Defined term

Voter-verifiable Paper Audit Trail (vvpat)

Voter-verifiable Paper Audit Trail (vvpat): Voter-verifiable paper audit trails or records are the paper trails contemporaneously printed by DRE voting…

Also known as: VVPT

Alternative names:
VVPT
Verified
🏆 High Consensus
Auditing

Definition

Voter-verifiable paper audit trails or records are the paper trails contemporaneously printed by DRE voting machines that display to the voter a hard copy record of the voter’s selections. Sighted voters may use the paper records to verify that the machine correctly recorded a hard copy of his or her selections before casting the ballot. In some states, the voter-verifiable paper record is the legal ballot in a recount situation (e.g., California), taking precedence over electronic counts. Visually impaired voters currently cannot verify a hard copy of their votes when VVPATs are used. VVPAT printers do not currently include optical character recognition (OCR) readouts or other means of non-visual verification of the information printed on the VVPAT. The only way a visually impaired voter can currently verify a paper copy of the ballot through the use of technology, which allows such a voter to vote privately and independently, is by using an accessible ballot marking device to mark the ballot that also enables audio read-back of the voter’s choices from the printed or marked ballot.

Alternative Definitions

Definition 2

Hardware, added to an existing DRE voting machine, that provides a physical record of a voter’s electronic selection. See also: direct recording electronic voting machine.

Source: March 2020 CSC ReportType: external
Definition 3

(VVPT) Physical paper records of voter ballots as voters have cast them on an electronic voting system. In the event that an election recount or audit is called for, the VVPT provides a supporting record. The ‘voter- verified’ part of the VVPT refers to the fact that the voter is given the opportunity to verify that the choices indicated on the paper record correspond to the choices that the voter has made in casting the ballot. Thus, the result of an election is an electronic tally of the votes cast and a paper record of the individual votes that have been cast.

Source: EAC Glossary of TermsType: standard
Definition 4

A paper document that the voter can review before officially casting their ballot.

Source: NIST Election GlossaryType: standard
Definition 5

Hardware, added to an existing DRE voting machine, that provides a physical record of a voter’s electronic selection. See also - direct recording electronic voting machine. SOURCE: Cyberspace Solarium Commission Final Report, 2020

Source: The Cyber GlossaryType: external
Definition 6

A method of providing feedback to voters on how they voted using a ballot-less voting system.

Source: 2018 Risk Limiting Audit Pilot Project ReportType: external
Definition 7

A “DRE that supports VOTER VERIFICATION using a VVPR.” 2007 VVSG.

Source: Electronic Voting GlossaryType: external
Definition 8

Voter-verified PAPER AUDIT TRAIL. Abbreviated VVPT.

Source: Electronic Voting GlossaryType: external
Definition 9

Voter-verified PAPER TRAIL

Source: Electronic Voting GlossaryType: external
Definition 10

Voter-verifiable PAPER AUDIT TRAIL

Source: Electronic Voting GlossaryType: external

Sources

1
Counting Votes 2012
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2
March 2020 CSC Report
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3
EAC Glossary of Terms
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4
EAC Glossary of Election Terms
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5
NIST Election Glossary
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6
The Cyber Glossary
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7
2018 Risk Limiting Audit Pilot Project Report
View Source
8
Electronic Voting Glossary
View Source

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