co-opt – “To select (someone) for a group or club by a vote of members,” it is from Latin cooptare, “to choose as a colleague or member of one’s tribe”; its sense of “take over” came by 1953. More…
ostracism – In ancient Greece, when it was proposed that a person be sent into exile, a vote was taken and the method of registering the vote involved putting the name on a piece of broken pottery called ostrakon; casting the vote was ostrakizein, giving us English ostracism. More…
red state, blue state – A red state is any U.S. state that tends to vote for candidates of the Republican party in a general election; a blue state votes for Democratic candidates. More…
chirotonize – To elect by voting or to vote. More…