Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-29
'LANS TO FLASH
ELECTION RESULT
TO THE COUNTRY

For the special work in hand, TWEEN
y-hve extra wires are strung into
he Associated Press Offices In New
YORK, giving direct and exclusive con-
'ection with the principal cities. Be
ore the operators is stacked Il varied
assortment Of printed forms. whose
flank spaces await the figures that
ell the story There are pink forms.
'lue forms. buff. green. yellow and
white to make the various compila-
ions Of the vote for President. Gov
|.rnor. Senate. Congress and the two
houses Of the state Legislature.
In an adjoining room there have been
assembled Il STAFF OF a hundred men
serve as tabulators. Previous to
he election. the Associated Press has
arranged with some of the best banks
u the city 10 furnish expert account
UNITS for this work. They work in
relays the first crew reporting at the
close OF the polls at o'clock, COM
piiing the figures until o'clock in
tho morning.
WORK BEGINS soon
AFTER POLLS CLOSE
Less than ten minutes after the clos
ing OF the polls. the work begins. The
first returns in New York are i'll
rhrlably from some of the upstate
cities where voting machines are en-
ploycd. There are. however, some To-
calitles on Cape Cod and down An
Maine which for years have pridcd
themselves on being the first in with
their vote. In such small places the
law permits the opening c. "a. ballot
boxes rs soon AS & has been made.
certain that the full vote OF the place
has been pollcd, ana the result then
Is made known
1t is only by driblc,s that The frs,
figures come in. but once the avaIachc
is started there is no le,-up 10 the
TICK OF the telegraph saunders and
swarm OF the colorcd blanks is kent
n!irg from the receiving operators
to the tabulntors. The ngurcs are frs,
entered by the tobulators and passed
along TO the designated chief. who
Keeps "Doomsday Book showing the
running total of the vote throughout
tho night. Every hftccn minutes tho
business or tabuiation is punctuatcu
ny the Issue Of bulletin on Now
FORK state. which is rushed 10 the
leuscd trunk wires Of the Associated
fresa. and over these main arteries
and secondary oncs--somc a. 900 miles
~ them. some eighty different circuits
Tho news cIrculatcs. keeping all Of
tue 94o newspaper members OF the as
ISOLATION posted on how the country
is going.
The form Of ,hcsc bulletins is known
10 lnousands who have seen them Hash
cd on the election screens
Five hundred and six election dis
tricts out Of 800 in Now York state.
f. q 1..,Ns
hughes -"
tins grow. until it looks so certain
to some OF tho experts that on. uapcr
or another Will conccdc somebody's
election. Eu, the Associated l.rcss con-
codes nothing. 1t must know.
SYSTEM Is pUT
TO \ st:N ERIE TEST
In tho year of the OdclI-Colcr nph,
for Governor in New York. in 1900.
it's system had "a severe test; cole, ran
UP big vote In New York CITY. and
the heavy vote Of odcll upstate was
overlooked by many OF the newspapers
which conceded Golfers election The
Associated Press. in I'll. midst OF This
confusion, WAS led 10 wonder If it's
figures were right. The general man
aEcr had an abiding confidence in his
men nnd nrurcs but in the face of con
ctssi0n shat SOM Of The papers were
making of colcr's election something.
must lie done to check the matter He
ordered recount. The system pro-
vlded for just such an emergency. and
tfts Odell-Coler year is IN" only tim.
III has ever been called into play. All
%! the county returns after being tab
ulated. are hung on - large rack or
hooEs. classified by counties, where
they arc immediately available 'lor
fecount. of the hooks came these hum
dreds OF kilograms. and in just fifteen
minutes time the entire state vote
was rccountcd. The head tabulator.
forgetting FOR III. moment that he was
~ newspaper flee instead OF his
bnnE, exclaimed: MIR. Stone. we check
10 penny The recount tailed cX-
actly with the figures the Associated
'Tess hau previously given out. and
the paners which. independently Of IN,
Af'ccihtcd Tres. figures, had conceded
Colers election. had eventually to adj
init their error.
The accuracy of the Associated Press
iigurcs seldom since has been question
cc. In connection with the rccent New
-" ''"'' W ilHaiN, III the night be-
tween Calder ana Bacon for the Re-
publican nomination as candidate for
seat In the United States Senate. the
majority given by the Associated Press
was Only seventy nine votes Il, vari-
ance with the official count In Mas
sachusetts State election last year the
Boston bureau scored record by an
nou 'cing tho returns only three votes
OIL from the official figures
Tie election machinery Of the As
ISOLATED Press is at work i'm all the
States. but it is developed to its high
est pitch Of efficiency in the states
having the largest electoral votes and
the smallest average of consistency in
presidential years
Given definite line on New York
state. on massachusetts, which is in
vnrably prompt. and Il reflection OF
inc vote in the Central and Western
states. where "A difference in time is
a handicap to early returns. the result
or the presidential election NAV ho
pretty definitely announced at an early
hour, and often the full extent of tho
victory Indicated. so accurately has the
buage OF election figures been fxcd
D? previous experience.