Government

Government terms

1. Affiliation (with a political party) A person becomes affiliated with a political party when the person is accepted to vote in the party’s primary election or applies for and is provided an…
2. Alternate Judge/Alternate Presiding Judge Appointed by the authority ordering the election to serve in an election polling place on election day.
3. Annual ABBM An application for a ballot submitted by a person who wishes to vote by mail for the reason of age or disability and that serves as an application for…
4. Application for a Ballot by Mail (ABBM) (ABBM) To be entitled to vote an early voting ballot by mail, a person who is eligible for early voting must make an application for an early voting ballot to be…
5. Application for a Place on the Ballot The form filed by a candidate with the appropriate filing authority to apply for a place on a ballot.
6. Article XI, Section 11 (Texas Constitution) Provides that home rule cities may provide by charter or charter amendment and general law cities by election may select a longer term of office than 2…
7. Automatic Tabulating Equipment Equipment, other than a voting machine, that compiles vote totals by ballot sorting, ballot reading, ballot scanning, or electronic data processing.
8. Ballot Either in paper form or electronic, the mechanism for voters to show their vote preferences.
9. Ballot Box Nos. 1, 2, 3, & 4 A ballot box is a container for ballots that can be locked (double-locked in case of a ballot box used for early voting by personal appearance) and sealed.
10. Ballot Envelope The envelope, usually white, in which a voter places his marked ballot when voting by mail; also called a ballot secrecy envelope.
11. Ballot Image The ballot as it appears on a direct recording electronic (DRE) voting system.
12. Ballot Instructions The wording found at the top of the ballot, but below the words “OFFICIAL BALLOT,” that instructs a voter on how to mark the ballot.
13. Bilingual Requirements Bilingual election materials (printed in English and Spanish) shall be used in elections in this state.
14. Branch Early Voting Location Either Permanent or Temporary – a location other than the main early voting site where voters can vote early by personal appearance.
15. Calendar Year A document that is good for the calendar year effectively “expires” on December 31 at the end of the year.
16. Cancellation of An Election An election may be cancelled under certain circumstances as allowed by law. Reasons for cancellation include candidates being unopposed or a moot measure…
17. Candidate A person who is running for an elected office.
18. Canvass The procedure performed by the governing body of the political subdivision whereby the election results become official.
19. Carrier Envelope The envelope in which a voter places his sealed ballot envelope (containing his marked by-mail ballot).
20. Census An official count of the number of people in a region. The federal census is done by the federal government every 10 years.
21. Central Counting Station A centralized location at which ballots cast during the election are tabulated and election reports generated based on those tabulations.
22. Certificate of Election After the completion of a canvass, the presiding officer of the local canvassing authority shall prepare a certificate of election for each candidate who…
23. Charter City See Home Rule City.
24. City Secretary A city clerk or, in a city that has no city secretary or clerk, the city officer who performs the duties of a city secretary.
25. Combination Form A form used at the polling place during early voting and election day that combines multiple functions and requirements into a single form.
26. Combined Election Precincts When two or more county election precincts vote at the same polling place but the precincts are reported separately and separate paperwork is kept for…
27. Commissioner/JP/Constable Precinct Each county in the state must be divided into four commissioner’s precincts; one county commissioner is elected to represent each commissioner precinct.
28. Confirmation Notice A notice sent to a voter by the voter registrar when the registrar has reason to believe that a voter’s current residence is different from that…
29. Congress The U.S. Congress, which makes the country's laws, is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives.
30. Congressional District An area within a state from which a member of the House of Representatives is elected.
31. Consolidated Election Precinct – County Election In a special election for which use of county election precincts is required, the commissioners court may consolidate, on the recommendation of the county…
32. Consolidated Election Precinct – Primary Election The county executive committee of a political party holding a primary election may order two or more county election precincts consolidated into a single…
33. Convention An official meeting of the delegates of a political party at which the delegates decide upon their party platform and take other party-related actions.
