Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-06-12

little pointers freely movable and a.
! his service to arrange any way ht
chooses.
He can replace as many of the
pointers representing candidates or
his ticket as he chooses, thus taking
his vote away from them, and he can
turn downward the pointers for can.
didates to corresponding offices on the
other tickets. If he has made a mis-.
take and pressed the wrong party
knob at the start, he can adjust Ill.
machine so as to vote straight for an
entirely different ticket if he chooses,
All this moving of the pointers has
no effect whatever on the registering
and counting apparatus. The voter
can take plenty Of time and make
sure that his ticket is fixed up the
way he wants it. When all is ready
he reverses the lever at the top OF the
machine, and steps out OF the booth
with his ballots counted before he
leaves. The machine also provides for
the wishes OF the voter who wants to
vote for some man who is not a regu-
lar candidate on any one oflhc tickets.
Indeed, if it did not do this it would
not be permitted by law, as the right
to vote for whom he pleases. regardless
OF party tickets, is guaranteed each
man by the constitution. At the top
OF the machine is a series of little
slides, one for each Office to be filled.
To vote for men whose names are not
on the ticket these slides may be
opened and the name written on a
slip OF paper underneath. When he
pulls the curtain lever the paper
moves forward so that no succeeding
voter can see what name was written
on it.
Another provision OF this machine
is for eyes" and mo" votes for ques.
tions OF bond issue, public policy, or
anything else that is submitted to bal
lot.
The voting can be done with great
rapidity. 1t takes only second to
unlock the keyboard and no longer to
lock it again, and second is ample
for pressing knob if q straight party
ticket is voted. Fifteen seconds for
each voter is considered ample for
straight votes. For splits little
longer is required, but inside OF min.
ute the ordinary man can fix his en-
tire ballot. The Rochester returns for
the last municipal election indicated
TO what extent the splitting privilege
was exercised, as the pIuralities ranged
from 70 up to more than 1000 for the
successful candidates.
The saving effected by the machine
is also very great. There are none OF
the heavy printing bills to be met, and
the clerical work of the election is
greatly reduced. 1t is estimated that
in three years voting machines will
save enough money to the city to pay
for their initial cost.
The voting is absolutely safe, as the
voting can never be tampered with.
The identity OF each vote is lost in
the totals. which are all the machine
keeps. There is nothing to tamper
with and no chance for error. The
cog.wheels move with relentless ac-
curacy and give certain results.
Judging from the success with which
the machines have met wherever they
have been used it would seem that the
day is coming when the American cit
izen throughout the land will register
his vote by machine. At the present
time about 500 machines are in use in
the country. Most of them are in
New York State, although they are
being tried in Indiana, Wisconsin and
Connecticut.
Laws similar to the New York en-
enactment allowing the use OF voting
machines have been passed in the
States OF Maine, Massachutts, Ohio
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa,
Nebraska, Connecticut, Indiana and
Kansas.
At this years gubernatorial election
in New York State five ballot ma
chimes were used as an experiment in
Greater New York, one being in May
or Lows election precinct and another
in Lieutenant Governor Woodruff
district. They seem to have given
complete satisfaction.