Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29
CASTING THE VOTES
Regulations That Govern in
the Several States.
FOR BALLOT REFORM
THE VOTING MACHINE rs NOW IN
GENERAL USE.
What Has Been Accomplished by the
Australian System-0ur
Early Elections.

Written for The Evening Star.
The fifteen millions who will cast their
ballots on November will vote in all sorts
of ways and under a great variety of regu-
lations.
The Constitution requires that "all cleo
tons shall be by ballot" but if this were
interpreted literally all who have the right
to vote would go to the polls and drop into
specified receptacles little balls, such as
used In our club elections
The earliest users of the ballot for voting
purposes were the Greeks, who, at their
elections, dropped, into an urn or box,
pals bearing appropriate marks. Some
.,nes they utilized stones and shells for
the same purpose, but even these crude
methods were more progressive than those
stun obtaining in some of our own states.
Ihey assured a secret vote, which ballot re-
formers In this country have been fighting
Tor these many years past And speaking
OF these voting shells ("ostrakon') of the
greeks. possibly you may not know that
they gave US our word "ostracism.' When
cltlzen became obnoxious to the Greeks
tney look secret vote as to whether he
should be driven into exile or not, by cast
ing their shell-ballots.
First Ticket Ballots Roman,
Voting by ticket was an invention of the
d
IN the law the tickets were marked ~
t. the initial letters of the Latin words
expressing consent to the new proposition
or a." expressing adherence to the old
law. In elections to public office these
ancient Roman tickets bore the candida tes'
names. Inc Romans passed law reguiat-
ing secret voting as early as 139 B. c.. but
olles voted by ballot
throughout the middle ages these forms
OF voting obtained, especially the colored
pa plds. sometimes the division of these was
ny poXes, with mouths together, and so
hooded that no bystander couid see in
Which the ball was dropped Another
method was to drop into the same hoy a
"nite or black ball, according to the vote.
Iicket DalIotS were used in America he
lore they We're adopted even by England
These were the papers" which figured in
New england elections during the early
eoloniaI days and which the pilgrim fathers
are supposed to have seen first in Holland
Our First Elections.
Printed ballots gradually came into
vogue as our civilization progressed and
are now general in almost all constitutions
countries But in most of the states of
our oHioh' curing more than quarter CEN
Jury following the establishment of the
government, the state legislatures IAN
pointed the presidential electors and the
people voted only directly for them tbair
cholce being expressed by their yotes for
5ne members OF the legislatures South
Earolna adhered to this practice even until
the beginning of the civil war Previous to
!oo4 each elector voted for two candida tes
ioI Tiesiueht The one who received the
largest number of votes was declared
r P,'. the next largest Vice President
put IN that year, the Constitution having
Deen amended, each elector voted for p
resident and Vice President. Not until
is2! old II become general for voters to cast
oneir paliots directly for presidential elect
ors: hence no reference books show the
popular vote prior to that year, when ssOhi
HICKORY was the successful candidate.
months elapsed before the public knew
whereas on the Sth of next month An cleo
tric throD Will probably enlighten the
whole land on this point before midnight
Candidates Supplied Tickets.
Our first ballots were furnished by the
candidates themselves, who had to nav for
the printing and distribution Practically
every man at the polls could see how every
other man had voted. Henchmen of can
oioates hung about the polling places and
pressed their little tickets upon arriving
voters.
Inc party ballot" was the next stem
The cost of printing and distributing the
tickets was footed by the political organ
IIations' and their agents now approached
rms form of ballot did much to build m
the great political parties but was a pro-
INC source of corruption
But IL so happened that in 1856 expert
thehls IN voting had been made in southern
Australia, although wind of the innoya tion
did not reach our shores for some years
aiterward Out of this experiment grew
me famous australian ballot system" It
empodled state ticket printed at the
expense of the government and given tn the
voter by special official. Privacy to those
VINO cast these ballots was secured by
voting booths or incosed stalls
Agitations for ballot reform" was NOT
commenced with vfgor in this country until
1884, 1t was a reaction against the cor
ruption, bribery and intimida ton which had
long obtained at the polls 1t resulted in
the gradual adoption by MANY states of The
Australian ballot system. Good effects were
immediate wherever the method was adont
ed. There was better order and decency a
the polling places, diminution of fraud and
intimidation.
Blanket Ballot.
The blanket ballot came into voppa with
the Australian system. All candidates,
names are, under this method printed on
the same ticket, sometimes in alphabetical
order, irrespective of party. In some states
there are party columns headed each by
the emblem of the party-usuaIly the eagle
OF the republicans, the star of the demo-
Gratis, etc. The illiterate voter places his
mark at the head of his party column. as
indicated by the emblem, and it is TINS
necessary for him to vote a '.straie hi
ticket. The blanket ballot is favored nv
the party organizations because it encour-
ages this straight party voting-ie.. for
the entire ticket-and discourages Scratch
ing. or independent voting. But in New
Jersey each voter has found In the booth
stacks of tickets, each representing a diff
ferent party. He selects his ticket. seals If
In blank envelope and places it in the
ballot box after leaving the booth.
The Australian ballot system was in use
in thirty-six states during the first McKin-
ley-Bryan election. In the coming contest
1t will be used by all states and territories
except the two Carolinas, Oregon Okla
homa, New Mexico and parts of Georgia
England saw its value as early as 1870
when 1t was adopted for school board cleo
tons. and introduced it for elections 10
parliament two years later.
Voting Machines.
The advent OF the voting machine how
ever, marks recent step in progress even
beyond the simple Australian system of
which 1t is the outgrowth. and all of whose
virtues it retains. adding valuable innova-
tons.
That we should vote by machinery Is not