Glossary of Election Terms

• Abstain: The act of a voter choosing not to vote for any of the available options during an election or referendum.
• Advance Voting: A process that allows voters to cast their vote before the scheduled election day, often arranged for those unable to visit polling stations on the actual day.
• Audit Trail: A record or series of records that provide documentary evidence of the sequence of activities in a process, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and accountability, especially in elections.
• Ballot Counting: The process of tallying the votes cast in an election to determine the result, conducted under strict supervision to ensure accuracy.
• Ballot Paper: A paper document used by voters to mark their choice in an election, typically replaced by Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in India but still recognized for certain situations.
• Ballot Rigidity: The structural clarity and security of ballots to prevent tampering or manipulation during elections.
• Barred List: A list of individuals disqualified from voting due to legal reasons such as criminal conviction or mental incapacity.
• Booth Agent: A representative appointed by a candidate or political party to monitor the election process at a polling booth, ensuring fairness.
• Booth Capturing: An illegal practice where individuals take control of a polling booth to cast fraudulent votes, addressed by the Election Commission of India.
• Booth Level Officer (BLO): A government official assigned to manage various election-related activities at the booth level, such as voter list updates and polling day preparations.
• By-Election: An election held to fill a vacancy in a legislative body that occurs between general elections.
• Campaign Finance: The fundraising and expenditure involved in election campaigning, regulated to ensure transparency and limits on spending.
• Candidature Withdrawal: The legal process through which a candidate withdraws their intention to contest an election, typically within a specific timeframe after nomination.
• Canvassing: The act of soliciting votes or public support for a candidate, often through door-to-door engagement or public meetings.
• Code of Ethics: Guidelines for ethical behavior during election campaigns, supplementing legal restrictions to ensure fair play.
• Coercion in Elections: The act of forcing or threatening voters to choose a particular candidate, violating free election principles.
• Complimentary Vote: A vote in a preferential voting system where voters rank candidates, though not part of the First-Past-The-Post system used in India.
• Constituency: A geographical area represented by an elected official, either in Parliament (Lok Sabha) or a state legislative assembly.
• Counting Supervisor: An official responsible for overseeing the vote tallying process and ensuring accuracy during elections.
• Defamation in Elections: The act of harming a candidate’s reputation with false statements, which can be a civil or criminal offense under election law.
• Disparate Impact: Election policies or practices that disproportionately affect certain voter groups, raising concerns about discrimination.
• Election Campaign: The organized effort by candidates and parties to influence voters, involving public events, speeches, and advertising, regulated by law.
• Election Duty: The obligation of government officials to participate in election-related roles such as polling officers, counting staff, or security personnel.
• Election Expenditure: The amount of money that candidates and political parties are allowed to spend during an election, regulated to prevent overspending and corruption.
• Election Litigation: Legal challenges regarding the conduct or results of an election, often seeking a recount or annulment.
• Election Monitoring: The process of observing elections to identify irregularities, ensuring transparency, often conducted by both domestic and international observers.
• Election Petition: A legal challenge filed to contest the validity of election results, alleging malpractices or errors.
• Election Slogan: A memorable phrase used to promote a political candidate or party, central to campaign messaging.
• Election Tribunal: A special court or body that adjudicates disputes arising from elections, particularly election petitions.
• Electoral Amendment: Changes made to existing electoral laws to address challenges or enhance democratic representation.
• Electoral Autonomy: The independence of the Election Commission from external influence, ensuring impartial conduct of elections.
• Electoral Boundaries: The defined geographical limits of constituencies, critical for fair representation in elections.
• Electoral College: A body of representatives that formally elects the President in indirect elections, as used in India’s Presidential election.
• Electoral Commission: An independent body responsible for overseeing elections to ensure they are conducted fairly and legally, such as the Election Commission of India.
• Electoral Contestation: The legal challenge raised by a candidate or voter regarding the conduct or results of an election.
• Electoral Debates: Public discussions where candidates present their policies and positions, helping voters make informed decisions.
• Electoral Fraud: Illegal interference with the election process, including vote tampering or voter impersonation.
• Electoral Integrity: Ensuring elections adhere to democratic principles, with fairness, transparency, and without manipulation.
• Electoral Malpractice: Any illegal or unethical activity during elections, such as voter bribery, impersonation, or misinformation.
• Electoral Offense: Any act that violates election laws, including practices like voter intimidation or booth capturing, punishable under the law.
• Electoral Quota: A system where a portion of seats is reserved for certain groups, such as Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), as mandated by law.
• Electoral Reforms: Changes introduced to improve the fairness, transparency, and efficiency of the electoral process.
• Electoral Roll: The official list of individuals registered and eligible to vote in a specific constituency, maintained under electoral laws.
• Electoral Survey: Research conducted to assess public opinion, voting intentions, and issues of public interest before elections.
• Electoral Symbol: A visual symbol allocated to a political party or independent candidate, representing them on ballot papers or EVMs.
• Electoral Turnout: The percentage of eligible voters who participate in an election, indicating voter engagement in the democratic process.
• Electronic Voting Machine (EVM): A device used to electronically record votes, replacing traditional ballot papers in Indian elections.
• Exit Poll: A survey conducted immediately after voters have cast their votes, predicting election outcomes based on responses.
• First-Past-The-Post (FPTP): The electoral system used in India where the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, regardless of whether they achieve a majority.
• Gerrymandering: Manipulation of constituency boundaries to benefit a particular political party or group, considered an undemocratic practice.
• Impersonation in Elections: A serious electoral offense where an individual votes using another person’s identity.
• Incumbency: The holding of a political office and the associated advantages or disadvantages during election campaigns.
