ballot

[ bal-uht ]

noun

1. a slip or sheet of paper on which a person's vote is marked.
2. the method of secret voting by means of printed or written slips or sheets of paper or by means of voting machines.
3. voting in general, or a round of voting:

   Our candidate was defeated on the third ballot.

4. the list of candidates to be voted on:

   They succeeded in getting her name placed on the ballot.

5. the right to vote:

   to gain the ballot after years of struggle.

6. the whole number of votes cast or recorded.
7. a system or the practice of drawing lots:

   The assassin would be chosen by ballot.

8. (formerly) a little ball used in voting.

verb (used without object)

, bal·lot·ed, bal·lot·ing.

1. to vote:

   to ballot against a candidate.

2. to draw lots:

   to ballot for places.

verb (used with object)

, bal·lot·ed, bal·lot·ing.

1. to canvass or solicit (a group, membership, etc.) for votes:

   Members were balloted on the resolution.

2. to select, especially for military service:

   Certain age groups will not be balloted at this time.

ballot

/ ˈbælət /

noun

1. the democratic practice of selecting a representative, a course of action, or deciding some other choice by submitting the options to a vote of all qualified persons
2. an instance of voting, usually in secret using ballot papers or a voting machine
3. the paper on which a vote is recorded
4. a list of candidates standing for office
5. the number of votes cast in an election
6. a random selection of successful applicants for something in which the demand exceeds the supply, esp for shares in an oversubscribed new issue
7. the allocation by ballot of farming land among eligible candidates, such as ex-servicemen
8. a low-interest housing loan allocated by building societies by drawing lots among its eligible members

verb

1. to vote or elicit a vote from

   we balloted the members on this issue

2. trusually foll byfor to select (officials, etc) by lot or ballot or to select (successful applicants) at random
3. troften foll byfor to vote or decide (on an issue, etc)

Other Words From

• ballot·er noun
• non·ballot·ing noun
• pre·ballot verb (used with object) preballoted preballoting
• re·ballot noun verb (used without object)
• un·ballot·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballot¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French ballotte, from Venetian Italian ballotta, equivalent to ball ( a ) ball ¹ + -otta diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballot¹

C16: from Italian ballotta , literally: a little ball, from balla ball ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see stuff the ballot box .

Example Sentences

“The way to deal with it would be to make California count their ballots in a reasonable time period,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Although it remains illegal on the federal level, psilocybin was legalized in Oregon and Colorado through ballot measures in recent years, and treatment centers are now being rolled out in these states.

From Salon

The Associated Press called the race Friday after weeks of ballot counting.

From Los Angeles Times

This was also the case in 2016, when Trump beat Hillary Clinton to the presidency despite losing the popular vote - having notched only 46% of the overall ballots cast.

From BBC

Every election, the prickly Lake County registrar follows California’s litany of voting laws and certifies thousands of ballots by the time she is required to.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• election
• plebiscite
• poll
• polling
• referendum
• slate
• tally
• ticket