34. Corrected Ballot To make a necessary correction on the ballot, the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared may prepare new ballots, line out or…
35. County Clerk Administers elections at the county level, unless that county has an Elections Administrator.
36. County Election Board The board established in each county for the general election for state and county officers, a special election for an officer regularly elected at the…
37. County Election Commission The group that appoints, monitors, and may fire a county Elections Administrator (EA).
38. County Election Precinct The county commissioner’s court divides all territory of the county into county election precincts; each precinct must not contain territory from more…
39. County Office An office of the county government that is voted on countywide or from a portion of the county such as a commissioner, justice, or constable precinct.
40. Countywide Polling Place Program Also referred to as Vote Centers. A polling place system in which the county election precinct polling places are eliminated and instead any registered…
41. Cure Period The period ending on the 6th day after election day (for most elections), during which a voter who voted provisionally due to failure to present one of…
42. Custodian of Election Records The individual responsible for maintaining for the required retention period the records from an election.
43. Declaration of Write-in Candidate To be entitled to a place on the list of write-in candidates, a candidate must make a declaration of write-in candidacy and file it with the authority…
44. Direct Recording Electronic Voting Machine/DRE A voting machine that is designed to allow a direct vote on the machine by the manual touch of a screen, monitor, wheel, or other device and that records…
45. Disability Exemption An exemption to the requirement that a voter show one of the 7 acceptable ID’s before voting a regular ballot.
46. Disaster Exemption A voter who does not have any valid form of photo identification as a result of certain natural disasters as declared by the President of the United…
47. District Office An office of the federal or state government that is not voted on statewide.
48. Duplicate Ballot A ballot substituted for a damaged or partially invalid optical scan ballot; each duplicate ballot must be clearly labeled “duplicate” and must bear…
49. Early Voting Ballot Board An early voting ballot board must be created in each election to process early voting results from the territory served by the early voting clerk.
50. Early Voting by Mail A person who will be absent during the period of early voting in person and on election day, who will be 65 or older on election day, is disabled, or…
51. Early Voting Clerk The early voting clerk shall conduct the early voting in each election. The clerk is an officer of the election in which the clerk serves.
52. Early Voting in Person/Early Voting by Personal Appearance Voting conducted in person before the date of the election. Early voting in person begins for most elections the 17th day before election day and runs…
53. Early Voting Roster The early voting clerk maintains for each election a roster listing each person who votes an early voting ballot by personal appearance and a roster…
54. Election (Day) Precinct The phrase commonly used to refer to the area served on election day by a single polling place.
55. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) (EAC) Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the Election Assistance Commission serves primarily as a national clearinghouse and resource for…
56. Election Clerk Individuals appointed by the presiding judge to assist in running the election.
57. Election Contest An action in civil court to contest the result of an election. The tribunal hearing an election contest attempts to ascertain whether the outcome of the…
58. Election Identification Certificate (EIC) (EIC) A form of identification issued by the department of public safety to individuals who do not already have an acceptable form of photo identification to…
59. Election Judge Also, “Presiding Election Judge” or “Presiding Judge.” The presiding judge is in charge of and responsible for the management and conduct of the…
60. Election Night Returns Unofficial vote totals reported by local election officials to the Secretary of State on election night.
61. Electioneering A person commits an offense if, during the voting period and within 100 feet of an outside door through which a voter may enter the building in which a…
62. Elections Administrator (EA) (EA) An appointed official who performs the election duties of the county clerk and the voter registrar.
63. Electoral College The president and vice president are selected through the electoral college system, which gives each state the same number of electoral votes as it has…
64. Electronic Voting System A voting system in which the ballots are automatically counted and the results automatically tabulated by use of electronically operated apparatus; i.e.
65. Envelope Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4. Four envelopes shall be furnished to each polling place for use in assembling and distributing the precinct election records; the envelopes shall be labeled and addressed as follows (1) “Envelope No. 1,” addressed to the presiding officer of the local canvassing authority; (2) “Envelope No.
