Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-07-05
WITHOUT BALLOTS.


forced to cut half his acquaintance.
WITHOUT BALLOTS.
A Machine Used In Voting at the
New York Election.
The feature of the election in Mount
Vernon, N. ", last Tuesday, was the
employment of the Myers ballot ma
chine, which does away with the use
of ballots, substituting therefor me-
chanical device which strongly sug-
gests to the voter. You press the
button and the machine does the
rest"
Mount Vernon's registration of vo-
tiers amounts in all to about $500.
The largest number OF voters who have
actually cast ballots in any one elec.
tion is 3,lOO. The city is divided into
five wards, and there are ten polling
places.
Interest in the operation OF the new
method of voting was widespread. AS
voters approached the polls they en-
countered signs which briefly ex-
planned the operation of voting by the
new process. Having given their
names to the clerks and had them
properly checked in the lists, each
voter in turn entered the booth, the
others waiting until he had finished
before going in. The machine con-
sisted OF a large sheet-iron cabinet
about eight feet deep, six feet wide,
and seven feet high. The back aud
sides were closed, and the front con.
tanned two doors, one for entrance and
the other for exit. Entering by the
right-hand door, the voter found him
self in an l. shaped room.
To his left as he entered were a
number of plugs, each about three
inches long and each standing by the
name of candidate, the list being ar
ranged according to parties. The
keyboard. if so it may be called, con-
tanned large number OF plugs, so as
to provide for balloting where the
candidates are numerous. All the
plugs not needed were curtained of
so that the voter should not become
confused by their presence.
The party lines were still further
distinguished by colors, the Republi-
cans having perpendicular row of red
cards. the Democrats yellow, and the
prohibitionists blue. The voter was
instructed to vote his "splits" first
and then press the buttons for the re-
naming candidates of his party. A
small opening in the entrance door
was so arranged that the clerk on
duty there could instruct any voters
who were unable to press the buttons
as they wished, but the screen pre-
vented the clerk from seeing the ope-
rations of the voter. In the corner q
lamp gave ample light by which to
distinguish one candidates button
from that of another. Having pushed
the requisite number Of buttons, the
operation being plainly audible out.
side, the voter left the booth through
an inside door, passing them through
the exit door, and thus finishing the
operation Of balloting. The catch OF
the inside door operated that of the
exit door, and also moved an indica-
tor on the outside which showed the
total number of voters who had cast
their ballots.
The simplicity and quickness of the
voting by machine were remarkable.
1t was made evident from seeing the
machine in actual operation that it
will record votes at least five times as
fast as they can be cast by printed
ballots. Numerous voters were timed
and, although many of them were by
no means intelligent men, yet there
we're few who remained in the ma
chine more than 90 seconds, and
many who came out in less than 10
seconds. The chief delay in the ope-
ration OF voting was necessitated by
the veriication of names by the clerk.
At one polling-place "a votes were
cast in Is minutes, and the machine
was always empty before the clerks
had finished with the next man, SO
that his only delay occurred while in
their hands.