BALLOT


Meaning of BALLOT in English

I. bal ‧ lot 1 /ˈbælət/ BrE AmE noun

[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Italian ; Origin: ballotta , from balla ( ⇨ ↑ balloon 1 ); because small balls were used for voting ]

1 . [uncountable and countable] a system of voting, usually in secret, or an occasion when you vote in this way:

The party leader is elected by secret ballot.

Workers at the plant held a ballot and rejected strike action.

2 . [countable] a piece of paper on which you make a secret vote SYN ballot paper :

Only 22% of voters cast their ballots.

3 . the ballot the total number of votes in an election SYN the vote :

He won 54% of the ballot.

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THESAURUS

▪ election an occasion when people choose a government or leader by voting:

the American presidential election

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South Africa held its first multi-racial elections in 1994.

▪ ballot /ˈbælət/ an occasion when the members of an organization vote by marking what they want on a piece of paper, especially to make sure that it is secret:

The result of the ballot showed that nurses were not in favour of a strike.

▪ referendum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/ an occasion when everyone in a country votes on an important political subject:

In the Danish referendum, the people voted ‘no’ to joining the European single currency.

▪ the polls the process of voting in a political election – used especially in news reports:

4,500,000 voters went to the polls in eight provinces to elect six governors.

▪ show of hands an act of voting informally for something by the people in a group raising their hands:

May I have a show of hands from all those in favour of the proposal?

II. ballot 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]

1 . to ask someone to vote for something

ballot on/over

Train drivers are being balloted on industrial action.

2 . to vote for something

ballot for

Staff balloted for strike action yesterday.

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THESAURUS

▪ vote [intransitive and transitive] to show which person or party you want, or whether you support a plan, by marking a piece of paper, raising your hand etc:

I’ve voted Democrat all my life.

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You can vote for your favourite singer.

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A majority of the people voted for independence.

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In tomorrow’s election, many young people will be voting for the first time.

▪ elect [transitive] to choose a leader, representative, or government by voting, so that they become the new leader, representative etc:

He was elected mayor of London.

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the newly-elected government

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I think we should start by electing a new chairman.

▪ go to the polls if a country or voters go to the polls, they vote in an election - used especially in news reports:

The US goes to the polls in November.

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The economic crisis could well be a decisive factor when voters go to the polls this autumn.

▪ take a vote if a group of people at a meeting take a vote, they vote about something:

We should take a vote on whether or not to accept their offer.

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They took a vote and picked Bernard.

▪ cast your vote formal to mark a piece of paper, call a telephone number etc in order to vote:

The first votes have been cast in the country’s general election.

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Click here to cast your vote.

▪ ballot [transitive] to ask the members of an organization to vote on something in order to decide what to do:

The union will ballot its members on whether to go ahead with the strike action.

▪ veto [transitive] to vote against something that other people have agreed on, so that it cannot happen:

The president has the right to veto any piece of legislation.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.