Ballot

Did you remember to complete your ballot paper?

Ballots are items used in elections to perform confidential voting in a public environment, and are a common way to choose a government and other leaders.
A ‘ballot’ is also known as a ‘ballot paper’ and the term can also refer to the act of voting.
Ballots are generally in the form of paper slips, or in electronic form, while small white and black balls were historically used.
The ancient Greeks wrote names on broken ceramics, called ‘ostraca’, and the pieces were used like a ballot to privately banish someone from a town, hence the term ‘ostracised’; while in India, they used palm leaves to elect assemblies, from the tenth century AD.
Ballots may involve choosing candidates by preference, or choosing a single party or person, and the process varies in different organisations, states and countries.

Romans began using a secret ballot system in 139 BC, via a writing tablet or document; while it is said that the first time Americans cast a vote using paper was in 1629.
Ballots can require the writing of specific names, marking boxes, entering data using a machine, or entering information via the internet.
Ballot papers, especially in government elections, are often submitted into a box that is located at a polling location.
The term ‘ballot’ originates from Italy’s Venice, in Europe, from the words ‘ballotta’ and ‘pallotte’, meaning ‘small ball used for voting’ when translated from Italian.
Each submitted ballot paper in government elections is usually checked, to see if it is a ‘formal’ or valid vote, or ‘informal’ or invalid vote, because ‘informal’ votes, those with insufficient or incorrect markings, are disqualified from being counted.

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