Meaning
This emoji illustrates a ballot box—a sturdy container designed for collecting votes—with a ballot (voting slip) partially inserted through a slot in the top. The box is typically rendered in dark colors like black or gray, with clear detail showing the rectangular opening where voters deposit their completed ballots. The ballot itself appears as a white or light-colored slip, captured mid-insertion, emphasizing the act of voting.
The emoji is most commonly used to represent voting, elections, democratic participation, and civic engagement. People deploy it when discussing upcoming elections, voting reminders, or political participation. It's also used metaphorically to indicate making a choice, casting a vote in a poll or survey, or expressing support for a particular option or candidate.
On social media, the ballot box emoji gained visibility during election seasons and voting drives, particularly when organizations encouraged voter registration and turnout. It's also used in casual online polls and decision-making conversations—"vote with the emoji below" type scenarios. The symbol carries weight and seriousness, making it appropriate for discussions about democracy and civic duty.
Designs remain consistent across major platforms, maintaining the recognizable box-with-slot imagery. Approved as part of Unicode Emoji 0.7 in 2010, this emoji serves as a digital representation of one of democracy's most fundamental tools.
Common Uses
- • Encouraging voting and election participation
- • Indicating a poll or survey in progress
- • Expressing support for a candidate or cause
- • Discussing democratic processes and civic engagement
Popular Combos
Did You Know?
The ballot box has been a symbol of democracy for centuries, and early ballot boxes were often transparent or semi-transparent so observers could verify that votes weren't being tampered with—a practice that evolved into modern sealed boxes.
Keywords
Appears in Topics
Related Emoji
Technical Reference
Platform Shortcodes
:ballot_box: :ballot_box_with_ballot: :ballot_box: Developer Codes
| HTML (decimal) | 🗳 |
| HTML (hex) | 🗳 |
| CSS | \1F5F3 |
| JavaScript | \uD83D\uDDF3 |
| Python | \U0001F5F3 |
| Java | \uD83D\uDDF3 |
| Perl | \x{1F5F3} |
| PHP / Ruby | \x{1F5F3} |
| Punycode | xn--2r5f |
| URL Encoded | %F0%9F%97%B3 |
| UTF-8 Bytes | 0xF0 0x9F 0x97 0xB3 |
🗳️ in 28 languages
Names sourced from Unicode CLDR and emojibase.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Bengali | ব্যালটের সাথে ব্যালট বক্স |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 投票箱 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 投票箱 |
| Danish | valgurne med stemmeseddel |
| Dutch | stembus met stembiljet |
| English | ballot box with ballot |
| English (UK) | ballot box with ballot |
| Estonian | hääletuskast |
| Finnish | ääniuurna |
| French | urne électorale |
| German | Urne mit Wahlzettel |
| Hindi | मतपत्र के साथ मतपेटी |
| Hungarian | urna szavazólappal |
| Italian | urna elettorale con scheda |
| Japanese | 投票箱 |
| Korean | 투표 용지가 있는 투표 상자 |
| Lithuanian | balsavimo dėžutė su balsavimo biuleteniu |
| Malay | peti undi dengan undian |
| Norwegian | urne med stemmeseddel |
| Polish | urna wyborcza z głosem |
| Portuguese | urna eleitoral com cédula |
| Russian | избирательная урна |
| Spanish | urna con papeleta |
| Spanish (Mexico) | urna con papeleta |
| Swedish | valurna med röstsedel |
| Thai | หีบบัตรลงคะแนน |
| Ukrainian | урна для голосування і бюлетень |
| Vietnamese | hòm phiếu với lá phiếu |