EAC - Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

Name : | Doug Jones
Organization : | N/A
Post Date : | 9/27/2005
Glossary Comments
Glossary Term : | Canvass
Definition : |
Comment : | In response to your request for comments on the draft glossary of voting system terminology, I offer the following, picking up with the letter C, having completed A and B in my previous batch of comments. As before, in each case, I am quoting the original and then offering an alternative definition. Canvass: (1) Compilation of election returns and validation of the outcome that form the basis of the official results by political subdivision. (2) Compilation of election returns for validation and approval by the political subdivision of the outcome, which form the basis for the official results. -- Comment: Perhaps I do not understand some element of the spirit of this glossary. I have read these two definitions several times, and have not found any substantial difference in meaning. Why, then, list two definitions. This is quite different from the case for the word ballot, where there are indeed two distinct meanings of the term that only overlap in the case of hand-counted Australian paper ballots!