ballottaggio

runoff (election)

noun bahl-loht-TAHD-joh Rare

Origin: From French ballottage, from ballotter 'to toss a ball, to vote'

Also means

second round

Usage Note

Ballottaggio is the second round of voting when no candidate achieves an outright majority in the first round. It is a masculine noun; plural i ballottaggi. It is used almost exclusively in electoral contexts and is a key term in Italian political journalism.

Examples

"I due candidati vanno al ballottaggio."

Natural Translation

The two candidates go to the runoff.

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