Improvements in Voting Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1895-Accepted, 6th July, 1595
Improvements in Voting Machines.
I, JOHN MTAMMANY of Spencer, in the County of Worcester, and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object to provide a simple, reliable and effective voting
machine adapted to be operated by the combined efforts of a number of voters and
an election official, to produce on a single tally-sheet an accurate record of the
votes of all of said voters, the record being in such form that it may be counted
either mechanically by a machine provided for that purpose or by hand.
The invention consists in the improvements which I will now preceed to describe
and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application.
Fig 1 represents a perspective view of a voting machine embodying my invention.
Fig 2 represents a front elevation and Fig. 3 a rear elevation of the same.
Fig 4 represents a view of a portion of the movable ballot-sheet or section.
Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5, Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6-6, Fig. 3.
Fig. 7 represents a section on line 7-7, Fig. 3.
Fig. 8 represents a section on line 8-8, Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 represents a perspective view of one of the punches.
Fig. 10 represents a section on line 10-10, Fig. 3.
Fig. 11 represents a section on line 11-11, Fig. 10.
Fig. 12 represents a section on line 12-12, Fig. 10.
Fig. 13 represents a section on line 13-13, Fig. 10.
Fig. 14 represents a section on line 14-14, Fig. 10.
Fig. 15 represents a front view of a modified form of the machine and
Fig. 16 represents a view of the tally-sheet.
In the drawings—
a represents the casing in which are journalled two vertical rolls, 6 6', with which
the ends of the tally-sheet, c are engaged. Means are provided whereby an official
designated for that purpose may partially rotate said rolls after each voter has
recorded his vote on the tally-sheet, as hereinafter described, and thus move the
sheet endwise to a position to receive the perforations made by the next voter.
d represents a vertically movable punch-carrier or carriage having a series of
punches which are movable horizontally in orifices in said carriage and are
normally retracted from the tally-sheet by springs d². The punch-carrier is
composed of a frame movable vertically in guides a¹ a¹ at the upper and lower ends
of the casing and provided with a vertical slot or guide, d³, (Fig. 10) for the tally-
sheet, the portion of the frame forming the rear side of said slot being a bar, d,
provided with holes or female punches, d³, (Fig. 6), registering with the punches,
the said bar constituting a punch-bed co-operating with the punches in cutting out
small disks from the tally-sheet, and thus forming clean cut perforations therein
adapted to co-operate with a pneumatically operated vote-counting apparatus
through which the tally-sheet is passed after its completion, each perforation
admitting air to a pneumatic device which operates a registering mechanism.
do d6 represent a series of push-pieces which are movable in orifices in the front
of the casing, each having an elongated inuer end or head, d' (Fig. 6), adapted to

page_text: bear on one of the punches and force the same into the tally-sheet when the push-
piece is pushed inwardly, the elongation of the head, d', enabling each push-piece
to act on the accompanying punch when the same is in any position to which it
may be adjusted by vertical movements of the punch-carrier, as hereinafter
described.
At the front of the casing is a divided or two-part ballot composed of a fixed
sheet, e (Figs. 2, 7 & 11), affixed to the casing and bearing the names of the
offices, candidates for which are to be voted for, and having slots e¹ e¹ (Figs. 2
and 11); and a movable ballot sheet ea behind said fixed sheet e and on which are
printed the names of the candidates and the names of the parties they represent so
that the same may show through the slots of sheet e. The movable ballot-sheet e²
is affixed to a holder or slide e³ fitted to move vertically in a guide or way at the
front of the casing behind a glass guard or protector e which prevents access to the
two-part ballot and permits inspection of the same. Said holder or slide is engaged
with the punch-carrier d by means of a stud or pin e' (Fig. 11), affixed to the said
carrier and entering an orifice e in the holder or slide e. There is a punch and a
punch-operating push-piece for each office, the said push-pieces being arranged in
line with the slots in the fixed ballot-sheet and having no vertical movement, while
the punches operated by said push-pieces are vertically movable, as stated, with the
movable tally-sheet.
frepresents a shaft which is journalled in the casing and is provided within the
casing with a pinion f' (Figs. 10 and 12) meshing with a rack f on the punch-
carrier and with an external operating handle f³ whereby it may be rotated by the
voter to raise or lower the punch-carrier and the movable part or section of the
ballot. The voter is thus enabled to move the movable section of the ballot so that
the names of the candidates of any party represented will appear through the slots e¹.
