A "ballot" in a papal conclave refers to a single, complete round of voting in which:

1. Each eligible cardinal voter casts one paper ballot

2. All ballots are collected and counted according to the official conclave procedures

3. The results are formally announced to the conclave participants

4. The ballots are burned (producing either black or white smoke)

Only valid, completed ballots should count toward the total. Ballots that are nullified due to procedural errors and restarted would count as a single ballot. The official Vatican announcement or credibly reported accounts of the conclave would serve as the authoritative source for determining the final ballot count.

Close date is provisional.