ballot
n. countablen. a piece of paper or a secret system used to cast a vote in an election. You use it to choose a leader or decide on a new law.
n. a process of voting, typically in secret, or the physical slip of paper used to record a vote. Often used in the context of political elections or trade union decisions.
The voters cast their ballots in the morning.
After the polls closed, officials spent the entire night counting every ballot to determine the winner of the local election.
The integrity of the democratic process relies on the secrecy of the ballot, ensuring that no citizen feels pressured or intimidated when selecting their preferred candidate.
Borrowed from Italian balota (obsolete), ballotta (“small ball, especially one used to register a vote”), from balla (“bale, bundle”) + -otta (suffix forming diminutive nouns); or from Middle French balote (obsolete), ballotte (“small ball used to register a vote”) (also compare Middle French balotiage, French ballottage (“second ballot, runoff”)); both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic ballu (“ball”), from Proto-Germanic balluz (“ball”).
Often used with the verbs 'cast', 'count', or 'spoil'.