down-ballot

American

[dohn-bal-uht] / ˈdoʊnˌbæl ət /

Also down-ticket

adjective

relating to or noting a candidate or political contest that is relatively low-profile and local compared to one listed in a higher place on the ballot.

Very popular presidential nominees often cause down-ballot candidates to win.

Etymology

Origin of down-ballot

First recorded in 1980–85; down ¹ ( def. ) + ballot ( def. )

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.

See Examples For:

down-ballot

In a typical election year, the interest in the down-ballot race for California insurance commissioner musters modest interest at best.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026

Harris also was one of the few down-ballot politicians he helped in 2010, when she ran for California attorney general and he was president.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024

Coleman said that this is a useful metric, especially if you’re expecting presidential and down-ballot polling to converge between now and Election Day.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2024

So, the work of rolling back mass incarceration has to be done in statehouses, down-ballot county elections, and local city budget hearings.

From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2024

The attention today is on a handful of down-ballot races.

From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023