Primary definition
Refers to processing a ranked choice voting contest on a cast ballot, when that ballot becomes inactive and cannot be advanced in the tabulation for a contest because there are no further valid rankings on the ballot for continuing contest options.
Also known asInactive Ballot · Exhausted Ballot · Ballot Depletion
1 sources cited4 related termsReviewed Aug 10, 2026
— EAC Glossary of TermsView source
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EAC
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Refers to processing a ranked choice voting contest on a cast ballot, when that ballot becomes inactive and cannot be advanced in the tabulation for a contest because there are no further valid rankings on the ballot for continuing contest options.
EAC Glossary of Terms · 2024
Cite this term
Permanent URL · stable across revisions
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Ballot Exhaustion. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 20, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/ballot-exhaustion
Sources
1 cited · last checked Aug 10, 2026
01
EAC Glossary of Terms
EAC Glossary of Terms
Single-source
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