ballotn.1
/ˈbalət/, U.S. /ˈbælət/ 1. Originally: a small coloured ball placed in a container to register a secret vote; (hence, by extension) a ticket, paper, etc., so used.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > means of signifying choice > ball or bean
ballot1549
ball1550
bean1579
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > means of signifying choice > voting-paper
bullet1615
billet1627
proxy1660
policy1670
ballot1710
scrutiny1728
voting paper1815
ballot paper1818
onion skin1879
1549 W. Thomas Hist. Italie f. 79 Boxes, into whiche he will, he maie let fall his ballot, that no man can perceiue hym.
1660 J. Milton Readie Way Free Commonw. (ed. 2) 58 To convey each man his bean or ballot into the box.
1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 176 Each one of the Pregadi puts his ballot into what box he pleases.
1710 London Gaz. No. 4646/1 Elected by a great Majority of the Ballots.
1751 T. Mortimer tr. J. Gautier Life & Mil. Exploits Pyrrhus iv. 272 As soon as Julius had commanded the Ballots to be distributed to the People, a Party of Patricians overturn'd the Urns.
1825 in M. Bayard Smith Forty Yrs. Washington Soc. (1906) 186 John Randolph observed after counting the ballots, ‘It was impossible to win the game, gentlemen, the cards were stacked.’
1864 Evening Standard 2 Nov. The voting was not very general, only 25,000 ballots being polled altogether.
1891 Times 17 Mar. 5/2 The Old Democrats intended to adopt corrupt methods of counting the ballots.
1952 Western Polit. Q. 5 588 Simple as the voting system was many ballots were spoiled.
2000 Washington Times (Nexis) 1 Dec. a21 During the counting, I saw a ballot that had the chad for Mr. Bush punched out.
2. Such a system or method of voting, originally by means of balls placed in an urn or box, now typically by the placing of marked papers in a box; (also) an instance of this, a round of voting; the whole number of votes thus recorded.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > secret voting
ballot1549
balloting1549
ballotation1606
billeting1662
ballotry1708
1549 W. Thomas Hist. Italie f. 77 A triall of theyr sentences by Ballot.
1605 R. Dallington Suruey Great Dukes State Tuscany 56 Other Officers are chosen by Ballot, as the Commissari, the Proueditori..and diuers others.
1656 J. Harrington Common-wealth of Oceana 23 The..Ballot of the people of Rome, who gave their votes by throwing tablets or little pieces of wood secretly into Urns marked for the negative or affirmative.
1681 H. Neville Plato Redivivus 78 The Doctrine of the Ballot which is our [sc. the Venetians'] chief excellency.
1742 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero (ed. 3) I. ii. 153 Not by an open vote, but by a kind of ballot, or little tickets of wood distributed to the Citizens.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. lxx. 793 The sense of the majority was decided by a secret ballot.
1840 T. B. Macaulay in Edinb. Rev. Jan. 343 Sulivan wished to try the result of a ballot.
1858 T. P. Thompson Audi Alteram Partem II. lxxxi. 41 The assertion that the French Emperor was chosen by the Ballot.
1880 J. McCarthy Hist. our Own Times IV. lix. 309 No reform had seemed more unlikely than the adoption of the ballot.
1905 D. G. Phillips Plum Tree 125 On the seventy-ninth ballot I got..two opposition votes.
1949 Amer. Jrnl. Internat. Law 43 14 At the evening meeting of the General Assembly, three ballots were held.
2000 Financial Times (Nexis) 21 Feb. 8 A secret ballot would let members vote without fear, threats or bribes.
3. A method of drawing lots by taking out small balls, etc., from a box; (more generally) lot-drawing; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [noun] > choosing by casting lots
lotOE
cutc1325
sortc1386
sortition1597
sortilege1600
ballotinga1618
sortilegy1643
ballota1680
sortilegium1858
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 81 To put it to the Chance, and try, I' th' Ballot of a Box and Dye, Whether his Money be his own.
1757 J. Lind Lett. Navy ii. 98 Where there are more officers qualified to sit at a court martial, that they may be chose by ballot.
1786 Act 26 Geo. III cvii. §24 The Number of Men..to be chosen by Ballot out of the List returned.
1815 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1838) XII. 430 Difficulties..in consequence of the ballot for the militia.
1827 P. Cunningham Two Years New S. Wales II. xxiv. 121 The first of our subscription-concerts..was attended by one hundred and twenty of the select, admittances being decided by ballot.
1955 Times 9 May 3 The current exhibition..contains the work of many more than 100 artists... Each day at 3.30 p.m. a ballot is held for pitches for the following day.
2007 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 3 Feb. 4 Applicants [sc. for school places] have to apply by a deadline and are usually chosen by ballot.
Compounds
ballot-stuffing n. originally U.S. = ballot box stuffing n. at ballot box n. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1856 Wisconsin Mirror 8 July 2/5 Yankee Sullivan had been arrested..for ‘ballot stuffing’ at the elections.