66. Exit Poll An informal poll taken as people leave the polling place. Exit polls are used to predict the outcome of the election or gather other information before…
67. Federal Election An election involving a federal office (or multiple federal offices).
68. Federal Election Commission (FEC) (FEC) Independent regulatory agency charged with administering and enforcing federal campaign finance law.
69. Filing Authority The person with whom an application for a place on the ballot or a declaration of write-in candidacy must be filed.
70. Final Canvass The canvass from which the official result of an election is determined. See also, Canvass.
71. FPCA Federal Postcard Application – a person is eligible for early voting by FPCA if: (1) the person is qualified to vote in this state or, if not registered…
72. General Election As used when applied to political subdivisions other than counties, the regularly-scheduled election to fill the full terms of a political subdivision’s…
73. General Election for State and County Officers The general election at which officers of the federal, state, and county governments are elected; held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday on…
74. General Law City In Texas there are two main types of cities – general law and home rule (charter) cities.
75. Governing Body The term used to describe the group of individuals elected to formulate the policy and direct the affairs of a political subdivision.
76. Gubernatorial General Election The general election held every four years to elect a governor for a full term.
77. Hatch Act The Hatch Act places restrictions on political activity by employees of the executive branch of the U.S.
78. Help America Vote Act (HAVA) (HAVA) Congress passed HAVA to address voting problems encountered in the 2000 presidential election.
79. High School Deputy Registrars Each principal of a public or private high school or the principal's designee shall serve as a deputy registrar for the county in which the school is…
80. Holdover Provision (Article XVI, Section 17, Texas Constitution) “All officers within this State shall continue to perform the duties of their offices until their successors shall be duly qualified.”
81. Home Rule City As contrasted with a General Law City, a home rule city is governed by its charter (in addition to the general laws of the state, though a charter will…
82. Incumbent An incumbent filer is an employee who has worked for more than 60 days during the previous calendar year in a position which required filing of an SF 278.
83. Indelible Marker A pencil or other writing device whose lead or ink cannot be easily or completely erased; a “No.
84. Independent Candidate A candidate in a nonpartisan election or a candidate in a partisan election who is not the nominee of a political party.
85. Key to Ballot Box No.3 The key(s) to the ballot box(es) used during early voting by personal appearance. The presiding judge shall deliver the key to ballot box No.
86. Law As used in the Texas Election Code, means a constitution, statute, city charter, or city ordinance.
87. Legal State or National Holiday If the last day for performance of an act is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state or national holiday, an act required under the Election Code is timely if…
88. Limited Ballot A ballot voted that is restricted to the offices and propositions stating measures on which a person is entitled to vote.
89. Local Canvass The canvass of the precinct election returns.
90. Local Election Register Maintained for each local canvassing authority, it contains in tabulated form the total number of votes received in each precinct for each candidate…
91. Main Early Voting Polling Place The main location used to vote early in person; also used for other early voting activities such as late voting by a disabled voter or late voting due to…
92. Majority More than 50%. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in an election requiring a majority, then a runoff election is required between the top…
93. Measure A question or proposal submitted in an election for an expression of the voters’ will.
94. Moot Measure The action to be authorized by the voters may not be taken, regardless of the outcome of the election.
95. Motor-Voter Bill Nickname for the National Voter Registration Act, a bill passed by Congress in 1993 that lets US citizens register to vote when they apply for a driver's…
96. Nominee A nominee is an individual or entity, which acts on behalf of a beneficial owner.
97. Notice of Election One of various election-related notices; intended to inform the voting public about an upcoming election.
98. Oath (or Affirmation) of Office Pursuant to Art. XVI, Sec. 1, Texas Constitution, all elected and appointed officers, before they enter upon the duties of their offices shall take the…
99. Official Ballot The vote in an election is by official ballot. If an official ballot is unavailable at a polling place, the presiding election judge shall provide an…
100. Optical Scan Ballot A ballot designed to be used in a voting system that uses an optical scanner to read the marked ballots, which are made of paper and marked by using an…