The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-22

7
/ and He Cannot Vote Again-On til
Other Side are Counters Which Give tn
Exact Number of Votes Each Candidat
Has Receivable is Quick and Accurat
Work.
Rochester, y. Y, Oct. 21.-For tn
first time in the history OF this city, and
; in fact, of the history of any large cit!
of the United States, Rochester will u.s.
no printed ballots at the coming fal
election, Nov. ). The Flower City o.
the Genesee has led lis American sisters
in the batter of ballot reform and ha,
adopted for its municipal, state anc
national elections the Myers American
ballot machine, invented and manufac-
tured by Jacob Hiram Myers, a resi-
dent of this city.
The ballot machine question has been
before the people Of Rochester for sew
eral years and il is doubtful if the new
| method would have been adopted this
fall had it not been for the fact that
| the state legislature al its last session
| substituted for the Australian ballot
| system the Raines ballot. The COM
| mon council Of Rochester believed that
| ipsted of learning 10 use the Raines bal
| lot, by which a method of checking off
| the names Of candidates to be voted lie
| used, Rochester would prefer to buy out
| right a lot Of the Meyers machines and
use them this fall and at elections in the
| future.
| The Myers machine is a push but
| ton" affair, and thousands of tiny
| springs concealed in the back of the
machine do the rest" so that when the
| polls are closed the inspectors simply
have TO unseal and unlock the back
door OF the booth, and the vote is dis
| played 10 view. Opposite each can
| didate's name is his total vote. The
/ inspectors have only to jot down the
! figures, make the proper subtractions
and the result is the majority or plu-
lality, as the case may be, OF the lead
ing candidate. Fifteen minutes after
the polls close the returns of the entire
ninty-three election districts of the city
will be in the offices of the newspapers,
and the news of the election will then
be Mashed over the country, hardly be-
fore the election inspectors of other
cities have begun to make their counts.
Here is a brief description of the
Myers machine: 1t is seven feet high,
hve feet long and five feet wide. The
voter on entering the cabinet or COM
partment is alone in an obscure, con-
cealed room having white walls and
WHICH Is 'DIISHliy llSNleO. he mas
against the Stel partition a number of
vertical columns or ballot push knobs
projecting three inches from the parti-
ton and painted the same color as the
ballot cards beside them. To the left
OF each column Of knobs is securely
fastened the permanent ballots of each
political party( no loose ballots being
used or deposited. These permanent
ballots contain in large print the names
n nh ha Of
the office to which he is intended to be
eleted. The ballots for the same party
join each other, and commencing from
the top are arrange downward in the
order of the Importance of the office to
be filled. This arrangement brings all
the candidates for the same office on the
same horizontal or cross line, making
choice easy. Each particular party
has at its head the party name, Dem
ocratic Ticket" Republican Ticket"
Labor Ticket" etc. The voter pushes
the knob inward about two inches, and
an unseen retaining latch locks it, pre-
vents repeating, and at the same time
locks all other push knobs" on the
same cross line, which prevents voting
for any other candidate for that par
ticular office. The same result follows !
after voting for any candidate on any |
cross line, no matter what column. A |
voter can vote rapidly a straight ticket |
10y pushing the knobs of his choice from /
top TO bottom, or he can split his ticket /
by going to other columns. Any ticket !
can be voted in ten or fifteen seconds.
and there is no reason why the average |
elector should stay inside the booth any /
longer
On the reverse side of the steel par
tition, which is kept sealed until the
polls are closed. and opposite each can
oldate,s name. is mechanical counter
labeled with the same name. to identi-
fy 1t after the polls close. No knob can
be voted a second time. and il is only re-
turned or released, ready for the next
voter, by the elector who is in the booth
opening the exit door. This door can
only be opened from the inside. and to
open il the retiring voter must pass
into vestibule. allowing the inner self
locking door TO close. which locks him
out of the voting apartment. When
the exit door is opened the knobs are re-
leased. ready for another voter.
The illiterate vote by color and the
blind by the sense Of touch. A blind
man in Lewiston. y. Y. recently voted
mixed ticket unassisted in eighteen
seconds.
When the polls close the full election
board, in the presence of watchers. IN
seal. unlock and open the sliding steel
door of the counter compartment. and
without touching any of the mechanism
(which IL Is impossible 10 do) they trans
cr1oe the totals TO the tally sheet from
the plain figures on the dials over each
name.
The machines were adopted at this
time by the common council of Roches-
ter principally to avoid the trouble of
earning the new Raines voting system.
balloting by machinery would /
anyway have been a certain thing in /
MS city very soon. had the old cir
continued 10 prevail Other |
'easons why the city feels that il is be-
lentted by the change is that the num-
Ger or election districts will be reduced
rom ninety-three TO sixty-one. no bal :
OF clerks will be needed. and fewer poll
Jerks. and there will be no large print
ng bills 10 foot after each election. The ,
manufacturers have guaranteed their .
nachlnes for ten years. The cost TO
ne city for each machine was about
500
The use of the ballot machine for yot-
ng has been permitted also by the leg
stature OF Michigan and Connecticut.
lnd other states have amended their
constitution TO allow voting by this
lew method Inventor Myers has 200
nen working day and night getting out {
ne machines for use here Nov. 3. The {
ompany VIII loan the city thirty-two :
nachines. as when the council adopted !
he system IL was too late 70 change the
boundaries OF the election districts. and :
he inspectors had already been aD-
'ointed.
Jacob Hiram Myers was born in Belle
onte. Pa. in 1stI. He studded but :
ever practiced the law. He served as a 7
olunteer during the war. after which :
2 superintendent the manufacture OF c
rain binders Later he gave his attea
ION 20 preparing specifications for {
pscia bank vaults and safes. This /
ID 70 The idea of inventsnC a balIotinr
Machine that would protect the elector. ! T
ie gave an exhibition in 1857 and since =
The hrrSfrasaS- -, L.. :