Cum omnes tabellas in urnam miserint, praeco numerum suffragiorum clare referet.

Here cum means when.

It introduces a subordinate clause:

• Cum omnes tabellas in urnam miserint = When all the ballots have been put into the urn

This is not the preposition cum meaning with. You can tell because it is followed by a whole clause with a verb (miserint), not by a noun in the ablative.

Because after cum meaning when, Latin often uses the subjunctive when the clause is viewed as a future event or as something completed before the main future action.

So:

• miserint = perfect subjunctive
• referet = future indicative

Together they give the sense:

• when they have cast the ballots, the herald will announce the number of votes

This is a very common Latin pattern for a future time clause.

The perfect tense here does not mean past time in English. It shows that the action in the cum clause will be completed before the main action happens.

So Latin is expressing sequence:

1. the ballots are cast
2. then the herald announces the total

That is why English often translates it with have:

• when they have cast...
• not just when they cast...

Latin is being precise about the first action being finished before the second begins.

Tabellas is accusative plural.

It is the direct object of miserint:

• miserint tabellas = they will have cast / sent the ballots

The basic dictionary form is tabella. Here it appears as:

• singular accusative: tabellam
• plural accusative: tabellas

Because in with the accusative expresses motion into something.

• in urnam = into the urn

By contrast, in with the ablative usually expresses position:

• in urna = in the urn

So here the ballots are being moved into the urn, which is why Latin uses the accusative.

Praeco is the subject of referet.

It is in the nominative singular and means herald or announcer.

So:

• praeco referet = the herald will announce/report

Literally it means the number of votes.

Grammatically:

• numerum = number, accusative singular
• suffragiorum = of votes, genitive plural

So suffragiorum depends on numerum and tells you the number of what?
Answer: of votes.

This is a very common Latin pattern:

• numerus + genitive
• the number of ...

Because it depends on numerum.

Latin often uses the genitive after nouns like number, part, group, and similar ideas. So:

• numerus suffragiorum = the number of votes
• literally, the number of the votes

The genitive plural suffragiorum comes from suffragium.

Clare means clearly or in a clear voice.

It is an adverb, modifying referet:

• clare referet = he will announce clearly

The related adjective is clarus, clara, clarum = clear, bright, famous.
The adverb form is clare.

The basic verb is refero, referre, rettuli, relatum, which can have several meanings depending on context.

Its literal parts are:

• re- = back
• fero = carry

So yes, at a very basic level it can mean bring back. But in this sentence that is not the best translation. Here it means something like:

• report
• announce
• state

So:

• praeco numerum suffragiorum clare referet = the herald will clearly announce the number of votes

Because Latin word order is much freer than English word order, and verbs often come at or near the end.

This sentence follows a very normal Latin pattern:

• subordinate clause first
• then subject and object
• main verb at the end

So the order is natural Latin, even though English would usually prefer:

• When all the ballots have been cast into the urn, the herald will clearly announce the number of votes.

Latin uses endings, not word order alone, to show grammatical function.

Not exactly in a strict grammatical sense.

Here omnes agrees with tabellas:

• omnes = accusative plural feminine
• tabellas = accusative plural feminine

So grammatically it means all the ballots.

However, in natural English the idea is often expressed as:

• when everyone has cast their ballots

So the Latin wording focuses on all the ballots being cast, while English may prefer to focus on all the voters.

Yes. Tabella is a diminutive form related to tabula.

• tabula = board, tablet
• tabella = small tablet, writing tablet, ballot-tablet

In a voting context, tabellae are the tablets used for voting, so a natural translation is ballots.

So tabellas here means ballots.

Yes.

A fairly literal translation would be:

• When all the ballots have been cast into the urn, the herald will clearly report the number of votes.

A more natural English translation might be:

• Once all the ballots have been put into the urn, the herald will clearly announce the number of votes.

Or, depending on how freely you want to translate:

• When everyone has cast their ballots into the urn, the herald will clearly announce the total number of votes.