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Ballot vs Overvote - What's the difference?

ballot | overvote |

As nouns the difference between ballot and overvote

is that ballot is a paper or card used to cast a vote while overvote is (us|politics) a case in which a voter has marked a ballot for more choices than allowed by the rules.

As verbs the difference between ballot and overvote

is that ballot is to vote or decide by ballot while overvote is (us|politics) to spoil a ballot by marking it for more choices than allowed by the rules.

ballot

English

Noun

(wikipedia ballot) (en noun)
  • A paper or card used to cast a vote.
  • The process of voting, especially in secret.
  • * Charles Dickens
    • the insufficiency of the ballot
  • (chiefly, US) A list of candidates running for office; a ticket.
  • The total of all votes cast in an election.

    • Synonyms

    * (paper or card used to cast a vote) voting slip

    Derived terms

    * ballot box

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To vote or decide by ballot.
    • to ballot for a candidate
  • To draw lots.

    • overvote

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (US, politics) A case in which a voter has marked a ballot for more choices than allowed by the rules
  • *{{quote-book, 2001, , Breaking the Deadlock citation
    • , passage=An overvote that took the form of punching Gore's chad and then writing his name (or Lieberman's) in the place for a write-in candidate would unambiguously manifest the voter's intention to vote for Gore.}}
  • (business) A case in which more votes are cast in a voter's name than allowed under the rules
  • *{{quote-book, 1978, Martin Lipton et al., Takeovers and Freezeouts citation
    • , passage=Overvotes are a relatively common phenomenon for shares held in a street name. }}

    Verb

    (overvot)
  • (US, politics) To spoil a ballot by marking it for more choices than allowed by the rules
  • *{{quote-book, 2005, United States Government Accountability Office, Elections citation
    • , passage=
  • (business) To cast more votes than allowed under the rules
  • *{{quote-book, 1955, , Stock Market Study citation
    • , passage=I know a great deal of difficulty ensues, and frequently brokers' shares are overvoted . }}
  • (obsolete) To outvote or overrule
  • *{{quote-book, 1653, year_published=1839, William Jenkyn, An Exposition Upon the Epistle of Jude citation
    • , passage=Caleb and Joshua would have been overvoted by almost six hundred thousand Israelites;

    Related terms

    *outvote *undervote *subvote *supervote

    See also

    *(wikipedia "overvote")