Australian ballot

Australian ballot Word Origin noun

1. a ballot containing the names of all the candidates for public office, handed to the voter at the polling station to be marked in secret: so called because it originated in Australia.

Compare Indiana ballot, Massachusetts ballot, office-block ballot. Origin of Australian ballot An Americanism dating back to 1885–90 Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019