ballot-box
Definition
- Noun:
- A sealed container for votes: "ballot-box" refers to a secure, often lockable box into which voters place their completed ballots during an election.
- The electoral system (figurative): In a broader sense, "ballot-box" can represent the democratic process of voting itself.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The sealed ballot-box was transported to the counting centre under guard. (The physical container for votes.)
- Citizens expressed their will through the ballot-box. (Through the democratic voting process.)
Advanced Usage
"ballot-box stuffing": The illegal practice of adding fraudulent votes to a ballot-box.
- Allegations of ballot-box stuffing marred the election results. (Fraudulent vote addition.)
"ballot-box challenge": A legal dispute over the validity of votes or the security of a ballot-box.
- The opposition filed a ballot-box challenge in several precincts. (A legal objection regarding the voting process.)
Variants and Related Words
Ballot (n): a sheet of paper or digital record used for voting.
- Each voter received a single ballot. (The voting paper.)
Box (n): a container or receptacle.
- The wooden box held all the ballots. (The container.)
Synonyms
- Voting urn: a container for votes, often used in European contexts.
- Polling box: a less common synonym for a ballot-box.
Idioms and Fixed Expressions
"to stuff the ballot-box": To illegally insert extra votes into a ballot-box to influence an election.
- The corrupt official was caught trying to stuff the ballot-box. (Illegally adding votes.)
"the ballot-box is the voice of the people": A proverb meaning that voting expresses the collective will.
- In a democracy, the ballot-box is the voice of the people. (Voting represents public opinion.)