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Glossary of Election Terms

a I b I c I d I e I f I g I i I j I m I n I o I p I q I r I s I u I v
 
A
Armed Forces of the United States
Automatic Tabulating Equipment
B
Ballot
Ballot Card
Ballot Labels
C
Circulator
Commissioner
County Board
County Boards of Elections
Counting Center
Civilian Absentee Ballot
Civilian Absentee Voter
D
District Board
E
Election
Election District
Elected Official
Electronic Voting System
F
Family Member
Federal Election
File or Filed
G
General Election
I
Incapacitated Absentee Voter
Irregular Ballot
J
Jurisdiction
M
Members of the Maritime or Merchant Marine Service
Military Service
Military Service Ballot
Military Service Voter
Municipal Election
Municipality
N
Non Partisan
Notice of Intention
O
Official Ballot
Overseas Federal Election Voter
P
Party Office
Political Party
Presidential Ballot
Presidential Election
Presidential Year
Primary Election
Protective Counter
Public Office
Public Question
Q
Question
R
Recall Committee
Recall Election
Recall Election Official
Recall Petition
S
Superintendent
U
United States
V
Voting Device
Voting Machine Custodian

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Absentee Ballot -
any military service ballot or civilian absentee ballot.
Absentee Voter -
any person qualified to vote a military service ballot or a civilian absentee ballot.
Any Election -
includes all primary, general, municipal , school and special elections, as defined herein.
Armed Forces of the United States -
any branch or department of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marine Corps.
Automatic Tabulating Equipment -
includes apparatus which automatically examines and counts votes recorded on ballot cards, and tabulates the results.
Ballot -
except when reference is made to irregular ballots, means that portion of the ballot containing the name of the candidate and the designation of the party by which he was nominated, or a statement of a proposed constitutional amendment, or other question or proposition with the word “yes” for voting for any question or proposition, and the word “no” for voting against any question.
Ballot Card -
a tabulating card on which votes may be recorded.
Ballot Labels -
the pages, cards, or other material containing the names of offices and candidates and the statements of measures to be voted on, which are placed on the voting device.
Circulator -
an individual, whether paid or unpaid, who solicits signatures for a recall petition.
Commissioner -
the commissioner of registration in counties.
County Board -
means the county board of elections in a county
County Boards of Elections -
the county board of elections appointed in the various counties or the person or board in charge of elections in the various counties as provided in Title 19 of the New Jersey Revised Statutes.
Counting Center -
one or more locations selected by each of the county boards of election for the automatic counting of ballots.
Civilian Absentee Ballot -
a ballot for use by a civilian absentee voter.
Civilian Absentee Voter -
any qualified and registered voter of the State.
District Board -
the district board of registry and election in an election district.
Election -
the procedure whereby the electors of this State or any political subdivision thereof elect persons to fill public office or pass on public questions.
Election District -
the territory within which or for which there is a polling place or room for all voters in the territory to cast their ballots at any election.
Elected Official -
any person holding the office of United States Senator or member of the United States House of Representatives elected from this State, or any person holding a State or local government office which, under the State Constitution or by law, is filled by the registered voters of a jurisdiction at an election, including a person appointed, selected or otherwise designated to fill a vacancy in such office, but does not mean an official of a political party.
Electronic Voting System -
a system in which votes are recorded on ballot cards, and such votes are subsequently counted and tabulated by automatic tabulating equipment at one or more counting centers.
Family Member -
an adult who is a spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of a voter, whether by adoption or natural relationship. It shall also include any adult occupant regularly living with a voter in any residential building or part of a building intended for the use of no more than one family.
Federal Election -
any general, special or primary held for the purpose of nominating or electing any candidate for the office of President or Vice President of the United States, Presidential elector, United States Senator or member of the United States House of Representatives.
File or Filed -
deposited in the regularly maintained office of the public official wherever said regularly maintained office is designated by statute, ordinance or resolution.
General Election -
the annual election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Incapacitated Absentee Voter -
a voter who, due to incapacity, is unable to complete his/her ballot.
Irregular Ballot -
a vote cast, by or on a special device, for a person whose name does not appear on the ballots.
Jurisdiction -
the electoral jurisdiction, including but not limited to the State, or any county or municipality thereof, within which the voters reside who are qualified to vote for an elected official who is sought to be recalled.
Member of the Maritime or Merchant Marine Service-
any person employed as an officer or crew member of a vessel documented under the laws of the United States, or a vessel owned by the United States, or a vessel of foreign-flag registry under charter to or control of the United States or enrolled with the United States for employment or training for employment, or maintained by the United States for emergency relief service as an officer or crew member of any such vessel or any such person as otherwise defined in section 107 of Pub.L. 99-410, the “Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act,” (42 U.S.C.1973ff-6).
Military Service -
active service by any person, as a member of any branch or department of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marine Corps, or as a member of the maritime or merchant marine service, or as a reservist absent from his place of residence and undergoing training under Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marine Corps direction, at a place other than that of such person’s residence.
Military Service Ballot -
a ballot for use by a military service voter.

