You are now leaving the Election Assistance Commission website. Links from these pages/this page to non-Election Assistance Commission sites do not represent any implicit or explicit endorsement by the Election Assistance Commission of any commercial or private issues or products presented here.
Glossary Term | Definition |
---|---|
U.S. congressman | |
U.S. Department of Justice | |
U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) | Election Assistance Commission was created by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to assist the states regarding HAVA compliance and to distribute HAVA funds to the states. The EAC is also charged with creating voting system guidelines and operating the federal government’s first voting system certification program. The EAC is also responsible for maintaining the National Voter Registration form, conducting research, and administering a national clearinghouse on elections that includes shared practices, information for voters, and other resources to improve elections. |
U.S. House of Representatives | |
U.S. Representative | |
U.S. Senate | |
U.S. Senator | |
unauthorized use | Use of technology or data for unapproved or illegal activities. |
unconstitutional | Not in accordance with a political constitution, especially the U.S. Constitution, or with procedural rules. |
under oath | Having sworn to tell the truth. |
undervote | Occurs when the number of choices selected by a voter in a contest is less than the maximum number allowed for that contest or when no selection is made for a single choice contest. |
undervoting | The act of a voter selecting less than the maximum number allowed for a voting contest or when no selection is made for a single choice contest. |
unenrolled | An individual who is not affiliated with a political party. |
unenrolled candidate | A candidate for public office who is not affiliated with a political party. |
unexpired | |
unexpired term | The number of calendar days left between a vacancy of a public office and the date that the term is regularly scheduled to end. Unexpired terms may be filled through an appointment or special election. |
unification | |
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) | UOCAVA citizens are U.S. citizens who are active members of the Uniformed Services, the Merchant Marine, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, their eligible family members, and U.S. citizens residing outside the United States. This Act provides the legal basis for these citizens' absentee voting requirements for federal offices. |
uniformed services voter | U.S. citizens who are active members of the Uniformed Services, the Merchant Marine, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, their eligible family members. |
Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) | A battery powered back-up system that quickly switches to battery power when electrical current to the computer system is disrupted (surge, sags, and failures). |
United States citizen | An individual with a legal status that provides them with certain rights within the United States. Citizenship may be derived from place of birth, paternal citizenship, or naturalization. |
United States congressman | |
United States Department of Justice | |
Unmarked Ballot | An issued ballot without any selections made. |
Unregistered | Not having entered one's name on an official voting list. |
Upload | Transfer data from a smaller computer or device to a larger computer. |
upon receipt | |
usability | Effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment. Usability in the context of voting refers to voters being able to cast valid votes as they intended quickly, without errors, and with confidence that their ballot choices were recorded correctly. It also refers to the usability of the setup and operation in the polling place of voting equipment. |
usability testing | Encompasses a range of methods that examine how users in the target audience actually interact with a system, in contrast to analytic techniques such as usability inspection. |