Definition of straw vote
: an unofficial vote taken (as at a chance gathering) to indicate the relative strength of opposing candidates or issues
— called also straw poll
Examples of straw vote in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web The council’s 11-3 informal straw vote to cut police overtime came late Wednesday during a budget briefing that began in the morning and wrapped at 1:30 a.m. the following day.
—
Kevin Krause, Dallas News, "Dallas mayor opposes cuts to police overtime and doubles down on defunding City Hall bureaucracy," 4 Sep. 2020 The previous version of the amendment, which passed by an 11-3 straw vote earlier this month, proposed to spend the savings from overtime cuts on streetlights, bike lanes, affordable housing, solar panels, arts and culture programs, and other areas.
—
Kevin Krause, Dallas News, "Dallas Council majority says $7 million in police overtime cuts will go back into public safety," 23 Sep. 2020 But when the council took a straw vote, not a single member voted for his amendment.
—
Kevin Krause, Dallas News, "Dallas mayor’s plan to cut ’bloated’ city salaries goes down with no support," 3 Sep. 2020 The Howard County Board of Education took three straw votes Monday night to move a total of 5,320 students for the 2020-21 academic year.
—
Jess Nocera, baltimoresun.com, "Howard school board votes preliminarily to move 5,320 students; final redistricting decision set for Thursday," 19 Nov. 2019 Over and over Coronado residents voiced their opposition in straw votes.
—
San Diego Union-Tribune, "50 years later, Coronado bridge’s iconic status masks its controversial origins," 4 Aug. 2019 The council voted against the idea 6to3 earlier in the budget process, and had a 5-to-4 straw vote last week in favor of continuing several storm water projects that were in mid-design but had been halted.
—
Jennifer Barrios, Washington Post, "Montgomery Council adds legal aid for immigrant defense to proposed budget," 22 May 2018 Acceding to legal advice, the Broward County Charter Review Commission has moved from putting an assault weapons ban on the ballot in November to putting a straw vote on the question on the ballot.
—
Dan Sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Readers applaud Broward's move to give them a vote to ban assault weapons — if they can agree what an assault weapon is," 19 Mar. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'straw vote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on straw vote
What made you want to look up straw vote? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times
- What is an earlier meaning of nice?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share straw vote
Time Traveler for straw vote
The first known use of straw vote was in 1866
See more words from the same year