Revotes

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To conduct another round of voting on a decision or proposal; to solicit opinions or preferences again in a formal setting; to revisit the voting process to potentially change the outcome based on new considerations or perspectives
2. Engaging in a subsequent electoral process to determine different results; requesting participants to express their choices once more after initial votes; reinstating the voting mechanism to address any unresolved issues or to reassess earlier decisions
3. Holding an additional vote on a matter previously decided; appealing to voters to reconsider their selections in light of further developments; organizing a repeat of the original voting process to achieve clarity or consensus

Etymology: "Revotes" is simply the plural of "revote," the noun for a second round of voting held after an earlier vote failed to settle the matter. Its history is entirely transparent: it is formed from the prefix "re-", meaning "again" and borrowed through Latin and French, attached to "vote." The base word "vote" goes back to Latin "vōtum," a vow or solemn promise, and from there to the idea of a wish or a pledge. English took "vote" from that Latin root via Old French "vote" and, in its earliest sense, a vote was indeed an expression of will or desire, not a ballot. The meaning narrowed to formal choosing by ballot over the following centuries. Attaching "re-" to "vote" was a straightforward English formation, so the compound needed no special coinage: once a first vote could be held, a second one could be called "a revote." The plural simply adds "-s" to count more than one such round.

Synonyms: reruns, reballots, re-elections