Refers to the reasons that citizens would begin the process to remove an elected official from office in a political recall. |
recall issue with options | Process that allows voters to remove elected representatives from office prior to the expiration of their terms of office. The recall may involve not only the question of whether a particular officer should be removed, but also the question of naming a successor in the event that there is an affirmative vote for the recall. |
recall of public officer | Process that allows voters to remove elected representatives from office prior to the expiration of their terms of office. |
recall petition | The procedure by which citizens can gather signatures from voters, using an official form, to propose a recall election directly to a governing body. |
recall process | Process that allows voters to remove elected representatives from office prior to the expiration of their terms of office. |
recall statement | The general statement included on a petition, when attempting to gather signatures from voters for a recall election, which describes the reason for seeking a recall election. |
recall vote | Vote cast in a recall election. |
Recallable Ballot | Recorded ballot that can be individually retrieved and included or excluded from further processing. |
receipt | |
receiving boards | A group of individuals appointed, usually by local authorities, and charged with control of an elections procedure, such as receiving voted ballots, voting material or voting equipment from poll workers after the polls have been closed. |
recertification | Re-examination, and possibly retesting of a voting system that was modified subsequent to receiving national and/or state certification. The object of this is to determine if the system as modified still conforms to the requirements. |
reconcile | An accounting or auditing process that compares two sets of records to check that figures are consistent, accurate, and complete. |
record | |
Record (noun) | Preserved evidence of activities performed or results achieved (for example, forms, reports, test results). |
Record (verb) | To document an action or create a record. |
Recorded Ballot | A ballot for which there is an associated cast vote record. |
recorder | |
recount | An additional count of the votes cast in an election, typically required due to state law, a candidate request, or a court order, that is used to determine the accuracy of the reported results of an election. This process may be conducted using ballot tabulation equipment or by-hand depending on local laws and procedures. |
redistrict | The process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions based on changes in population. |
referenda | The plural of Referendum, which is a process whereby a state law or constitutional amendment may be referred to the voters before it goes into effect. |
referendum | Process whereby a state law or constitutional amendment may be referred to the voters before it goes into effect. |