straw vote

noun

: an unofficial vote taken (as at a chance gathering) to indicate the relative strength of opposing candidates or issues

called also straw poll

Examples of straw vote in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While a final list of cuts the council proposed was made public last week ahead of a straw vote, the process of reaching consensus played out privately. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 25 May 2023 With local Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and some residents lobbying hard against a name change, the committee decided in a 12-5 straw vote vote last month that there wasn’t a compelling enough reason to recommend that the district be renamed. Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2022 The unofficial, closed-door, straw vote was 4 to 3, which meant that Beutner’s selection hinged on the vote of Ref Rodriguez, who was facing charges on campaign-finance violations and managed to stay in office just long enough to provide a swing vote. Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2021 Subsequently, voting was downgraded to a straw vote and the resolution will formally be voted on by an electronic vote at a later date. Krzysztof Bolejko, Discover Magazine, 31 Aug. 2018 On July 14, city councilors on the Public Facilities and Programs and Services committees voted unanimously in a straw vote to move forward with a new building, Fuller said. BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2021 The council’s 11-3 informal straw vote to cut police overtime came late Wednesday during a budget briefing that began in the morning and wrapped at 1:30 a.m. the following day. Kevin Krause, Dallas News, 4 Sep. 2020 The previous version of the amendment, which passed by an 11-3 straw vote earlier this month, proposed to spend the savings from overtime cuts on streetlights, bike lanes, affordable housing, solar panels, arts and culture programs, and other areas. Kevin Krause, Dallas News, 23 Sep. 2020 But when the council took a straw vote, not a single member voted for his amendment. Kevin Krause, Dallas News, 3 Sep. 2020

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

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of straw vote was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near straw vote

Cite this Entry

“Straw vote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straw%20vote. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

straw vote

noun
: an unofficial vote

called also straw poll

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!