The word overvote is used both as a verb and a countable noun to refer respectively to the action of voting incorrectly or an instance of doing so. It is mainly used in American English, becoming more widely recognized after the recount controversy associated with the 2000 presidential election. The word actually made its first appearance in English long before this however, originally functioning as a synonym of outvote (to defeat someone by winning more votes), which later became obsolete.