absentee ballot
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of absentee ballot
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1979, the state eliminated the need for an excuse to receive an absentee ballot, and an option to choose permanent absentee voting was created in 2002.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Those wanting an absentee ballot would be asked to write an ID number on the form.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Voters who requested an absentee ballot were, by law, entitled to get them mailed out by Sept. 6.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2024
“If you don't follow the rules on the absentee ballot precisely, the ballots must be thrown out,” Lessig said.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2024
People in prison vote either in their correctional facilities or by some version of absentee ballot in their town of previous residence.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.