GLOSSARY
Biometric data
electronic representation of an individual’s physical attributes, such as facial features, fingerprints, used to define and identify individual’s unique identity.
Certified results
final election results duly certified and published after all challenges are addressed.
Continuous electoral register
method of voter registration in which voter data is continuously collected and updated between electoral events.
Direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machine
voting machine that electronically records votes cast by voters by activating touch-screen displays or mechanical buttons.
Electronic ballot printer (EBP)
produces a machine-readable printout or electronic token containing the voter’s choice. This token is fed into a separate ballot scanner that automatically counts the ballots.
Electoral management body (EMB)
an organization or body founded for the sole purpose of, and is legally responsible for, managing some or all of the essential (or core) elements for the conduct of elections, and of direct democracy instruments. These essential (or core) elements include determining who is eligible to vote, receiving and validating the nominations of electoral participants (for elections, political parties and/or candidates), conducting balloting, counting votes, and tabulation of votes.
Electoral register
list of persons registered as qualified to vote. In some countries this is known as the voters’ list or electoral roll.
Electronic poll books
electronic version of poll books at the polling station level used to verify the eligibility to vote before they cast their votes. Electronic poll books are used in addition to or replace paper-based voter lists in polling stations.
Electronic tabulation system
an electronic system for the processing and transmission of official results. See also glossary term: Tabulation of votes.
E-voting
use of electronic means in elections to cast or count votes.
Final results
completion of the counting of all or nearly all votes by an electoral management body and thereby establishing election outcomes.
Open source software
access to the source codes of the software. Depending on the exact license model, restrictions and/or fees may apply to the usage, sharing or modification of the software.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
electronic capturing of printed or hand written characters and conversion into machine-encoded text.
Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)
electronic capturing of human-marked data from specially designed forms or ballots.
Periodic electoral register
method of voter registration in which old voter data is discarded and a new voter register is created for each electoral event.
Polling station
venue established for the purpose of polling and controlled by the electoral management body.
Population/civil registry
a centrally held master database containing information generated by the administrative infrastructure of a country involving the mandatory collection of information from many sources and containing information such as the name, gender, nationality, age, marital status and address of all citizens. Electoral registers and other documents may be drawn from it when required.
Proprietary software
software owned by an individual or a company, usually licensed with various restrictions on use and secret source codes.
Regional EMB
an electoral management body at a sub-national level. See also glossary term: Electoral management body (EMB).
Registration of voters
the act of entering the names and other relevant information of eligible voters in the electoral register. See also glossary term: Electoral register.
Tabulation of votes
the process of compiling the result of counting of votes cast. This is also known as amalgamation of results.
Vendors
for-profit companies providing elections technology, products and services to electoral management bodies. These companies may also have other lines of business.
Voter registration card
card issued to identify a person registered as an elector in accordance with the provisions of the electoral law.
Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT)
independent verification system for voting machines that generates a paper receipt for each voter and all votes cast. The voter can confirm that the receipt matches his or her choice. The receipts are kept in the polling station and can be used for manual recounts.
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