The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-04
Salt Lakers Have Not Had Suf-
ficient instruction in Using
Voting Machines.
QUICK RETURNS EXPECTED
POLITICIANS LOOK FOR HEAVY
VOTE TO BE POLLED.

over the anticipated result OF the use
of tie voting machines which have been
purchased and installed in the voting
districts of the city.
it is generally predicted by those ac-
qpainted with the use of the ballot ma
chimes that the election Tuesday will
see one of the heaviest straight ticket
elections Salt Lake has ever known.
Politicians look for it; business men
expect it, and the representatives Of the
voting machine company declare that
undoubtedly the use of the machines
for the first time will cause a larger
number of straight ticket votes to be
cast than would be the case were the
old paper ballots used.
Each district manager has figured
out what appears to be foregone con-
clusion to his party's advantage. What
difference the straight ticket" tenden-
cy Of the machine cast ballots may
make ir the result of individual dis
trict elections and the general election
only the official count Tuesday night
will show.
Where voting machines have been
installed in other cities and the result
Of the initial use of the devices re-
corded, there has been evidenced VeTv
strongly an increase in the number of
straight ticket ballots cast.
Workingmen Best Voters.
If an unusual number OF straight
tickets are voted in Salt Lake Tues
day, as there undoubtedly will be, they
will be cast by the more intelligent
class of voters, declare the local repre-
sentatives of the United States STAN
dard Voting Machine company, who are
experimenting the installation of the
fifty-one machines to go up in Salt
Lake City and county.
This is explained by the voting ma
chine men in this way. The average
business man reads about the ballot
machine. and Immediately forms an
opinion as to how il ought to look and
work when he sees it. He goes down.
town and Immediately finds that he
knows very little about the contrivance
and. when shown, generally suggests
several improvements.
WOrkingmen read very little about
the ballot machines, and hence form
no opinion as to their working. On cleo
ton day they appear at the booths
ready for instruction in the use of the
new ballots and, once told. vote them
without difficulty or question.
Curious Questions Provoked.
If anything has been invented that
will cause more questions in less time
than the standard voting machine, it
has yet to reach Salt Lake. For the
past two weeks about fifteen machines
have been on public exhibition in as
many districts of Salt Lake for the pee-
lininary instruction of voters in their
use. That they have been pretty thor
oughly investigated by the voting pub
lie wherever set up can be little better
illustrated than by the record made on
the machine that for the past three
weeks has occupied space in the bust
ness office of The Herald. Approximate
ly 11,006 votes have been cast on this
machine during the three weeks.
Why do you have to shut the cur
tain?
What's that little screw there for?
Can women vote on this machine.
too?
WhatH 1t do if you pull down that /?
AND these are but few of the more
rimple questions that have been poured
forth in a seemingly never ending
stream from the lines of men and wo-
men that have thronged The Herald
office for twenty-odd days. Every con-
ceivable question has been asked and
repeated. Not content with under
standing the simple manner of voting
on the machines, Salt Lakers have seem
possessed with the idea of knowing
just how the United States Standard
Voting Machine company puts UP their
product.
Big, good-natured crowds thew xvera
displaying child-like curiosity about
the intricacies Of fellow-man's inyen-
ton, and every one intent on fully nm
Outstanding just what he or she must
do next Tuesday. In spite of the laueh-
ter and jests that little unusual fea-
lures of the curtained booths called
forth.
Not Enough Instruction.
Notwithstanding the fifteen machines
that nave been used to give Salt Lake
voters preliminary instruction I'm +be;r
Use, representatives of the voting mo
chine and the leaders of all three polit-
zeal parties in Salt Lake admit that the
city as whole has had a very mad
equate instruction with the new stvIe
ballots.
Three weeks with q machine in every
district of the city and in the more con-
gested districts two and three machines
is considered the least possible neriod
of instruction city of Salt Lakes size
should have to place the voting ma
chimes on an equal basis with the old
paper ballot system as to the ultimate
number of valid votes that will be cast
and split tickets.
In several other American cities
where the United States Standard ma
chine has been installed before election
time more split tickets have been voted
than were ever voted by the paper bal
lot system.
In all of these cases, however. ma
chimes were used either for registerins
or for primary elections or were giveI
a three weeks trial in all voting dis
tricts of the city in question.
Voting machines were used in Mil
waukee for the first time in 1904. I,
the 112 voting districts of that city Co.
600 votes were cast, and of this tota
number but ninety spoiled ballots wer,
found. More split votes were cast OF
the machines at this election than a
the two previous city elections in 100
and 1900 combined. Here, however TIT
machines were set UP a week befor'
election time and used for registration
purposes. so that practically every vo
ter in the city actually cast vote il
regular election style before he wa
called upon to cast vote that counted
Split Tickets in Buffalo.
In the city and county election a
Buffalo, N. Y, in November, 1895, wher