1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. II. lxv. 488 The election frauds..ballot-stuffing, obstruction of the polls, and fraudulent countings in.
1977 Times 1 Apr. 9/1 The opposition has claimed that most of the contests in 200 constituencies were won..by ballot stuffing and other illicit means.
2004 Foreign Affairs Mar.–Apr. 36 Although ballot stuffing in some regions may have altered the vote by a few percentage points,..the official results were close to those predicted by independent exit polls.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > secret voting > advocate of
ballot-man1793
balloteer1833
ballotist1837
1793 Times 2 Feb. 2 A parochial provision for the families of soldiers in the militia, both substitutes and ballot men.
1830 Coll. N. Y. Hist. Soc. V. 262 ‘I hope,’ says the Lieutenant Governor, ‘a number of ballot men..will voluntarily and cheerfully engage in..service.’
1838 J. S. Mill Let. 2 Feb. in Wks. (1963) XIII. 374 Peel and Wellington..will be supported by O'Connell & 150 of the 200 ballot men in the House.
1872 Times 30 Oct. 8/2 He would like very much to have said something about..the Ballot..because he was himself an old Ballot man.
ballot paper n. a voting paper used in secret voting.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > means of signifying choice > voting-paper
bullet1615
billet1627
proxy1660
policy1670
ballot1710
scrutiny1728
voting paper1815
ballot paper1818
onion skin1879
society > authority > office > appointment to office > choosing or fact of being chosen for office > election of representative body by vote > proceedings at election > [noun] > registering or casting votes > ballot-paper
ballot paper1818
1818 in Form of Process II. 356 The clerk shall place the ballot-paper in the drawer of the box.
1865 Cornhill Mag. Jan. 114 The ballot-papers of the electors were collected in a bucket.
1935 W. G. Gillings Handbk. for Presiding Officers 25 The spoilt ballot paper shall be at once cancelled by the presiding officer.
2007 Daily Mail (Nexis) 30 Apr. 6 The system..is set to replace the traditional manual counting of ballot papers.
ballot rigging n. the fraudulent manipulation of a ballot (see rig v.5 2).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > [noun] > secret voting > fraudulent manipulation of
marrowfat1903
ballot rigging1908
society > authority > office > appointment to office > choosing or fact of being chosen for office > election of representative body by vote > proceedings at election > [noun] > electoral corruption
pipe-laying1840
vote fraud1904
ballot rigging1908
vote-rigging1909
voter fraud1936
stuffing1976
1908 Nebraska State Jrnl. 6 Nov. 6 Ballot rigging, like the gerrymander, may be ‘good’ politics in the day of a party's prosperity, but a deadfall when the tide turns.
1959 Daily Tel. 1 Dec. 1/8 Ballot rigging in the union.
2007 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 16 Apr. a3 (caption) A mob that chased a worker for the Nigerian election commission, which has been accused of ballot rigging.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
ballotn.2
/ˈbalət/, U.S. /ˈbælət/ Now historical and rare.
A small bale or package of merchandise (esp. wool or silk), varying in weight from around 70 to 120 pounds (32 to 55 kg) depending on the commodity.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > goods carried or sold in specific unit
ball1425
balette1453
packware1570
bale-goods1694
allotment1703
ballot1729
bale1753
parcel1841
unit load1884
bagging1900
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > pack or parcel > bale > small
balette1453
ballot1729
1729 Several Statutes Revenue & Trade of Ireland 186 ⁋xxiii. The Marks and Numbers of every Cask, Hogshead, Pack, Farthel, Truss, Bale, Seron, Bagg, Potaco, Ballot, Roll, Bundle, Box, or other outward Form or Bulk of any Parcel or Piece of Goods.
1853 Fraser's Mag. Dec. 673/1 In the year 1850 there were exported, from the port of Constantinople to Great Britain, in British vessels, 1848 bales, 1693 cases, and 1167 ballots of silk.
1872 Harper's Mag. May 830/1 The alpaca wool reaches the manufacturer in what are called ballots, or small bales.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Ballot, bundle, package.
1892 P. L. Simmonds Commerc. Dict. Trade Products (rev. ed.) 23/1 Ballot, a term in Sweden for ten reams of paper, and in the silk and other trades for a small bale or pack.
1916 Proc. Dorset Nat. Hist. & Antiq. Field Club 37 70 The ballots, or bales, of silk were then sent to a throwing mill.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
ballotv.
/ˈbalət/, U.S. /ˈbælət/ 1. transitive. To vote upon (a proposal, candidate, etc.) for acceptance, selection, or rejection, using ballots or by ballot. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > give (a vote) [verb (transitive)] > vote secretly upon
ballot1549
billeta1691
to ballot for1695
1549 W. Thomas Hist. Italie f. 77v This priuilege, to haue his onely opinion ballotted, no man hath but he [sc. the Doge].
1618 H. Wotton in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1685) 262 None of the Competitors arriving to a sufficient number of Balls, they fell to ballote some others.
