Common Data Format (CDF)

1. Standard and practice of creating and storing data in a common, described format that can be read by other systems.

Source: Election Terminology Glossary - Draft National, Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), https://pages.nist.gov/ElectionGlossary/

2. Standard and practice of storing and creating data in a common, described format that can be read by other systems. Voting and election systems that use a common data format can share data without middleware software to convert it. Election Night Reporting systems are common applications that anticipate a common data format for input.

Source: Information Technology Terminology, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, //www.eac.gov/documents/2017/09/21/information-technology-terminology-security

3. A format specification designed to allow a kind of data, such as Cast Vote Records, to be interoperably transferred between systems (for instance, from election management systems to audit software).

Source: Pilot Implementation Study of Risk-Limiting Audit Methods in the State of Rhode Island, Rhode Island RLA Working Group, https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Report-RI-Design-FINAL-WEB4.pdf