ballot box

noun

1
: a box for receiving ballots
2
Phrases
stuff the ballot box
chiefly US
: to attempt to control the outcome of an election by having multiple illegitimate votes cast in support of the desired candidate
They said the vote-rigging included stuffing ballot boxes, buying votes and absent names on the voter rolls.Sonia Verma
By a margin of just 277 votes (some say ballot boxes were stuffed), Brooklyn, the nation's fourth-largest city, had voted to give up its proud and independent history.James Sterngold

Examples of ballot box 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 there is also a deeper democratic malaise driven by his reluctance to heed the message delivered at the ballot box. Cole Stangler, Time, 9 Sep. 2025 The irony isn’t lost on us that the opponents of this law will spend millions of dollars to reverse its implementation at the ballot box, but aren’t willing to guarantee a wage to workers that still falls more than $5 below what MIT cites as a living wage in San Diego. Mikey Knab, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025 When asked Tuesday if blue city leaders will pay at the ballot box for being weak on crime, Trump answered affirmatively. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 27 Aug. 2025 But Thailand’s youth were invigorated and their protests, which were ultimately put down by authorities, ignited a progressive political movement that led to unprecedented electoral gains at the ballot box three years later. Helen Regan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ballot box

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballot box was circa 1677

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Cite this Entry

“Ballot box.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballot%20box. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

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