• Indelible Ink: A special ink applied to voters' fingers to prevent double voting, used as a fraud prevention measure in Indian elections.
• Judicial Intervention in Elections: The role of courts in resolving disputes related to election conduct, ensuring legality and fairness.
• Manifesto: A published declaration by a political party or candidate outlining their policies and plans if elected.
• Manifesto Pledge: A specific commitment made in a political manifesto, providing a basis for accountability after elections.
• Model Code of Conduct: A set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission to regulate political parties and candidates during an election, ensuring free and fair elections.
• NOTA (None of the Above): An option on the ballot allowing voters to reject all candidates if they do not support any, ensuring voter expression.
• Observer Report: A document prepared by election observers summarizing their findings on compliance with electoral rules and any malpractices noted.
• Opinion Poll: A pre-election survey gauging public sentiment and voting intentions, often influencing political discourse.
• Party Whip: An official in a political party responsible for ensuring party discipline and adherence to party policies, particularly in legislative votes.
• Plebiscite: A direct vote by the electorate on a particular issue, typically used to decide on matters of public importance.
• Political Advertising: Paid promotion of a political party or candidate through media channels, regulated to ensure transparency and fairness.
• Political Disqualification: The legal exclusion of an individual from contesting elections, usually due to criminal convictions or electoral law violations.
• Political Manifesto: A document outlining the key policies and intentions of a political party or candidate during an election campaign.
• Political Neutrality: The principle that government officials and election authorities must remain impartial during elections, not favoring any political party or candidate.
• Political Party Registration: The formal process by which a political party is recognized by the Election Commission, allowing it to contest in elections.
• Polling Booth: A designated location where voters cast their votes, equipped to ensure privacy and fairness during elections.
• Polling Day: The official day on which voters cast their ballots in an election, usually declared a public holiday to encourage voter participation.
• Polling Officer: An official appointed to manage the polling process at a polling station, ensuring adherence to electoral rules.
• Polling Station: The specific venue where voters go to cast their votes, with multiple polling booths for a constituency.
• Poll Observer: An individual appointed by the Election Commission to monitor the election process, ensuring compliance with the law and transparency.
• Poll Watcher: A representative appointed by a candidate or party to observe polling and flag any irregularities or inconsistencies.
• Post-Election Audit: A review process conducted after the election to ensure that the results are accurate and that the election was conducted fairly.
• Postal Voting: A system where eligible voters cast their vote by mail, commonly used for voters unable to attend polling stations in person.
• Pre-Poll Alliance: An agreement between political parties to collaborate in an election, often to consolidate voter bases and increase electoral chances.
• Prohibited Symbols: Symbols that cannot be used by independent candidates during campaigns to avoid confusion with registered party symbols.
• Proportional Representation: An electoral system in which seats are allocated based on the proportion of votes received by each party, as used for Rajya Sabha elections in India.
• Proxy Voter: An individual authorized to vote on behalf of another, allowed in specific circumstances such as for military personnel.
• Proxy Voting: A system where eligible voters designate someone else to vote on their behalf under specific conditions, such as for military or diplomatic personnel.
• Referendum: A direct vote in which an electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal, often used for decisions of significant public importance.
• Recount: The process of counting votes again in a constituency due to legal challenges or concerns about the accuracy of the initial count.
• Rescheduling Elections: The legal process involved in postponing elections due to unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters or security threats.
• Returning Officer: The official responsible for overseeing the election process in each constituency, ensuring fairness and legality throughout the process.
• Rigging: The illegal manipulation of the election process to alter its outcome, considered a serious electoral offense.
• Scrutiny of Nominations: The process of verifying the eligibility of candidates who submit their nomination papers, ensuring compliance with election laws.
• Scrutineer: An observer appointed by a candidate or political party to monitor the election process and ensure its transparency.
• Secularism in Elections: The principle that elections must be conducted without favoring any religion, upholding the secular character of governance in India.
• Secret Ballot: A voting method where the voter's choices are confidential to ensure that their vote is cast without coercion or intimidation.
• Silent Period: The time frame, typically 48 hours before polling day, during which electioneering is prohibited to allow voters to make decisions free of influence.
• Voter Assistance: Services provided to help voters with disabilities or other challenges to vote independently and securely.
• Voter Education: Programs designed to inform citizens about their rights and responsibilities as voters, helping them understand the election process.
• Voter ID Card: An identification document issued by the Election Commission to verify a person’s eligibility to vote in Indian elections.
• Voter Inducement: The illegal practice of offering money, gifts, or favors to voters in exchange for their votes, prohibited under election laws.
• Voter Intimidation: The act of coercing or threatening voters to alter their voting behavior, a serious offense under election laws.
• Voter List Revision: The periodic updating of electoral rolls to ensure accuracy and the inclusion of all eligible voters.
• Voter Receipt: A document that certifies a voter has cast their ballot, often generated through VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail).
• Voter Suppression: Any strategy or action intended to prevent eligible voters from participating in the election, considered illegal.
• Voter Turnout: The percentage of eligible voters who cast their vote in an election, indicating public participation in the democratic process.
• Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT): A system that provides voters with a paper slip to confirm that their vote has been correctly recorded in an EVM.
• Vote Bank Politics: The practice of consolidating support from particular communities or groups in exchange for electoral loyalty, often criticized as undemocratic.
• Vote Counting: The process of tallying votes after polling ends, conducted under strict regulation to ensure accuracy and fairness.
• Vote Counting Supervisor: The official responsible for overseeing the counting of votes and ensuring adherence to election rules during the process.
• Vote Rigging: A term used to describe the fraudulent manipulation of election results to alter the true outcome, strictly prohibited by law.