Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27
BATTLE OF BALLOTS
Many Ways of Voting in the Va
rious States.
SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS
Methods Employed in Early Ameri-
can Elections.
PARTY AND BLANKET TICKETS
States That Have Not Yet Adopted
Australian System-Where Wo-
men Will Vote.

Copyright. 1905, by John Elfreth Watkins)
The political generals are grooming their
millions Of warriors for the great Novem-
Der battle Of the ballots. Six years ago the
census officers counted in the land over
twenty-one millions of men Of voting age,
but in the election of that year less than
two-thirds. or 100000 appeared at the
polls. Two years ago nearly q half mil
lion more failed to vote and next month
the armies Of balloters will total still less
as congressional campaign never brings
out as many voters as the previous presi-
Dental contest.
The ten or twelve million who will soon
contest at the polls for representatives and
local officers in all Of our states, will vote
by many methods and under a great vari-
ETY. Of regulations and restrictions.
The votes OF this election will be cast I'M
der the Australian ballot law. or some
modification OF 1t in all states except Geor-
the Australian system is sometimes used In
municipal primaries. but this Is left to the
discretion Of the party ordering the pri-
mary and Is not required by any law.
What the Australian ballot really IL we
shall directly see. Let US first take glance
at the various methods by which Ameri-
cans have voted until its invention and
gradual abortion. The ancient Greeks In
vented the ballot" literally a stone ball,
for voting purposes. Popular courts and
juries voted yes or mo" by dropping into
boxes balls Of stone or metal, white or I'M
pierced ones denoting acquittal, and black
or pierced ones condemnation. The Ro-
mans went further. and voted by tickets,
used in elections to Office and bearing the
candidates names. The Romans passed a
law regulating secret voting 139 years be-
mr. VQt fhn rot hal Hot ic or
guaranteed to all of our citizens even to-
day!
When We Voted by "Yea" and "Nay."
Ticket ballots were used in America be-
fore they were adopted even by England.
Indeed our English colonists were the first
people Of earth to make the paper ballot
the foundation of government.
These voting papers" which figured In
New England elections during early colonial
days, are supposed to have been first seen
by the Pilgrim fathers in Holland. But In
our southern states elections were carried
by use Of the yea and may vote-the
viva voce system-until some years after
the adoption of the Constitution. In Ken
lucky voting could be done in this way in
local elections until 1891. although for con-
gressional elections the United States
statutes compelled a vote by ballot
Our first ballots were furnished by the
candidates themselves. who had to pay for
the printing and distribution. Practically
every man at the polls could see how
every other man voted. Henchmen Of can
didates hung about the polling places and
pressed their little tickets upon new ar
rivals.
The party ballot" was the next advance,
each political organizati ton footing the bills
for printing and distributing the tickets
bearing the names Of its nominees, whose
lieutenants. bundles Of these ballots in
hand. approached the voters and solicited
their patronage. This party ballot" did
much to build up the great political parties,
but was q prolific source of corruption.
The Australian Ballot.
Next came the now famous Australian
system" Just fifty years ago experiments
with a new method Of voting commenced in
southern Australia. It's chief features were
a Estate ticket" printed at the expense Of
the government and given to the voters by
a special official; also Individual booths or
inclosed stalls guaranteeing privacy to the
voter. Agitation for the adoption Of this
reform did not commence with vigOr in this
country until thirty years after its intro
duction In Australia. We commenced to
hear the clamor for it in some states on the
eve of the first Harrison Cleveland cam
paign. Gradually the more progressive
states commenced to adopt the system and
good effects were felt from the first where
ever it was introduced.
The blanket ballot is q feature Of the
true Australian system. The names OF all
candidates are printed upon this single
ticket in the alphabetical order of the offices
being competed for, and without regard to
party. The voter OF such ticket must
make a mark opposite the name of each
candidate selected, and he Is thus forced
to consider the various nominees Individual
v Wit
The first states to adopt the Australian
system were Massachusetts, and Kentucky
the latter introducing 1t in Louisville only
This was In 1855. and by now every state
in line with either the Australian system
proper or a modification of some sort.
Most OF the states use the state ticket, but
q number have evaded the true blanket
ballot. As q concession to the tlliterate
voter the parties here are given separate
columns headed by their emblems-an
eagle. q star or some such device which
the voter who cannot read is taught to
recognize. A mark in circle under the
party emblem constitutes q straight
party vote.
This form of ballot Is. Of course, favored
by the party organizations because 1t dis
courages scratching or Independent vot-
ing. In New York and New Jersey the
state furnishes each party with a separate
ticket The voter selects his ticket and in
closes 1t in an official envelope to be drop
ped in the ballot box, the unused tickets
being left In the booth. This system has
been condemned by ballot reformers as re-
ticket except that the party does not pay
for the printing and distribution. The
ticket can be split. however, by use Of
pastors bearing the names of candidates
selected from other parties.
Devices to Defraud
The true Australian ballot guarantees
ooxyf To note xnrh1 daSir and