Thus in one adjustment of the said movable section the names of all of the republican
candidates will appear, while in another adjustment the names of all the democratic
candidates will appear, and so on. The punch-carrier and punches are adjusted
with the movable section of the ballot so that the punches always maintain the same
relation to the said movable section. A yielding detent device is provided which
yieldingly detains the carriage in each position in which it is operative, said device
comprising a spring dog f4 (Figs. 7 and 10), with a curved free end, and a wheel f³
affixed to the shaft f said wheel having a series of concavities on its perimeter
arranged to engage the dog f, when the carriage is in each of its operative
positions so that some added force will be required to move it to the next position.
The tally-sheet c (Fig. 16) is divided into sections representing the different
offices, there being in this instance one section for votes for governor, another for
votes for lieutenant governor, and so on, the number of said sections being equal to
the number of punches. Each section is subdivided by longitudinal ruled lines into
spaces representing the different candidates for the same office, as republican,
democratic, etc. Said sections and spaces are so arranged relatively to the punches
that the punches will act on the spaces devoted to the republican candidates when
the carrier is in one operative position, and on the spaces devoted to the democratic
candidates when the carrier is in another operative position, and so on, provision
being made for holding the punch-carrier in as many operative positions as there
are parties represented on the ballot.
The tally-sheet receiving-roll b¹ is affixed rigidly to the shaft 62, that supports
it, and is provided at its lower end with a head or flange 63 (Fig 10) on which is
formed a ratchet which co-operates with a spring dog movable in a guide in
the feed-operating handle or lever 68, said dog being pressed yieldingly against
the ratchet by a spring 67 (Fig. 14). The lever 6 projects from the rear of the
casing and is intended to be manipulated by an official whose duty it is to feed the
tally-sheet along after each voter has made his record by punching the sheet, as
above described. When said lever is moved in the direction indicated by the
arrow in Fig. 10, the dog engages the ratchet & and partially rotates the
receiving roll in the same direction, thus causing an endwise movement of the

page_text: tally-sheet, and when the lever is moved in the opposite direction the said dog slips
over the ratchet, backward rotation of the receiving roll excepting to a limited
extent for a purpose hereinafter described being prevented by a ratchet 68 (Fig. 5)
affixed to the shaft of the receiving roll above the latter, and a spring-pressed
pawl 6 pivoted to the casing and engaging said ratchet.
Թ
The shaft 60 (Fig. 7) of the delivering roll is provided with a flange 62 mounted
loosely on said shaft, said flange having a notch or recess 613 (see dotted lines in
Fig. 10) adapted to engage a spring-pressed dog mounted on a lever 615 which is
connected by a rod or link 6 with the operating lever 6. Said lever 6 has at
its inner end a socket receiving the shaft 610 which supports the delivering roll,
the lever being connected with said shaft by a spline 617 (Figs. 7 and 8), and
groove which permit a slight vertical end wise play of the shaft 610. The
delivering roll is mounted to rotate independently of the shaft 610 and is located
between the flange 612 and another flange 619 (Figs. 3 & 7), which is affixed rigidly
to the shaft above the delivering roll, the heads of the said roll being in contact
with the flanges 612 and 619. A spring 620 interposed between the upper flange 61
and the casing a exerts downward pressure on the flange 61 and through the latter
on the shaft 610 and the delivering roll, thus pressing the lower head 621 of said
roll against the flange 62 this pressure being permitted by the described end wise
play of the shaft 60. The head 6" and flange 612, therefore, act as friction clutch
members which cause the delivering roll to rotate with the flange 61, when the
latter is rotated by a movement of the lever b
When the operating lever 66 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in
Fig. 10, the receiving roll is rotated positively in the same direction by the
pawl and the delivering roll is also rotated in the same direction by the inter-
vening portion of the tally-sheet, the frictional connection between the delivering
roll and its shaft permitting said roll to slip to the extent required to compensate
for the constantly increasing variation between the diameters of the two rolls.
