Sometimes they scratched the ticket, crossing off the party's choice and writing in another name. Voters did not always have the privilege of a secret ballot, and coercion and bribery were common. To correct these evils, Kentucky and Massachusetts adopted the Australian ballot system in 1888. In this system, each voter receives a printed ballot at the polling place, and then marks it in secret in a curtained booth. The voting machine uses a form of Australian ballot.
Some states use the party column ballot in general elections.
On this ballot, candidates are listed according to party. Other states use the office-block ballot. This ballot lists candidates according to the office they seek, making it easier for voters to vote for candidates from different parties. A ballot on which votes have been cast for candidates of different parties is called a split ticket. Because candidates whose names are first on a ballot often receive the most votes, many states have the names rotated as the ballots are printed.