short ballot

American  

noun

1. a ballot containing only candidates for the most important legislative and executive posts, leaving judicial and lesser administrative posts to be filled by appointment.

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Etymology

Origin of short ballot

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

That is what is meant by the short ballot.

From Ethics in Service by Taft, William H.

The "short ballot" in itself is a slight affair, but the insight behind it seems to me capable of revolutionary development.

From A Preface to Politics by Lippmann, Walter

In it Roosevelt advocated, among other reforms such as the short ballot and the initiative and referendum, the recall of judicial decisions.

From Under Four Administrations From Cleveland to Taft by Straus, Oscar S.

Do you have a long ballot or a short ballot in your county or town?

From Community Civics and Rural Life by Dunn, Arthur William

The initiative, the referendum, the recall, the short ballot, direct primaries, and proportionate representation are all designed to transfer power from rings and bosses to the people themselves.

From Social Justice Without Socialism by Clark, John Bates