▪ I. ballot, n.1
(ˈbælət)
[ad. It. ballotta ‘a rounde bullet..a voice or lot’ (Florio 1598), dim. of balla ball n.1: see -ot. Cf. F. ballotte, 16th c. (now arch.). The early instances refer to Venice.]
1. A small ball used for secret voting; hence, by extension, a ticket, paper, etc. so used.
| 1549 Thomas Hist. Italie (1561) 79 Boxes, into whiche, if he wyll, he may let fall his ballot, that no man can perceiue hym. 1660 Milton Free Commw. Wks. (1851) 438 To convey each Man his bean or ballot into the Box. 1710 Lond. Gaz. No. 4646/1 Elected by a great Majority of the Ballots. 1864 Even. Standard 2 Nov., The voting was not very general, only 25,000 ballots being polled altogether. |
2. The method or system of secret voting, originally by means of small balls placed in an urn or box; an application of this mode of voting; also the whole number of votes thus recorded.
| 1549 Thomas Hist. Italie 77 A triall of theyr sentences by Ballot. 1681 Nevile Plato Rediv. 78 The Doctrine of the Ballot which is our [the Venetians'] chief excellency. 1742 Middleton Cicero I. ii. 153 Not by an open vote, but by a kind of ballot, or little tickets of wood distributed to the Citizens. 1781 Gibbon Decl. & F. III. lxx. 793 The sense of the majority was decided by a secret ballot. 1840 Macaulay Clive, Ess. (1854) II. 529 Sulivan wished to try the result of a ballot. 1880 M{supc}Carthy Own Times IV. lix. 309 No reform had seemed more unlikely than the adoption of the ballot. |
3. A method of drawing lots by taking out small balls, etc., from a box; hence gen. lot-drawing.
| a 1680 Butler Rem. (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 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 Wellington in Gurwood Disp. XII. 430 Difficulties..in consequence of the ballot for the militia. |
4. Comb. ballot-box, a box in which voting ballots are deposited, or from which, in drawing lots, small balls are taken out; also fig. the ballot, secret voting; ballot-man, an advocate of secret voting; ballot-paper, the voting-paper used in secret voting; ballot-rigging [rig v.6 2], the fraudulent manipulation of a ballot.
| a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) I. 23 Some held no Way so orthodox To try it, as the Ballot-Box. 1851 Dixon W. Penn xvii. (1872) 146 Representatives were to be elected..by the ballot-box. 1859 Gen. P. Thompson Audi Alt. II. c. 91 To hunt a Chartist or a Ballot-man. 1865 Cornh. Mag. XI. 115 The ballot-papers of the electors were collected in a bucket. 1959 Daily Tel. 1 Dec. 1/8 Ballot rigging in the union. 1961 Times 2 June 10/4 Newspaper charges of ballot-rigging. |
▪ II. ˈballot, n.2
[a. F. ballot, dim. of balle bale n.2 Cf. balet.]
A small bale, of 70 to 120 lbs.
| 1865 Times 13 Feb., The bulk of the..bales and ballots brought forward had to be withdrawn. Mod. Alpaca and Peruvian wools come in ballots. |
▪ III. ballot, v.1
(ˈbælət)
Also 7 ballat, -et, balet, 7–8 balot: see balloting vbl. n. Pples. balloted, -ing.
[a. It. ballott-are ‘to choose, to cast or draw lots with bullets’ (Florio 1598), f. ballotta: see ballot n.1 Cf. F. ballotter, 16th c.]
† 1. trans. To vote, for approval, selection or rejection, upon (a proposed resolution, candidate, etc.), by depositing small balls in an urn or box, or by some other secret method. Obs.
| 1549 Thomas Hist. Italie (1561) 77 This priuilege, to haue his onely oppinion ballotted, no man hath but he [the Doge]. 1618 Wotton in Reliq. (1685) 262 None of the Competitors arriving to a sufficient number of Balls, they fell to ballote some others. 1691 Wood Ath. Oxon. II./439 This Gang had a Balloting-box and balloted how things should be carried. |
2. a. intr. To give a secret vote (for, against).
| 1580 North Plutarch (1656) 927 The Judges..would never take their bals to ballot against him. a 1797 Burke Sp. Short. Parl. Wks. X. 89 The Electors shall ballot; the Members of Parliament also shall decide by ballot. c 1810 Rose in Byron's Wks. (1846) 230/2 Balloting now for merit, now for hunger. |
b. to ballot for: to select (a body of officials, etc.), elect or reject (an individual candidate), by secret voting. Often with indirect passive; cf. 4.
| 1695 Luttrell Brief Rel. III. 464 The two houses ballotted for a committee..to take Sir Thomas Cooks examination. 1773 Johnson in Boswell 30 Apr., I was this evening to be ballotted for as candidate for admission into that society. 1869 Daily News 17 Dec., Twelve candidates for the fellowship were proposed and ordered to be balloted for. |
3. trans. To select by the drawing of lots (e.g. conscripts for military service).
| 1785 Cowper Task iv. 623 The clown..Is balloted, and trembles at the news. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. i. i. 15 Peasants..who will not be balloted for Soldiers. |
4. to ballot for: to select by lot, draw lots for.
| 1786 Act 26 Geo. III, cvii. §24 marg., To appoint what Number of Men shall serve..who are to be ballotted for. 1884 Manch. Exam. 21 Mar. 5/4 Mr. Slagg intends to ballot for another day for his resolution. |
5. trans. To procure the vote by ballot of (a body of voters) on a specific motion.
| 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 Ibid. 9 Jan. 7/3 If the textile unions are to be balloted on the question of raising the age. |
▪ IV. † baˈllot, v.2 Obs. rare.
In 7 balot.
[a. F. ballotte-r, f. ballotte small ball.]
To toss about like a ball, drive hither and thither.
| 1680 Nation's Int. Pretensions Dk. York 4 That we be not again Balotted into a Field of Blood. |