ballot

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
ballot/ˈbalət/

▶noun

• 1 a procedure by which people vote secretly on an issue.

  ■ (the ballot) the total number of votes cast in a ballot.

• 2 a lottery held to decide the allocation of tickets or other things among a number of applicants.

▶verb (ballots, balloting, balloted)

• 1 elicit a secret vote from (members of an organization).

  ■ cast one's vote.

• 2 allocate by drawing lots.

– origin C16 (orig. denoting a small coloured ball placed in a container to register a vote): from Ital. ballotta, dimin. of balla (see ball1).