An IMPROVED BALLOT VOTING APPARATUS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Buchan Sydserff, of Ruchlaw, in the
County of Haddington, North Britain, for the Invention of "An
IMPROVED BALLOT VOTING APPARATUS."
Scaled the 6th July 1869, and dated the 8th January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Buchan Sydserff
at tho Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
on the 8th January 1809.
I, THOMAS BUCHAN SYDSERFF, of Ruchlaw, in the County of
Haddington, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED BALLOT VOTING APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
My improved apparatus consists of a "voting ball reciever" of crystal
or other transparent substance placed in front of a screen or partition,
behind which the "ballot boxes" secured by lock and key are placed.
The "voting ball" is deposited in the crystal or other receiver by the

page_text: polling sheriff or other officer, and is exposed to publio view. The receiver
is closed at the bottom by a slide valve retained in position by a spring,
india-rubber band, or its equivalent, and the ball when released by the
slide valve passes down a sloping tube through a covered funnel into an
inclined delivery tube turning on a vertical spindle, the said delivery
tube passing through a traversing quadrant or segment of a circle under
which the ballot boxes are placed in close proximity thereto, and in suoh
a position that the delivery tube actuated by the "voting handle"
attached to the quadrant will cause the ball when liberated to drop into
the desired ballot box. The said voting handle is moved by each voter
he
as passes into the enclosure to a point under the "name board" of
the candidate selected by him, and when released is retained by a notch
in a "disengaging bar" behind "the voting rail." The voter now passing
out in the opposite direction to that by which he entered throws open a
wicket closed by a spring hinge or otherwise, and a cord or wire attachod
to the heel post of the said wicket draws out the slide in the crystal or
other reciever, causing the voting ball immediately to descend to the
appointed ballot box, and as the traversing quadrant continually covers
all the ballot boxes no ball can enter either of the said boxes except the
one placed in the crystal or other reciever by the sheriff. Having passed
through the first or "voting wicket" the voter then passes through a
second or "departure wicket," from which a rod, wire, or cord is
attached to the disengaging bar, depressing it and relieving the voting
-handle from the notches therein, causing the said handle to swing back
to its original position by means of a weighted cord passing over a
pulley or otherwise, or the disengaging bar may be depressed by the
action of shutting the voting wicket if desired. The voter having passed
out of the enclosure the sheriff or other officer admits another voter to
repeat the same process, but no voter can touch the voting balls nor
approach the ballot boxes to interfere therewith,
"My improved apparatus may be arranged for three or more candidates
by having a corresponding number of ballot boxes, name boards, and
notches in the disengaging bar, and extending the voting rail if
necessary.
"

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Buchan Sydsorff in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BUCHAN SYDSERFF, of Ruchlaw, in the County of Haddington, North
Britain, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Buchan Sydserff. Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Buchan Sydserff, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Buchan Sydserff, my
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
BALLOT VOTING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Buchan Sydserff, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Buchan Sydserff, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters thercon (that
is to say):-
My Invention relates to an apparatus for voting by ballot with a
view to avoid the bribery and intimidation now so common at elections;
and my improved apparatus shewn in the Drawings (in which Fig. 1 is
a section, and Fig. 2 a plan,) consists of a voting ball receiver a of
crystal or other transparent substance placed in front of a screen or
partition 6, behind which the ballot boxes o, c, secured by lock and key

page_text: are placed. The voting ball d is deposited in the crystal or other
receiver a by the polling sheriff or other officer, and is exposed to public
view. The said receiver a is closed at the bottom by a slide valve e,
retained in position by a spring, india-rubber band, or its equivalent, the
ball when released by the slide valve passing down a sloping tube f
through a covered funnel g into an inclined delivery tube / turning on
a vertical spindle b', the said delivery tube passing through a traversing
quadrant or segment of a circle i, under which the ballot boxes c, c, are
placed in close proximity thereto, and in such a position that the
delivery tube actuated by a voting handle j attached to the quadrant
will cause the ball d when liberated to drop into the desired ballot box.
The said voting handle ; is moved by each voter as he passes into the
enclosure to a point under the name board oor p of the candidate
selected by him, and when released is retained by a notch in a dis-
engaging bark behind the voting rail 2. The voter now passing out in
the opposite direction to that by which he entered in the direction of the
arrows throws open a voting wicket"
m closed by a spring hinge or
otherwise, and a cord or wire n attached to the heel post of the said
wicket draws out the slide e in the crystal or other receiver a, causing
the voting ball d immediately to descend to the appointed ballot box,
and as the traversing quadrant continually covers all the ballot boxes c, c,
no ball can enter either of the said boxes except the one placed in the
crystal or other receiver by the sheriff. Having passed through the first
or voting wicket m the voter then passes through a second or departure
wicket 9, from which a rod, wire, or cord r is attached to the disengaging
bar k, depressing it and relieving the "voting handle" ; from the
notches therein, causing the handle to swing back to its original position
by means of a weighted cord a passing over a pulley or otherwise; or
the disengaging bar may be depressed by the action of shutting the
voting wicket if desired. The voter having passed out of the enclosure
the sheriff or other officer admits another voter to repeat the same
process, but no voter can touch the voting balls nor approach the ballot
boxes to interfere therewith.
"
My improved apparatus may be arranged for three or more candidates
by having a corresponding number of ballot boxes, name boards, and
notches in the disengaging bar, and extending the voting rail if
necessary, and it may also be adapted to the use of constituencies
requiring to elect two or more members at the same time by having a

page_text: I
voting ball receiver, delivery tube, quadrant, and voting handle for each
member to be elected, the suspending arms of the quadrants being
adapted to the situation, and all the voting balls being discharged.
simultaneously by the opening of the voting wicket as before, and the
voting may be carried on with either plain or numbered balls.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of my said Inven-
tion, I claim, the improved ballot voting apparatus, as herein described
and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Buchan Sydserff, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.