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.
Precinct 1 is marked as leaning heavily Democratic, with 60% of voters going blue at the ballot box. Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2025 Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries denounced the bill in a fiery early morning speech and vowed that voters would make Republicans pay at the ballot box in next year’s midterm elections. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025 And Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refused Trump’s entreaties to stuff the ballot boxes in Georgia with another 11,000 votes for Trump. Erica Frantz, The Conversation, 16 May 2025 The tradition began decades ago but in recent years has become more organized with an online map built by volunteers showing where voters can find a ballot box with a barbecue. Hilary Whiteman and Angus Watson, CNN Money, 3 May 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ballot box.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballot%20box. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on ballot box

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!