The said movement of the lever 66 is imparted through the link 61 to the lever b¹³
and the contact between the dog 614 on the lever 615, and the loose flange 612 causes
said flange to move in the same direction with the rolls. When the lever 66 is
moved in the opposite direction, it positively rotates the flange 612 backwardly
through the link 61 lever 616 and dog 6, said flange by its frictional connection
with the delivering roll rotating the latter backwardly. The delivering roll acting
in turn through the intervening portion of the tally-sheet, rotates the receiving
roll backwardly as far as the stop pawl and ratchet 68 will permit, said pawl and
ratchet being adjusted as above stated to permit a limited backward rotation of
the receiving roll. When the backward rotation of the receiving roll is stopped
by the engagement of said pawl and ratchet, the backward rotation of the
delivering roll is also stopped by the intervening portion of the tally-sheet so that
the rolls are stationary during the latter part of the backward movement of the
levers and 615, and flange 612. The said levers 6 and 615 link 616, dogs 65 614,
ratchet and flange 12 constitute a roll operating mechanism whereby the rolls
are rotated alternately forward and backward so that the tally-sheet is moved
alternately in opposite directions and is given a longer movement in the direction
that winds it onto the receiving roll than in the opposite direction, to the end
that the sheet may be gradually transferred to the receiving roll and yet be moved
backward after every forward movement sufficiently to prevent the record made by
any voter from following the record made by the preceding voter in regular
numerical order. I thus prevent an observer from identifying the record made by
any voter by counting his number in the procession of voters and then counting
the columns in vertical rows of perforations until the same number is reached.
will be seen that by providing for the alternate forward and backward movements
of the tally-sheet, the backward movements being shorter than the forward move-
ments, the records made by the different voters are so irregularly disposed that
identification of any voter's record by the method above described is practically
impossible because the record made by a voter after the longer or forward
It

page_text: movement of the sheet is moved backwardly by the shorter or backward movement
of the sheet, and therefore occupies a position uearer the initial or starting end
of the sheet than the record made by the next voter, whereas if the sheet were
moved progressively in one direction, each successive record would be farther
from the initial end of the sheet. The difference between the length of the forward
and backward feed movements prevents more than one record being made in one
place and ensures the necessary progressive movement of the sheet.
To prevent a voter from pressing in a push-piece while he is moving the punch-
carrier, I provide a safety device which is actuated by any movement of the
punch-carrier to force outwardly any push-piece that may at any time be pressed
inwardly. Said safety device consists of a serrated plate g (Figs. 10 and 13)
affixed to the punch-carrier, a slide 91 movable in a fixed guide toward and from
the front of the casing and provided with a spur arranged to bear on the serrated
edge of the plate g and a vertical angular plate g2 having ears g³ (Fig. 10)
connected by pivots g* with the casing a one wing of said plate bearing against
the inner ends or heads of the push-pieces and the other end against the slide g¹
as shown in Figs. 10 & 13, the said angular plate g² being arranged so that outward
pressure on the slide g¹ will exert outward pressure on the push-pieces through said
plate.
It will be seen that an inward pressure on either of the push-pieces will press
the slide g against the serrated plate g on the punch-carrier so that if the voter
attempts to raise or lower the punch-carrier while pressing in a punch, the
movement of the carrier will cause the serrated plate to force the pressed push-pieces
outwardly far enough to prevent it from engaging the accompanying punch with
the tally-sheet.
represents a "straight ticket" lever which is pivoted at ¹ to an ear on the
exterior of the casing and is provided with a head h² arranged to bear on all the
push-pieces and press
the same simultaneously, thus enabling the voter to make his
record by a single movement if he desires to vote a "straight ticket." Said lever
may be displaced as shown in Fig. 1 when its use is not required. The lower end
of the head may be provided with a depression ³ in its acting face (Fig. 6),
said depression coinciding with the two lower push-pieces in case one of said two
push-pieces represents "yes" and the other " no on any general question requiring
a yes and no vote, such as a constitutional amendment or the license question.
Said depression prevents the yes and no pieces from being operated by the lever.
When the ballot does not contain such question, the depression may be filled
with a suitable filling piece or another lever may be employed without a depression
in its head.
"
The operation is or may be as follows. A voter desiring to vote a straight
ticket first adjusts the movable part of the ballot to bring the names of his party
candidates into the slots of the fixed part, the punches being correspondingly
adjusted by the same operation, and then presses the push-pieces inwardly either
by the use of the lever or separately, thus making a vertical series of holes in the
tally-sheet, said holes constituting the record of his vote. The official in charge
then feeds the tally-sheet along and the next voter makes his record, and so on.
In case a voter desires to vote a "split ticket" he adjusts the movable part of the
ballot while making his record so that his vote for the candidate for one office may
be in the republican space, while his vote for the candidate for another office may
be in the democratic space, and so on.
