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
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.
But that’s because there were more than 130,000 absentee ballots that still needed to be counted, according to Buffalo Toronto Public Media. Chad De Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2025 Danielle Christine Miller, 51, of Nashwauk, in a rural area about three hours north of Minneapolis, was charged last fall with three felonies after local election officials notified authorities in October about two absentee ballots that had been flagged for fraud. Jack Dura, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025 In the years since the 2022 race, Toney was also appointed special prosecutor in an investigation of Wausau Mayor Doug Diny's removal of an absentee ballot drop box. Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 21 Oct. 2025 These decisions have significantly affected the availability of polling places, early voting, absentee ballot eligibility, and even the provision of food and water to voters waiting in lines for hours to vote, likely due to limitations mentioned above. JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for absentee ballot

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of absentee ballot was in 1889

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Cite this Entry

“Absentee ballot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absentee%20ballot. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on absentee ballot

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