Optical scan

1. Voting system that tabulates votes marked in contest option positions on the surface of a paper ballot.

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

2. A voting system in which voters mark paper ballots that are counted by scanner devices. Voters generally indicate their selections by filling in an oval, completing an arrow, or filling in a box.

Source: America’s Voting Machines at Risk, Brennan Center for Justice, https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Report_Americas_Voting_Machines_At_Risk.pdf

3. A voting system that counts votes marked in contest option positions on the surface of a paper ballot.

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

4. An optical scan voting system is composed of computer-readable ballots, appropriate marking devices, privacy booths, and a computerized tabulation machine. The ballots can vary in size and list the names of the candidates and the issues. Voters record their choices using an appropriate writing instrument to fill in boxes or ovals or to complete an arrow next to the candidate’s name or the issue. Optical scan ballots are counted by being run through a computerized tabulation machine.

Source: ELECTIONS: The Nation’s Evolving Election System as Reflected in the November 2004 General Election, U.S. Government Accountability Office, https://www.gao.gov/assets/160/157713.pdf