ballot

1 of 2

noun

bal·​lot ˈba-lət How to pronounce ballot (audio)
1
a
: a small ball used in secret voting
b
: a sheet of paper used to cast a secret vote
2
a
: the action or system of secret voting
b
: the right to vote
3
: the number of votes cast
4
: the drawing of lots

ballot

2 of 2

verb

balloted; balloting; ballots

intransitive verb

: to vote or decide by ballot
balloter noun

Did you know?

When people voted in ancient Athens, they dropped pebbles into an urn. Similarly, when voting was done by the people of Venice during the Renaissance, secrecy was assured by the use of little colored or marked balls. The Italian word for “little ball” is ballotta, from balla, meaning “ball,” and the diminutive suffix –otta. Now any kind of secret voting, by ball, piece of paper, or voting machine, is called a ballot. So is the right to vote itself.

Examples of ballot in a Sentence

Noun They cast their votes in a secret ballot. She was elected by secret ballot.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Voters in Illinois must have declared a political party in order to vote and can only pick one ballot that lists the candidates for that one party. Abc News, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Though the Supreme Court ruled this month that states don't have the ability to bar Trump or other candidates for federal offices from the ballot, the justices said different rules apply to state and local candidates. Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday, Central Valley voters will cast ballots in a separate special election to complete the remainder of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s term in the House of Representatives. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 In an address to the Russian people on the eve of the election, Putin urged voters to cast ballots as a show of national unity. Nathan Hodge, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 That means the November ballot will hold two elections for the same Phoenix District 7 seat: one race for the special election and one race for the regular election. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024 Some frustrated Russians did not even wait for the Sunday protest and instead expressed their anger as soon as voting started on Friday, by setting fire to polling stations or ballots or dumping liquid into ballot boxes. Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024 The United Kingdom will likely hold a general vote, perhaps as early as May, while European Union citizens cast their ballots for the next EU Parliament in June. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 The group is collecting signatures to place FIX Prop 47 on the November ballot. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
Verb
Penix guided the Huskies to the national championship game and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind another transfer quarterback, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, and one spot ahead of NIx. John Zenor, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 Recommended In historic case, justices look ready to return Trump to ballot In short, policies that take money away from poor people often prevent them from transcending generational poverty. Courtney E. Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Feb. 2024 These secret-ballot votes marked the most divisive party caucus balloting for speaker over the past three decades, rivaled only by Nancy Pelosi’s support from just over two-thirds of the Democratic caucus after the 2016 election to remain Democratic leader. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2023 The 47-year-old Manning played quarterback at Tennessee from 1994-97, leading the Volunteers to an SEC championship and finishing second in the Heisman Trophy balloting his senior year. Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 14 Aug. 2023 Lamet, who finished fourth in National League Cy Young balloting in 2020, had a 3.72 ERA with 16 strikeouts and seven walks in 19⅓ innings with the WooSox. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023 Mauer was a catcher who won an MVP and three batting titles, and finished in the top 10 in MVP balloting four times. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2023 Gordon went on to deliver a sensational final two seasons with UW in 2013-14, capping it with 2,587 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior, en route to a runner-up finish in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 18 July 2023 However, by early June, many health staff were still holding out for more, other rail unions were engaging in sporadic protests and teachers were being balloted on further walkouts during England’s next academic year, which begins in September. Tom Rees, Bloomberg.com, 10 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ballot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian ballotta, from Italian dialect, diminutive of balla ball — more at balloon

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballot was in 1549

Dictionary Entries Near ballot

Cite this Entry

“Ballot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballot. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ballot

1 of 2 noun
bal·​lot ˈbal-ət How to pronounce ballot (audio)
1
: a small ball or sheet of paper used to cast a secret vote
2
a
: the action or system of voting
b
: the right to vote
3
: the number of votes cast

ballot

2 of 2 verb
: to vote or decide by ballot
Etymology

Noun

from Italian ballotta "little ball (used in voting)," from balla "ball"

Word Origin
Small objects have long been used as a means of tallying votes. In ancient Greece, a word for "pebble," psēphos, came to designate any voting token, and then to mean simply "vote," from the practice of dropping a pebble into one of two urns as decisions were made in public assemblies. In medieval Venice, small balls were used in public lotteries and elections; in one such lottery, members of the city's Great Council would draw gold and silver balls from vases to determine nominating committees for officeholders. The word for "small ball" in the Venetian form of Italian was ballotta, which was extended to other tokens used in drawing lots and voting, such as scraps of linen or paper. Familiarity with Venetian customs led to the adoption of the word as ballot in English.

More from Merriam-Webster on ballot

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