Military Service Voter
a qualified elector under the constitution and laws of this State who comes within one of the following categories:
(a) Persons in the military service and their spouses and dependents.

(b) Patients in a veteran’s hospital located in any place other than the place of their residences who have been in the military service in any war in which the United States has been engaged and have been discharged or released from such service.

(c) Civilians attached to or serving with the armed forces of the United States without this State and their spouses and dependents when residing with or accompanying them.

Municipal Election -
an election to be held in and for a single municipality only, at regular intervals.
Municipality -
includes any city, town, township, village or borough
Non Partisan -
in some municipalities, members of the local governing body are elected in May. Candidates for office do not run as officially affiliated with organized political parties.
Notice of Intention -
the notice filed with the recall election official by a recall committee for the purpose of initiating a recall effort.
Official Ballot -
the material displaying the names of the candidates nominated and a statement of the questions submitted.
Overseas Federal Election Voter -
any person in military service who, by reason of active duty or service, is absent on the date of an election from the place of residence in New Jersey where the person is or would be qualified to vote, and any citizen of the United States residing abroad who (1) immediately prior to his departure from the United States was domiciled in New Jersey and (a) was registered to vote, or had all the qualifications to register and vote, in New Jersey; or (b) had all the qualifications to register and vote in New Jersey other than having attained 18 years of age but has since attained that age; or (c) would, but for residence, have the qualifications to register and vote in New Jersey; (2) does not maintain a residence in the United States and is not registered or qualified to vote elsewhere in the United States; and (3) holds a valid passport or card of identity and registration issued under authority of the Secretary of State of the United States.
Party Office -
the office of delegate or alternate to the national convention of a political party or member of the State, county or municipal committees of a political party.
Political Party -
a party which, at the election held for all of the members of the General Assembly next preceding the holding of any primary election held pursuant to this Title, polled for members of the General Assembly at least 10% of the total vote cast in this State.
Presidential Ballot -
a ballot to be cast at a Presidential Election.
Presidential Election -
an election to be held for the election of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States.
Presidential Year -
the year in which electors of President and Vice-President of the United States are voted for at the general election.
Primary Election -
the procedure whereby the members of a political party in this State or any political subdivision thereof nominate candidates to be voted for at general elections, or elect persons to fill party offices.
Protective Counter -
a separate counter built into the voting machine which cannot be reset, which records the total number of movements of the operating lever.
Public Office -
includes any office in the government of this State or any of its political subdivisions filled at elections by the electors of the State or political subdivision.
Public Question -
includes any question, proposition or referendum required by the legislative or governing body of this State or any of its political subdivisions to be submitted by referendum procedure to the voters of the State or political subdivision for decision at elections.
Question -
includes any constitutional amendment, proposition or other question submitted to the voters at any election.
Recall Committee -
a committee formed by persons sponsoring the recall of an elected official which represents the sponsors and signers of a recall petition in matters relating to the recall effort.
Recall Election -
an election held for the purpose of allowing the voters of a jurisdiction to decide whether an elected official shall be recalled from office.
Recall Election Official -
the official authorized by law to receive nominating petitions for an elective office, School Election - School Board Secretary, Municipal Office - Municipal Clerk, County Office - County Clerk*, State Office - Secretary of State. *If a recall election is targeted against acounty clerk, the Secretary of State is authorized to act as the recall election official.
Recall Petition -
a petition prepared and circulated by a recall committee as provided by this act for the purpose of gathering a sufficient number of valid signatures of registered voters to cause a recall election to be called.
Superintendent -
the superintendent of elections in counties wherein the same shall have been appointed.
United States -
each of the several states, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands; the term does not mean or include the Canal Zone or any other territory or possession of the United States.
Voting Device -
an apparatus which the voter uses to record his votes on a tabulating card.
Voting Machine Custodian -
the person who shall have charge of preparing and arranging the voting machine for elections.

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Department of State, Division of Elections, P.O. BOX 304, Trenton, NJ 08625

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