stuff the ballot box

present singular third person stuffs the ballot box · participle present stuffing the ballot box · participle past stuffed the ballot box · past stuffed the ballot box

1. idiomaticgovernmentTo commit fraud in an election by depositing extra or otherwise illegitimate ballots into the container holding the ballots of voters, in an attempt to secure victory for a particular candidate or outcome.

   Republicans were said to have stuffed the ballot box with illegal votes, and the Democrats were accused of a lot of things too.

   1976 November 2, “Town Recalls ‘Decisive’ Vote”, in Daytona Beach Morning Journal, retrieved 05 Apr 2013, page 3B

   3 more examples

   Two fruitless ballots were taken, when the chairman of the board of tellers, stepping to the platform, said: "I find that attempts have been made to stuff the ballot-box."

   1888 May 24, “Electing the Bishops”, in Baltimore American, retrieved 05 Apr 2013, page 4

   Their simplest and most effective scheme is to create a disturbance during which they can stuff the ballot box as they tried to last night.

   1906 September 28, “Decent Democracy Downs Dorneyism”, in The News-Democrat, Rhode Island, USA, retrieved 05 Apr 2013, page 3

   Several council officials were convicted of stuffing the ballot box in 1996 to guarantee approval of a widely disliked contract.

   2002 February 27, Steven Greenhouse, “Trustee Ends His Oversight Of District 37”, in New York Times, retrieved 05 Apr 2013