After the closing of the polls the tally-sheet may be quickly removed by first
winding it entirely onto one roll and then unwinding it from that roll, the shaft
of each roll being formed at one end to engage a crank that may be used to wind
up the sheet. The dogs 661 on the levers 6615 are adapted to be held out of
engagement respectively with the ratchet and flange 12 by means of cam-
levers one of said levers being pivoted to the rear end of each of the said dogs
and formed to bear on the end of the casing which contains the dog. When the
lever is turned to the position shown in Fig. 14, it retracts the dog.

page_text: The tally-sheet may be conveniently engaged with the rolls by means of
slots ss Fig. 10, formed in the rolls for the reception of the ends of the sheet.
The levers 66 616 are made in sections, the outer section of each lever being
pivoted at 623 to the inner section so that the levers may be swung upwardly into
the casing when not in use.
The heads of the push-pieces d' are provided with conical inner faces d³ which
are intended to prevent a limitation of the inward movement of the push-piece and
punch by a rubber band or other like obstruction which might be interposed
maliciously between the head of the push-piece and the front of the casing. The
conical face d would nullify the effect of such obstruction by entering it and
displacing it outwardly.
A shield (Figs. 1, 2 & 10) is attached to the casing in position to screen the
haud-wheel and the hand of the voter, and thus prevent bystanders from noting
the manipulation of the said wheel and ascertaining the nature of the vote.
To further ensure secrecy I provide a shield ; (Fig. 10) at the back of the
casing, covering the back of the punch-carrier and preventing observation of its
position, said shield being a plate detachably secured to the back of the casing so
that it can be readily removed.
It will be observed that my machine is provided with a two part vote-recording
mechanism, one part of which includes the tally-sheet and the mechanism for
feeding it, while the other part includes the punches and the means for operating
them, one of said parts being adjustable by the voter so that the same set of
punches may be used to record the votes for all parties and candidates. I do not
limit myself, however, to making the punches adjustable as the same result may be
attained by locating the tally-sheet and its supporting and feeding mechanism on a
vertically movable carrier adjustable by the voter, the punches having no vertical
adjustability.
In Fig. 1, I show the machine mounted on a supporting standard k having a
brace arranged to resist the pressure exerted on the push-pieces.
Each punch d¹ is of a cylindrical form and is provided on its acting end, as shown
in Fig. 9, with intersecting V-shaped grooves do do, which form teeth or serra-
tions enabling the punch to perforate the paper with less resistance than if the
cutting end of the punch were a flat surface.
In Figure 15 I have shown a modification, in which there is a separate row of
punches for each ticket, the machine being therefore considerably elongated. With
this construction, the mechanism for adjusting the punches or changing their
position relatively to the tally-sheet will not be required, and the punches will be
arranged so that each punch will make its hole in the tally-sheet on a line which
is not occupied by any other punch, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 15.
The upper dotted line indicates the position on the tally-sheet of the hole made by
the upper punch of the first row. The next dotted line indicates the position
on the tally-sheet of the hole made by the upper punch of the second row,
and so on.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a voting machine the combination of suitable supports for a tally-sheet
and mechanism for feeding the same, and a series of punches extending trans-
versely of the tally-sheet and having means whereby they may be operated from
the exterior of the machine, the said tally-sheet supports and feeding mechanism
constituting one part of a vote-recording mechanism, while the said punches and
their operating means constitute the other part of said mechanism, one of said
parts being independently adjustable by the voter to vary the transverse relation
of the tally-sheet to the punches and enable the voter to thereby determine the
character of his vote by the location of the punch marks transversely of the tally-
sheet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

page_text: 2. In a voting machine the combination of suitable supports for a tally-sheet and
mechanism for feeding the same, a series of punches extending transversely of the
tally-sheet, and having means whereby they may be operated from the exterior of
the machine, the said tally-sheet supports and feeding mechanism constituting one
part of a vote-recording mechanism, while the said punches and their operating
means constitute the other part of said mechanism, one of said parts being inde-
pendently adjustable by the voter to vary the transverse relation of the tally-
sheet to the punches and enable the voter to thereby determine the character of
his vote by the location of the punch marks transversely of the tally-sheet; and
an indicator connected with the adjustable part whereby the adjustment of the
latter may be determined, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing; supports for a tally-sheet
within the casing, mechanism for feeding said sheet, a punch-carrier within the
casing having a series of punches arranged to perforate the tally-sheet, said carrier
