ballot box

noun

1
: a box for receiving ballots
2
Phrases
stuff the ballot box
chiefly US
: to attempt to control the outcome of an election by having multiple illegitimate votes cast in support of the desired candidate
They said the vote-rigging included stuffing ballot boxes, buying votes and absent names on the voter rolls.Sonia Verma
By a margin of just 277 votes (some say ballot boxes were stuffed), Brooklyn, the nation's fourth-largest city, had voted to give up its proud and independent history.James Sterngold

Examples of ballot box in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
So who distinguished themselves at the ballot box in 2024, and who turned in an uninspired performance? Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025 And America is hardly immune to the draw of the strongman (image at the least) at the ballot box. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025 The ability for citizens to make laws at the ballot box has been around since Arizona earned statehood in 1912. Joanna Allhands, The Arizona Republic, 2 Jan. 2025 The move came amid a broader fight between the two parties around what voters should be required to have on hand at the ballot box. Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ballot box 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballot box was circa 1677

Dictionary Entries Near ballot box

Cite this Entry

“Ballot box.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballot%20box. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

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