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Elections Defined: Your Guide to Understanding US Election Processes

NCSL video series answers key questions when it comes to elections administration.

By State Legislatures News Staff  |  June 20, 2024

Elections Defined Video Series

This series of short videos features NCSL Director of Elections and Redistricting Wendy Underhill talking about some of the key steps of election administration you may not have heard of—from ballot curing to voter list maintenance to what it means to be a poll worker, and everything in between. View the complete series. 

Have questions about how U.S. elections work? NCSL has answers.

While most Americans are familiar with how they cast their ballots, not everyone understands what happens before their ballots arrive or after they’re submitted. Or perhaps they’d like to know how elections work in other states.

In the “Elections Defined” video series, Wendy Underhill, director of NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting Program, covers the key elements of election administration—from ballot curing to voter list maintenance to what it means to be a poll worker, and everything in between.

Ready to dig in? Find videos on the topics below when you visit NCSL's Elections Defined webpage. Still have questions? Visit NCSL Election Resources for more details on these and other topics.

  • Ballot Duplication.
  • Ballot Collecting.
  • Ballot Curing. 
  • Provisional Ballots.
  • Pre-Processing Ballots.
  • Poll workers vs. Poll Watchers.
  • Post-election Audits.
  • Canvassing and Certification.
  • Results Reporting.
  • Voter ID.
  • Voter Registration List Maintenance.
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