The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-20
VOTING MACHINES.
Their Use in National Elections Lee
gnIi2ed by Congress.

w. E. Curtis. in Chicago Record.
Both branches of Congress have passed a
bill to amend the law so that voting ma
chimes may be used at national elections.
The President will sign the bill. Voting ma
chimes have already been legaized in sew
eral States, ard their successful use at the
recent election in New York and elsewhere
has proved their accuracy and convenience.
About six years ago the the Legislature of
New York passed a bill permitting the use
of machines at town elections, and later 1t
was amended to apply to ali elections
Rochester was the first city to use them,
and in 1896 purchased a Sufficient number
for all it's precincts under contract which
proved that they should not be paid for
until they were demonstrated to be success
full Owing to large number of mishapS
the trial was unsatisfactory and the ma
chimes were returned to the manufacturers,
who made an assignment and closed out
their business. The same year Worcester,
Mass tried the experiment with another
apparatus, which was equally unsuccessful.
A third invention was tried at HornellsVile,
N. Y, with better results, so that the COM
plete returns were telegraphed by the As
ISOLATED Press seven minutes and half
after the polls were closed These ma
chimes, which were manufactured by the
United States Company, of jamestown, n.
y, were purchased by the city OF Hornells-
vile, and have since been used at all cleo
tons with full satisfaction. The city of
jamestown has adopted them for every pre-
ctnct, and they were used in Detroit in 1897
with equally good results.
The Abbot voting machine, manufactured
at Hudson Mich, has also been used sue
cessfully, but IS regarded as insufficient for
long tickets. At the last November election
the Standard voting maching, manufactured
at Rochester, was used in that city and in
Utica with success, but the patent is con-
tested.
A United States voting machine is now on
exhibition at hotel in this city. The ball
lots are arranged on its face, with the
names of the parties in horizontal rows and
the candidates of each in columns below
them. A voter who wishes to vote the
straight ticket pushes a large button over
the name of the party to which he belongs
If he wishes to split his ticket he presses
a button at the side of the name of each
candidate for whom he desires to vote. The
machine is about six feet high by twelve
inches wide and can be placed in booth
three or four feet square. The mechanism
will not operate until the voter enters the
booth and closes the door behind him, and
his vote will not be recorded until he leaves
the booth and closes the door If he makes
amend his vote by pulling out the button
he has pressed and pushing in another. Like
in a cash register, little disks show the
total number of voters that have entered
the booth and the number of votes that
have been cast for each candidate. There
IS an attachment which makes it impossi-
BILE for any one to vote for two candidates
for the same office. If he attempts to do so
his vote will not be registered. On the
closing of the polls the judges of election
by examining the disks can ascertain at q
the number for each candidate Unless he
takes time to think voter need not occupy
the booth more than minute. The ma
chine has been examined by large num-
her Of people since it has been exhibition
and has attracted much interest