Glossary of Election Terms

Glossary

Absent Voter Election Board: Trained election workers responsible for processing absentee ballots. The AVEB checks signatures, opens envelopes, reviews ballots, and oversees tabulation. They work in secure, centralized locations and follow strict procedures to ensure accuracy and transparency.

Absentee Ballot: A ballot mailed to a voter who fills it out at home and returns it by mail, drop box, or in person.

Accessible Voting System / Ballot Marking Device (BMD): Equipment that helps voters with disabilities fill out a paper ballot.

Adjudication: The process of election workers reviewing ballots by hand when machines can’t determine the voter’s intent.

Ballot Style: Different versions of ballots used in different areas of the county, based on local races or districts.

Central Count Tabulator: A larger tabulator used at county offices to count vote-by-mail or absentee ballots.

Chain of Custody: The process of securely tracking ballots and election materials from the time they are prepared, through voting, to their final counting and storage.

Challenged Ballot: A ballot that a party observer/watcher disputes for some reason. It is set aside for later review.

Electioneering: Campaigning near a polling place – prohibited within 100 feet.

Electronic Pollbook: A digital list of registered voters used to check people in at polling places.

Electronic Vote Tabulator: A machine that counts votes.

Invalid Ballot that has to be hand tallied: A ballot that a voter made a mistake on and needs to replace. The spoiled ballot is marked and set aside so the voter can get a new one.

Out-Stacking: When a tabulator separates certain ballots for human review—for example, ones that are hard to read.

Overvote: When a ballot has too many selections in one race (e.g., voting for two people in a vote-for-one contest).

Poll Workers/Precinct Board Members: Community members trained to run polling places.

Precinct Count Tabulator: A smaller machine used at polling places on Election Day.

Presiding Judge: Lead poll worker in charge of the site.

Provisional Ballot: A ballot set aside until voter eligibility can be confirmed

Secrecy Envelope: The inner envelope that protects a voter’s privacy. It’s separated from the outer envelope before counting.

Spoiled Ballot: A ballot that a voter made a mistake on and needs to replace. The spoiled ballot is marked and set aside so the voter can get a new one.

Tabulator: A secure machine that scans and counts ballots counting and storage.

Test Deck: A set of pre-filled sample ballots used to test the machines. Officials already know what the results should be.

Undervote: When a voter casts a vote for one race on the ballot, but one or more other races are left blank.

Verification: The process of checking the voter’s signature and last four digits of their Social Security number against their voter record.

Zero Report: A printout that shows all vote totals at zero before any ballots are run through the tabulator.

Contact Us

Email: Sharon.Berman@cartercenter.org

The mission of Observe New Mexico Elections is to increase transparency and trust in New Mexico’s elections by training and deploying nonpartisan election observers throughout the state. Observers will report on how election laws and procedures are followed, representing all voters without interfering in the electoral process. Findings from their observations will be compiled to assess the overall quality of elections in New Mexico.