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 |
---|---|
waive (the right to) | The legal ability to request an exemption to a rule or regulation. |
waiver | The voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. |
ward | An administrative division of a city or borough that typically elects and is represented by a councilor or councilors. |
water district | A geographical unit of local government given the task of supplying water and sewer needs to a community. |
wheelchair accessible | Building features that allow for the free movement of individuals using wheelchairs. Accessible doors should provide at least 32 inches of clear width. Door hardware must not require more than 5 lbs. of force to operate. It must also be operable with one hand and without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. Thresholds cannot be higher than 1/2 inch at accessible doors, including sliding doors. Doors require a certain amount of clear space around them, in all cases, the maneuvering space should have a level surface, that is, a maximum slope of 1:48. |
whip | |
White Box Testing | Testing based on an analysis of the internal structure of the component or system. |
Wi-Fi | A wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. Wi-Fi is a trademarked phrase for the IEEE 802.11x standard. |
Wide Area Network | A network that connects computers across metropolitan, regional, and national boundaries. |
Wireless | Network connectivity using radio waves instead of wire connections. Wireless signals can be intercepted and, if not encrypted, deciphered. |
withdraw | |
withdrawal | |
withdrawal of candidacy | 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. |
withdrawal of nominating petition | When a person files paperwork to be considered for Nomination to public office, but later decides, by their own choice, to not seek the nomination. |
withdrawn candidates | Candidates who had announced a candidacy or filed for an election but later decided, by their own choice, not to appear on the final ballot. |
witness | |
witness intimidation | |
Working Families Party | |
writ of election | The legal term used when an authorized government authority proclaims that an election will take place at a particular time. |
write-in | A vote for a candidate that was not listed on the ballot. In some jurisdictions, voters may do this by filling in a write-in space provided on a paper ballot, or they may use a keypad, touch screen, or other electronic means to enter the name on an electronic voting device. |
write-in ballot | |
write-in campaign | Any person seeking election, but whose name will not be printed on the ballot. The candidate must educate voters to write in the candidate's name in the space provided on the ballot. |
write-in candidate | Any person seeking election, but whose name will not be printed on the ballot. For these votes to be tallied and certified, the candidate must file forms with the election official during the qualifying period. A space will be provided on the ballot for voters to write in the candidate's name. The candidate must educate voters to write in the candidate's name in the space provided. |
write-in candidate requirements | Any person seeking election, but whose name will not be printed on the ballot, must still complete and file forms with the election official during a qualifying period, in order for these votes to be tallied and certified. |
write-in column | |
write-in slide | |
Write-In Space | A space provided on a ballot for voters to write in candidate's names that are not pre-printed on the ballot. |
write-in vote | A vote for a candidate that was not listed on the ballot. In some jurisdictions, voters may do this by using a marking device to physically write their choice on the ballot or they may use a keypad, touch screen, or other electronic means to enter the name. |
write-in voting | To make a selection of an individual not listed on the ballot. In some jurisdictions, voters may do this by using a marking device to physically write their choice on the ballot or they may use a keypad, touch screen or other electronic means to enter the name. |