ballot
ballot — noun
1. the formal system or scheduled occasion at which an organisation lets each membe
the formal system or scheduled occasion at which an organisation lets each member mark a private choice, used as the standard way of running such votes.
The teachers' union chose its new leader by ballot last Friday.
by ballot for method of selection
Members of the club will hold a ballot on Tuesday to decide the new fees.
hold a ballot on [issue]
Mr Lin asked the school governors to approve the new uniform by secret ballot.
Workers at the Osaka factory called for a ballot before agreeing to the strike.
Priya, the chairperson, put the question of weekend opening to a ballot of all staff.
文法句型
hold a ballot
by ballot
用法筆記
Often used in formal organizational contexts (unions, political parties, clubs). Frequently appears with the adjective 'secret' even though secrecy is already part of the meaning.
常見錯誤
2. the printed sheet, card, or electronic form that a voter uses to record which ca
the printed sheet, card, or electronic form that a voter uses to record which candidate or option they are choosing.
Maria carefully folded her ballot and dropped it into the wooden box.
Three names were printed on the ballot, but Ilya crossed out the first two.
names printed on the ballot
Election workers in Taipei counted every ballot by hand until midnight.
In Tainan, about two hundred ballots were rejected because voters had ticked more than one name.
At Lincoln High School, students now fill in their ballot on a tablet instead of paper.
- voting slip
British, more everyday
- ballot paper
compound noun, same physical object
文法句型
mark a ballot
spoil a ballot
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the physical or digital object a voter touches; sense 1 names the whole event or system.
常見錯誤
3. a single round of secret voting on one question, viewed as something the voters
a single round of secret voting on one question, viewed as something the voters carry out and produce a result for, rather than as the system arranged around them.
After a tense ballot on the factory merger, the workers in Birmingham narrowly rejected the deal.
a ballot on [issue]
The first ballot ended in a tie, so Mr Wong ordered a second round on Friday.
A ballot among Greenfield residents showed strong support for closing Park Lane to cars.
The teachers won a clear victory in the ballot to keep the after-school music programme.
文法句型
a ballot on [issue]
用法筆記
Frequently appears with verbs of action by the voters themselves (win, lose, hold) rather than verbs of organisation. Sense 1 names the system or scheduled occasion; this sense names the secret-voting action performed by the people involved, often paired with outcome adjectives like close, decisive, or narrow.
ballot — verb
1. if an organisation ballots its members, it arranges for them to mark their priva
if an organisation ballots its members, it arranges for them to mark their private choice on an issue so that their wishes can be measured.
The union plans to ballot its members on the new pay offer next week.
ballot somebody on something
Residents of Riverside were balloted about whether to allow the new shopping centre near the river.
passive: be balloted about [issue]
The Labour leader refused to ballot the party membership on the controversial trade agreement.
Before any strike, the railway workers must be properly balloted by their union.
文法句型
ballot somebody on something
ballot members
用法筆記
Mostly British and largely confined to news writing about unions, political parties, and large membership groups. The subject is typically an organisation, not an individual person.
常見錯誤
2. to make a choice on a question by marking a private vote, especially as part of
to make a choice on a question by marking a private vote, especially as part of a wider group.
Senators balloted for nearly an hour on the new health bill before Reyes was declared the winner.
ballot for [duration] on [issue]
Club members balloted on the new uniform design and chose the dark green one.
ballot on [issue]
The hospital ethics committee balloted twice on the funding cut after a tied first round.
Students at the school balloted to keep the lunchtime music club open.
- vote
ordinary everyday equivalent
- cast a vote
common formal phrase with the same meaning
- abstain
to choose not to vote
文法句型
ballot for something
用法筆記
Distinguish from verb sense 1: this sense describes the voters themselves doing the marking, while sense 1 describes the organisation arranging the vote. Sense 2 is rare in everyday speech; learners can almost always say 'vote' instead.