ballot

Definition of ballot

Etymology

From Italian ballotta, a small ball used to register a vote. Not voting. The ballota was a ball drawn from an urn to select at random, by lottery, a person for a role.

Ref: See, for instance, p166 J J Norwich, 'History of Venice' Penguin 1983

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbælət/, SAMPA: /"b{l@t/

Noun

ballot (plural ballots)

1. a paper or card used to cast a vote
2. the process of voting, especially in secret
3. (chiefly US) a list of candidates running for office; a ticket
4. the total of all votes cast in an election

Verb

to ballot (third-person singular simple present ballots, present participle balloting, simple past and past participle balloted)

1. to vote
2. to draw lots

Further reading

A ballot is a device (originally a small ball) used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the secrecy of the votes. The voter casts his/her ballot in a box at a polling station. In British English, this is usually called a "ballot paper". The word "ballot" is used for an election process within an organisation (such as a trade union "holding a ballot" of its members).