What does secret ballot mean?

Definitions for secret ballot
se·cret bal·lot

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word secret ballot.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. secret ballotnoun

    a vote in which each person's choice is secret but the totaled votes are public

Wiktionary

  1. secret ballotnoun

    The voting system involving ballots available only at official polling places, prepared at public expense, containing the names of all candidates, and marked in secret at the polling places.

Wikipedia

  1. Secret ballot

    The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot or Massachusetts ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote buying. This system is one means of achieving the goal of political privacy. Secret ballots are used in conjunction with various voting systems. The most basic form of a secret ballot utilizes blank pieces of paper upon which each voter writes his or her choice. Without revealing the votes to anyone, the voter folds the ballot paper in half and places it in a sealed box. This box is later emptied for counting. An aspect of secret voting is the provision of a voting booth to enable the voter to write on the ballot paper without others being able to see what is being written. Today, printed ballot papers are usually provided, with the names of the candidates or questions and respective check boxes. Provisions are made at the polling place for the voters to record their preferences in secret, and the ballots are designed to eliminate bias and to prevent anyone from linking voter to ballot. A privacy problem arises with moves to improve efficiency of voting by the introduction of postal voting and electronic voting. Some countries permit proxy voting but some people argue that this is inconsistent with voting privacy.

ChatGPT

  1. secret ballot

    A secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election vote or a referendum are kept anonymous. This system ensures that the voter's preferences are confidential, preventing attempts to influence the voter through bribery, blackmail, or violence. It is fundamental to the democratic process, safeguarding electoral integrity and protecting individuals' political privacy.

Wikidata

  1. Secret ballot

    The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of political privacy. However, the secret ballot may increase the amount of vote buying where it is still legal by paying lukewarm supporters to turn out and paying lukewarm opponents to stay home, and therefore may reduce the costs of buying an election. Secret ballots are suitable for many different voting systems. The most basic form may be blank pieces of paper, upon which each voter writes only his or her choice. Without revealing their votes to anyone, the electors place the ballots into a sealed box, which is emptied later for counting. In the modern world one of the most common forms of the secret ballot involves pre-printed ballot papers with the name of the candidates or questions and respective checkboxes. Provisions are made at the polling place for the voters to record their preferences in secret. The ballots are specifically designed to eliminate bias and to prevent anyone from linking voter to ballot. This system is also known as the Australian ballot, because it originated in Australia during the 1850s. In the United States, it is also known as the Massachusetts ballot since Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to use the secret ballot. In the U.S., voting by secret ballot was universal by 1892, but criminal prohibitions against paying people to vote for a particular candidate or not were instituted in 1925.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of secret ballot in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of secret ballot in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of secret ballot in a Sentence

  1. Bill Palatucci:

    The reason why this is never done until it’s done is because RNC members are experienced political hands, they know how to look you in the eye and say, ‘I love you,’ and then walk into the voting booth because it’s a secret ballot and slit your throat.


Translations for secret ballot

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"secret ballot." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/secret+ballot>.

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