pull a lever

English

Etymology

In reference to older voting machines where a lever was pulled to vote for each candidate choice.

Verb

pull a lever (third-person singular simple present pulls a lever, present participle pulling a lever, simple past and past participle pulled a lever)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pull,‎ lever.
2. (idiomatic, transitive) To vote.
   • 2007, Mark Crispin Miller, Fooled Again:

     She tried to pull a lever for the mainstream candidate and it wouldn't work.

   • 2020, Stephen E. Strang, God, Trump, and the 2020 Election:

     You may dislike much about a candidate, but God calls us to make the hard choice and pull a lever for one or the other—even if it means voting less for a candidate than against another.