The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-13


press Of the city. The machines are
guaranteed for several years. Skilled
mechanics would be in attendance at
their first trial in order to avoid any pos
sfbility of mistakes, for which there
seems to be no apparent reason, as alb
solutely none occurred at Rochester,
1T has always been the endeavor of
advocates of ballot reform to secure the
most simple means of obtaining the
voters preference. The Standard voting
| machine is very simple; in fact, the front
is an exact counterpart of the old Aus
| tralian ballot. and the only difference in
voting would be that the voter would
| pull a lever instead of marking with
pencil; 1t is especially adapted for work
| ingmen or men who are not accustomed
| to the use of pencils. In order to split
| the ticket, when the Australian ballot is
used, q voter must make cross opposite
| the name Of each and every candidate for
| whom he desires to vote, whereas with
| the machine he pulls the lever over his
| party emblem and he can then split by
| turning back any Of the pointers on that
| ticket and vote for any candidate he may
| choose on other tickets without posi-
bility of defacing his ballot.
NO MISTAKES POSSIBLE. IS
"This year we had two group
| tickets, viz, board of counoilmen and
| board of assessors. and the liability of
| voters to make mistakes is great with
| the Australian ballot system by mark ne
more names than 1t is legal to vote for.
| With the voting machine it is impossible
| to make an error Of this kind as the ma
| chimes are locked automatically. against
the voter exceeding the number of can
| didates he is legally entitled to choose
| In this county last year there We're 1.2i7
| ballots thrown out on account of being
imperfectly marked, which, If the ma
chimes had been in use, could not have
| occurred
| The experience Of the past has DEM
onstrated that the Australian system Of
| voting inevitably invites mistakes in
| marking by the non-fntelligent voter and
| allows inspectors Of election too wide q
discretion in the rejecting Of ballots as
| void 'mismarked or marked for iden-
| tiflcation.' This appears to us to be a
| reason sufficient in Itself to condemn the
| so-called Australian paper ballot syst m.
From information received from other
| cities the returns of elections conducted
| under the machine system have been in
| all cases fully reported, at the latest,
within an hour after the closing of the
polls, in marked contrast with actual
| experiences in this city, where returns
| have been delayed twenty-four and thir-
ty-six hours after such closing, and then
| only made under compulsion or as a re-
| suit of police persuasion.
! The committee is convinced, as a
result Of its investigation. that the vot-
| ing machine will best serve the intention
| OF the law by securing the voter fair
| and quick count and no favor and MAX
ing fraud and dishonesty on the part
| of the electors or inspectors next to i'm
| possible"
HOW IT IS DONE.
The voting machine is about four feet
! square and ten inches deep and is sup
| ported on legs, so that the top of the
/ ballot board IS little more than six feet
| from the floor. A semictrcular bar pro-
| jects from the upper corners OH which
is hung curtain which forms a booth
i An operating lever extends from the
center OF the top of the machine, tie
outer end of which Is attached to the cur
tain When the elector advances to vote
| he throws the lever by a dependent ham
die to the opposite side of the machine,
! thus carrying the curtain behind him and
inclosing himself in BOOTH
| Placed upon the front of the machine
In full view Of the public before it is In
closed by the curtain, is a complete Aus
trallan ballot, 2OX44 inches At the head
OF each ticket, over the party emblem, is
! straight ticket knob, and In front of
each name, where the marking space
would be, IS pointer or indicator which
| may be moved over the name to Indicate
| the counter, but does not register the
vote until the lever is moved to open the
| curtain. The entire number of votes ca st
! is registered when this curtain is thrown
back and the voter emerges from the
booth. The voter throws back the chr
tain by turning the lever from the right
to the left side Of the machine before he
leaves the booth.
IN PERFECT SECRECY.
The voter first selects his party ticket.
and by pulling the straight ticket knob
at the top of the party emblem down to
| the right moves all the indicators for
| that ticket. If he desires to split his ticket
he can move the indicator back from over
the name that does not suit him, and in
| the same office line move the Indicator
over the name he wishes to vote for.
| Having arranged his vote satisfactorily.
he is now ready to register it, which he
does by throwing the curtain open by
means of the operating lever with which
he closed it, thus casting and Counting
his vote in perfect secrecy.
After the polls are closed and the ma
chine locked against voting the doors in
the rear are unlocked and the vote of
each candidate is shown on the counter
wheels, ready to beecopied for the election
returns.
The machine is constructed of steel and
! noncorrosive metals, and where steel Is,
used 1t is protected from rust by plat
ing with copper and nickel It weighs
about 47o pounds and when boxed for
storage or shipment occupies a space
about four feet square and sixteen
inches deep.