Bylaws use these words precisely, and small differences between them decide elections. Definitions below are the association sense of each term, not the public-election sense, which sometimes differs. Where a definition says the bylaws decide, that is the point: it means you cannot answer the question without reading yours.
Abstention
A ballot returned without a choice on a question. Whether an abstention affects the outcome depends on how the threshold is written: it usually does not count against a share of votes cast, but it has the effect of a no when the threshold is a share of the membership.
Ballot secrecy
The property that nobody, including the administrators, can connect a member to the choices they made. It is separate from participation, which records that a member voted without recording what they chose.
Certification
The act of declaring the count final, by whoever your bylaws empower to do it. A certified result names the person or people who certified it and the time, and points to the tally and the record behind it.
Cumulative voting
A method for multi-seat contests in which each member has as many votes as there are seats and may concentrate them on fewer candidates, which makes it easier for a minority group to elect one director.
Eligible voter
A member entitled to vote in this election under the bylaws, determined as of the record date. The list of eligible voters is the foundation of the result, so it is frozen when voting opens.
Good standing
A member who meets the conditions the bylaws set for full membership rights, usually current dues and no active suspension. Bylaws often make good standing a condition for voting, for standing as a candidate, or for both.
Inspector of elections
An independent person appointed to oversee an election and, in some states and for some organizations, required by law. Software is not an inspector; it produces the record an inspector works from.
Instant runoff
A count for single-seat contests in which members rank candidates. If nobody has more than half of the first choices, the last-placed candidate is eliminated and their ballots move to the next choice still standing, repeating until somebody is over half.
Majority
More than half. Of what, exactly, is set by your bylaws: of votes cast, of members present and voting, or of the entire membership. The three tests can produce different winners from the same ballots.
Nomination
The act of putting a member's name forward for a seat. A nomination is complete only when it meets the conditions for that seat, has any second the bylaws require, and carries the candidate's recorded consent.
Plurality
The most votes, whether or not that is more than half. Most association bylaws elect by plurality, which is why a split field can hand a seat to a candidate that most members did not choose.
Proxy
Authority given by one member to another to cast their vote. Bylaws set whether proxies are allowed, what form they take, when they must be filed, and whether a member who votes directly overrides a proxy already given.
Quorum
The minimum participation required for a vote to count, usually a share of the total membership or voting interests rather than of the members who take part. Quorum is confirmed before the ballots are counted, not after.
Record date
The date on which eligibility is determined. A member who joins after the record date does not vote in that election, and one who leaves after it stays on the list.
Receipt
A confirmation given to a voter that their ballot was accepted. A well-designed receipt proves participation without revealing choices, so it cannot be used to show anyone else how the member voted.
Seconder
A second member who supports a nomination, where the bylaws require one. The second is part of the nomination record, with the name and the time.
Single transferable vote
A ranked method for multi-seat contests. Candidates who reach a quota are elected, and surplus votes above the quota, along with votes from eliminated candidates, transfer to later preferences.
Slate
The set of candidates put forward for election, often by a nominating committee. A slate is legitimate as long as members retain a real route onto the ballot beside it, usually nomination by petition.
Staggered terms
An arrangement in which only some board seats are elected each year, so the board keeps continuity. It requires care about which seats are actually open, especially where a vacancy was filled mid-term.
Supermajority
A threshold higher than a majority, commonly two-thirds or three-quarters, required for decisions such as bylaw amendments. As with a majority, the base it is measured against is what decides how hard it is to reach.
Tie
An equal number of votes for two or more candidates for the last available seat. The bylaws should say how a tie is resolved. Where they are silent, the association decides, and no system should pick a winner on its own.
Write-in
A vote for somebody not printed on the ballot. Bylaws may allow, restrict, or forbid write-ins, and a write-in candidate still has to meet the qualifications for the seat and agree to serve.
Several of these come up together in practice. Nominations, seconders, consent, and write-ins are covered in nominations and candidate consent; quorum, plurality, and certification in how to run an HOA board election; and supermajorities and abstentions in how to run a bylaw amendment vote.
These definitions are general. Your bylaws may define any of these terms differently, and where they do, your definition governs.