1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses II. 439 This Gang had a Balloting-box and balloted how things should be carried.
1701 Enq. Inconveniences Public & Advantages Private Elections 24 If Some offer an Amendment and Others oppose it, the Amendment must be Ballotted.
1780 J. O'Keeffe Tony Lumpkin in Town i. 16 I..have had the honour to be balloted a member of three select private concerts, composed of persons of the first rank.
1852 Harper's New Monthly Mag. 4 522/1 A club,..the members to be elected by ballot... ‘It was no use balloting him..; nobody would give him a black ball.’
2004 Columbian (Vancouver, Washington) (Nexis) 22 Jan. i. 8 The Transport Workers Union..is still balloting the issue.
2.
a. intransitive. To give a vote by ballot (for, against, on, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > express choice [verb (intransitive)] > by some approved means > secretly
ballot1603
1603 T. North tr. S. Goulart Lives Epaminondas, Philip of Macedon (new ed.) 13 in T. North tr. Plutarch Lives (new ed.) The Iudges..would neuer take their bals to ballot against him.
1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 158 So without any more ado those thirty whose lot it is to have the golden balls go into the Council and ballot.
a1757 P. H. Bruce Memoirs (1782) x. 363 Every person qualified to ballot, had a little ball of white leather given him, which he could put into either of the apertures without its being observed.
a1797 E. Burke Speech Shortening Parl. in Wks. (1812) X. 89 The Electors shall ballot; the Members of Parliament also shall decide by ballot.
c1810 W. S. Rose in Ld. Byron Wks. (1846) 230/2 Balloting now for merit, now for hunger.
1892 Times 11 May 7/4 The coalminers of West Cumberland balloted..upon the question whether they would refer the matters in dispute to a commission.
1998 Teacher Mar. 10/1 NUT members in a middle school in Bradford are balloting on refusing to teach an 11 year old girl for seriously damaging a classroom.
2007 Daily Tel. 10 Sept. 1/1 There was ‘no alternative’ but to ballot for strike action.
b. intransitive. to ballot for: to select (a body of officials, etc.), elect or reject (an individual candidate), by secret voting. Frequently in prepositional passive. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > give (a vote) [verb (transitive)] > vote secretly upon
ballot1549
billeta1691
to ballot for1695
1695 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) III. 464 The two houses ballotted for a committee..to take Sir Thomas Cooks examination.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1773 I. 406 I was this evening to be ballotted for as candidate for admission into that distinguished society.
1837 Penny Cycl. VII. 275 Every member must be balloted for, or admitted by the consent of the rest.
1869 Daily News 17 Dec. 5/6 Twelve candidates for the fellowship were proposed and ordered to be balloted for.
1996 C. Jungnickel & R. K. McCormmach Cavendish viii. 351/1 Each of the several classes of the institute proposed candidates, who were then balloted for at a general meeting.
3.
a. intransitive. To draw lots for.
ΚΠ
1699 J. Somers in Remarks Eminent Antimonarchical Authors i. 71 Can he prove..that ever in England they balloted for the Crown, or drew Lots for the Kingdom.
1788 J. Beekman Let. 29 July in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) III. 1202 The Map..contains only that Part of our Township..which has been ballotted for and divided between the respective owners.
1884 Manch. Examiner 21 Mar. 5/4 Mr. Slagg intends to ballot for another day for his resolution.
1998 Press Assoc. (Nexis) 27 Apr. We have secured a small number of extra tickets for the Marseille match against Tunisia which will be balloted for.
b. transitive. To select by the drawing of lots; (in early use esp.) to select (conscripts for military service) in this way.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > choose or get by lot
takec1175
sort1513
draw1564
lot1617
ballot1785
1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 623 The clown..Is balloted, and trembles at the news.
?1795 W. Winterbotham Hist. View Amer. U.S. III. 145 One hundred lots, to be balloted for the purpose, and vested in trustees.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. i. i. 17 Peasants..who will not be balloted for soldiers.
1962 Times 22 Sept. 13/1 Applications for between 50 and 7,950 shares were balloted.
2000 Victorian July 16/1 Apply by 10 August, when places will be balloted, if necessary.
4. transitive. To take a ballot of (a body of voters) on a specific issue or motion.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > expression of choice by some approved method > give (a vote) [verb (transitive)] > take the votes of > secretly
ballot1877
1877 T. L. Briggs Peacemaker i. 15 We..venture an opinion that if the whole country were balloted on the subject, that..the result would be almost unanimous against it.
1898 Daily News 25 June 6/6 The Llwynpia colliers to-day rejected a motion to ballot the men for or against a sliding scale.
1899 Daily News 9 Jan. 7/3 If the textile unions are to be balloted on the question of raising the age.
1937 Times 20 Sept. 19/4 The staffs of the Milk Marketing Board are to be balloted on the question of a complete stoppage of work.
1995 Daily Tel. 22 Feb. 5/8 Midwives want to be balloted on options such as withdrawal of labour..and the refusal to carry out administrative duties.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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