The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-12-31


selves to be both. practical and useful.
The results obtained of returns within
thirty minutes Of the closing of the polls
and the secrecy and purity Of the ballot
at the same time insured, will create
such demand that ere long voting ma
chimes will be regarded as necessary in
all elections.
Many inventors have been at work upon
these machines and it is an interesting
fact that Edisom's first patent was taken
out on One-a machine for recording the
yes and no vote Of legislative bodies. This
device kept permanent record of how
each man voted, as we'll as Of the aggre-
gate votes pro and con, and with it a
vote in the house of representatives could
be recorded i'm a few seconds, which under
the usual method would take half hour
or more. Much to his surprise, however,
this invention proved complete failure,
simply because it saved too much time
The demand for roll-call vote is prom
tnent feature of the dilatory tactics of the
minority, and one quite too useful to be
readily given up. -e.5,s4-- 49,. ...E.. e.
The step from this to the machine that
provides for an Australian ballot is a
long ONE and many inventors have con-
tributed their skill in solving the prob
lens involved. Progress has been facili-
tated and the work simplified by the adop-
ton of the Australian ballot with all the
tickets and all the names of candidates
printed thereon. This was supposed to be
aevlctory for honest elections but the de-
vice has proven cumbersome and. in many
cases, instead Of checking bribery and
fraud, It has only facilitated it. One ex-
ample of this will suffice. The first ward
heeler to enter the booth can put the
ballot given him in his pocket and SUBJ
stitute therefor q plain paper of the
same size and color and deposit it in the
box. or course he loses his VOTE but
the authentic ballot which he brings out
can be fixed up and given to
"A Bribed Voter,
who takes it in and votes it and brings
out the one given him in the booth. This
there is an endless chain with the party
boss on the outs; making sure, by the
return OF the fresh ballot, Of the voting of
the prepared ballot, in which case the
voter is paid. If the ballots are mum
4befed to prevent this, ~tlie= coercion may be
effected through the judges WHO in, some
way will be able to identify the ballot
cast as being that of a certain voter. The
voter is paid if the vote is according to
orders. Thus the Australian ballot has
not checked bribery, but rather, made it
holder, since every purchased vote may
carry with it, an absolute guarantee and
TIE briber need not rely wholly upoa the
word of his victim. =
Another objection to the Australian ball
lot is that the ignorant voter frequently
utilities his own vote. The returns often
fall from 5 to Is per cent short of the vote
shown by the poll books, due to the bal
lots having: been improperly marked. The
writer knows Of one prominent Indiana
author who spoiled two ballots in trying
TO vote in 1888, either one of which would
have been thrown out, had it been cast.
In some cases it would practically dis
franchise whole sections of a community.
The manipulation of the Australian bal
lot by the election judges is also an evil
hard to guard against. One of the promi-
nent inventors of. voting machines showed
to the satisfaction Of the commissioners
of election in Massachusetts, that 4 Judge
SO inclined could fix a piece of lead to his
thumb and with it invalidate half of the
ballots cast. A mischievous judge could
thus disfranchise half of the voters in his
precinct and run but little chance Of de-
lection. A voting machine, to be success
full, must remove these objections and all
other possible objections at single
stroke. It must insure secresy.
Prevent Fraud and Intimidation,
work rapidly and accurately, and prevent
an ignorant voter from cancelling his own
vote or an over-intelligent one from re,
peating it. The machine is inclosed in a
booth, the entrance door to which oper.
ates to unlock the machine for the voter
on his entrance. He casts his vote and,
as he passes out, the exit door causes his
vote to be registered and the machine
to be locked until the next voter enters
In the booth the voter finds a keyboard
arranged precisely like an Australian bal
lot with a key for each candidates name
and key for each party. BY moving
one Of the latter keys the straight ticket
is voted and the machine is so inter
locked that not another key, either o1
straight ticket or of an individual candi
date, can be moved. In this way the
voter Is kept from either Multiplying OF
multiplying his vote. If he prefers he car
vote for candidates individually, and the
first key that he moves locks all the
straight ticket keys, as is necessary tc
keep voter from voting for a Republican
candidate for governor, for example, anG
then multiplying it by voting q straight
Democratic ticket, governor and ALL In
every case the key moves its counter
which sums up the vote cast for it's can
didate.
II but one man can be elected to ar
Office, the machine must permit the voter
to vote for any one of the candidates
nominated for that Office and prevent his
voting for a second one. II none Of the
candidates suit him, he must be permitted
to vote one of his own choice and be ex
cluded from voting for the regular nom
ineea. II two or more are to be elected
to the same office, the machine mus,
permit him to make his selection of the
number which the law allows to him
from any Of the candidates for that Office
and stop him when he has reached the
legal Emit This problem becomes some.
what complicated In handling the cleo
toral ticket of a state like New York
In which the voter must be permitted tc
vote for the thirty-eight electors allowed
to that state by law and make his selec
ton from any or all of the tickets. sc
long as he keeps within the prescribed
number. The machine must
= Count the Votes ms He Casts Them
and stop him when he has reached the
limit It must also prevent his voting for
the same man twice and must allow him
to cast part or all Of his votes for cleo
tors who have not been nominated II
happens in some localities, as in EIichi-
gan, that women are allowed to vote on
certain questions and for the candidates
Tor certain offices and, WheTl admitted to
the booth for tie purpose of casting their
ballot, that part of the machine which
they are not entitled to vote must be
llCcked against them. This can be done
by the judges of the election from the out
side Of the booth.
The law of Massachusetts forbids pro-
vision for voting straight tickets as such.
The names OF all the candidates for one
Office must be grouped together in a col