<P> Blackballing is a rejection in a traditional form of secret ballot, where a white ball or ballot constitutes a vote in support and a black ball signifies opposition . This system is typically used where a club's rules provide that one or two objections, rather than an at - least - 50% share of votes, are sufficient to defeat a proposition . Since the seventeenth century, these rules have commonly applied to elections to membership of many gentlemen's clubs and similar institutions such as Freemasonry and fraternities . </P> <P> A large supply of black and white balls is provided for voters . Each voter audibly casts a single ball into the ballot box under cover of the box, or of a combination of a cloth and the box itself, so that observers can see who votes but not how they are voting . When all voting is complete, the box is opened and the balls displayed: all present can immediately see the result, without any means of knowing which members are objecting . </P> <P> The principle of such election rules in a club is that it is self - perpetuating to preserve the current ethos (and exclusivity) of the club, by ensuring that candidates are congenial to (almost) all the existing members; i.e., new members are elected by unanimous or near - unanimous agreement of voting members . A difference of opinions could be divisive, so that an election must be taken secretly as well as correctly . </P> <P> The number of votes in support is often irrelevant, except to prove a quorum . Whilst in many such cases even a single black ball will be fatal to the candidate's election, rules in larger clubs ensure that a single member cannot exercise a veto to the detriment of the future of the club . For example, two black balls are required to exclude; a limited category or committee of members vote, rather than all members; or in the event of a blackball, the election may be repeated immediately to ensure that there is no mistake, or after a fixed period to allow further information or opinions to be discussed discreetly . A variant sometimes used is that all incoming candidates are voted on as a group; if the group as a whole is blackballed, then each member must be voted on individually . </P>

Where did the phrase black balled come from