absentee ballot

noun

: a ballot submitted (as by mail) in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls

Examples of absentee ballot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The reason for the advice was that adding August 11, the primary date, could interfere with the issuing of absentee ballots by town clerks. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026

Wisconsin voters who have already returned their absentee ballots for the state's primary are not allowed to void those and request a new one, a judge ruled Wednesday. — CBS News, 31 July 2026

Oklahoma, literally, all of our absentee ballots have to be notarized. — ABC News, 31 July 2026

Election officials from Michigan to Kansas are urging voters to hand-deliver absentee ballots as campaigns and postal workers challenge efforts to turn the Postal Service into a national voter gatekeeper. — John Hanna, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for absentee ballot

• alate
• fallot
• mallet
• palate
• palette
• pallet
• shallot

Legal Definition

absentee ballot

noun

absentee bal·​lot

: a ballot submitted (as by mail) in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls