The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-16
THE MYERS VOTING MACHINE.

S11S NJ Ems tOIlNN rI-tSliSEIs
The Herald has several times made
mention of the system Of voting made
possible by a machine the invention of
Jacob H Myers, of Rochester, where
it was tried successfully at the recent
election The value of the machine
was then demonstrated and we refer
to the matter now because the Consti-
tuition of the State of Utah permits
the use of such contrivances for the
purpose of receiving and registering
the votes cast at any election"
The inventor of the voting machine
used in Rochester, Jacob Hiram Myers,
was born in Bellfonte, Pa, in 1S41.
He studied but never practiced law.
He served as a volunteer during the
war, after which he superintended the
manufacturing of grain binders. Later
he gave his attention to preparing
specifications for special bank vaults
and safes. This led to the idea Of in
venting a ballot machine that would
protect the elector. He gave an ex-
hibition in 1887 and since then the
business he established there has
rapidly been growing. Now inventor
Myers says he can not fill all of his
orders. The wealthiest capitalists of
Rochester are interested in the great
ballot machine factory that has been
established at East Rochester
The Chicago Tribune publishes the
following description of the instru-
ment which will be of interest to our
prospective legislators and to THE gen.
eral public:
/ 1t is seven feet high, five feet long
/ and five feet wide. The voter on en-
tering the cabinet or compartment is
having white walls and which is
brightly lighted. He finds against the
steel partition a number of vertical
columns or ballot push knobs pro-
jecting 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 are securely
fastened the permanent ballots of each
political party mo loose ballots being
used or deposited) These permanent
ballots contain in large print the name
of the candidate and the name of the
Office to which he is intended to be
elected. The ballots for the same
| party adjoin each other, and commence
! ing from the top are arranged down.
ward in the order of the Importance Of
the office to be filed. This arrange
| ment 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, Democratic Ticket RE
publican Ticket, Labor Ticket" etc.
The voter pushes the knob inward
about two inches, when an unseen re-
tanning latch locks it, prevents re-
I peating and at the same time locks all
other push knobs on the same cross
line, which prevents voting for any
other candidate for that particular Of
flee. The same result follows after
voting for any one candidate on any
one cross line, no matter what column.
A voter can vote rapidly a straight
ticket by 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 longer.
! On the reverse side of the steel par
/ tition which is kept sealed till the polls
are closed, and opposite each camdi-
| dates name, is a mechanical counter
| labeled with the same name, to
! identify it after the polls close. No
knob can be voted second time, and
I it is only returned 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 on the
! inside, and to open it the retiring
voter must pass into a vestibule, al
! lowing the inner self-locking door to
close, which locks him out of the vot-
! ing apartment When the exit door is
opened the knobs are released, ready
/ for another voter.
Blind voters act by touch and
| illiterale voters by color. 1t is re-
/ ported that blind man voted mixed
ticket, without any assistance, in
eighteen seconds by the watch. There
is no need for ballot clerks, fewer poll
! clerks are required, and big printing
! bills for tickets are saved. The cost
/ of the machines is about $500 each
| which would make them expensive for
/ general use but they ensure an honest
count. When the polls are closed the
/ inspectors simply have to unseal and
unlock the back door of the booth and
the vote is displayed to view. Opposite
each candidates name is his total
vote. The inspectors have only to jot
down the figures, make the proper SUBJ
/ fractions, and the result obtained is
/ the majority or plurality as the case
may be, Of the leading candidate.
/ Fifteen minutes after the polls close
| the returns of the entire number of
election districts of a city can be in
! the offices of the newspapers, and the
I Suspeinse and disputes of present times
/ and methods will be abolished 1t is
question of cost only for the superb
ority of the system is beyond debate
/ JUST IN FUN,
Colonel Bradley seems to have been