straw vote

noun

an unofficial vote taken to obtain an indication of the general trend of opinion on a particular issue.

Also called straw poll.

Origin

1885-90, Americanism

Examples from the web for straw vote

In straw vote, those present unanimously supported the installation of the proposed culverts.
Their initial straw vote was that they were split on incorporating this into the budget.
The straw vote resulted in a slight reorganization of priorities.
And so the first thing they did was, they had a straw vote, and everybody put down what they wanted.

British Dictionary definitions for straw vote

straw poll

noun

an unofficial poll or vote taken to determine the opinion of a group or the public on some issue

Contemporary definitions for straw vote

noun

See straw poll

Idioms and Phrases with straw vote

straw vote

Also, straw poll. An unofficial vote or poll indicating how people feel about a candidate or issue. For example, Let's take a straw poll on the bill and see how it fares. This idiom alludes to a straw used to show in what direction the wind blows, in this case the wind of public opinion. O. Henry joked about it in A Ruler of Men (1907): “A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows.” [ c. 1885 ]