being movable transversely of the sheet, mechanism controlled by the voter for
adjusting the punch carrier to determine the character of his vote by the transverse
location of the punch-holes in the sheet, and a series of push-knobs movable in
guides in the casing, and each having an extended inner face whereby an operative
relation between it and the accompanying punch is maintained throughout all the
adjustments of the latter, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing, supports for a tally-sheet
within the casing, mechanism for feeding said sheet, a punch-carrier within the
casing having a series of punches arranged to perforate the tally-sheet, said carrier
being movable transversely of the sheet, mechanism controlled by the voter for
adjusting the punch carrier to determine the character of his vote by the transverse
location of the punch-holes in the sheet, a series of push-knobs movable in guides
in the casing, and co-operating with the punches, and a movable ballot engaged
with the punch-carrier and adapted to indicate at the exterior of the casing the
position of said carrier, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
5. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing, supports for a tally-sheet
within the casing, mechanism for feeding said sheet, a movable punch-carrier
within the casing having a series of punches, mechanism controlled by the voter
for adjusting the punch-carrier and its punches, a series of push-knobs movable in
fixed guides in the casing and adapted to operate said punches, and a two-part
indicating ballot composed of a slotted part affixed to the casing and a part
engaged with the punch-carrier and movable with the latter behind the slotted
part.
6. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing, supports for a tally-sheet
within the casing, mechanism for feeding said sheet, a punch-carrier within the
casing having a series of punches, an operating shaft journalled in the casing and
provided with a pinion meshing with a rack on the punch-carrier, and a yielding
detent device whereby the carrier may be yieldingly arrested in each of the
operative positions to which it may be adjusted.
7. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing, supports for a tally-sheet,
mechanism for feeding said sheet, a punch-carrier movable cross-wise of the sheet
and having a series of retracted punches, punch-operating push-knobs movable in
fixed guides in the casing, means for moving the punch-carrier cross-wise of the
sheet, and means for preventing contact of the punches with the sheet while the
carrier is in motion, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
8. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing, supports for a tally-sheet,
mechanism for feeding said sheet, a punch-carrier movable cross-wise of the sheet
and having a series of retracted punches, punch-operating push-knobs movable in
fixed guides in the casing, means for moving the punch-carrier cross-wise of the
sheet, and means for preventing contact of the punches with the sheet while the
carrier is in motion, said means comprising a series of teeth or inclines affixed to
the carrier, a slide adapted to be forced outwardly by one of said teeth when the

page_text: carrier is in motion and a pressure device between said slide and the push-knobs
through which either push-knob may be pressed outwardly, as set forth.
9. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing, supports therein for a
tally-sheet, mechanism for feeding said sheet, a punch carrier having a series of
punches, punch-operating push-knobs movable in fixed guides in the casing, and a
push-knob operating lever formed to act on the knobs simultaneously, and
pivotted on the exterior of the casing so as to be capable of swinging out to one
side to uncover the push-knobs, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
10. In a voting machine, the combination of a casing, supports therein for a
tally-sheet, mechanism for feeding said sheet, a punch-carrier having a series of
punches, punch-operating push-knobs movable in fixed guides in the casing, and a
laterally swinging push-knob operating lever pivotted in the exterior of the casing.
and having an extended cross-bar to operate in the knobs, substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
11. A voting machine comprising a tally-sheet, a series of punches adapted to
perforate ballot records in said sheet, and means for feeding the sheet endwise
first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, one feed movement
being longer than the other, whereby the order of the ballot records is made.
irregular.
12. A roting machine comprising a tally-sheet, a series of punches adapted to
perforate ballot records in said sheet, a delivering and a receiving roll with which
the ends of the sheet are engaged, an oscillatory lever having means for positively
turning a receiving-roll in one direction to give the sheet a forward feed movement,
a back stop whereby a limited backward movement of the receiving roll is
permitted, a driver or actuator frictionally connected with the delivering roll, and
a connection between said actuator and the oscillatory lever, whereby a backward
movement of said lever is caused to rotate the actuator backwardly and thus rotate
the delivering roll backwardly as far as the said back stop will permit, the sheet
being thus given a backward feed movement which is shorter than its forward
movement.
a
13. A voting machine comprising a tally-sheet, a series of punches adapted to
perforate ballot records in said sheet, a delivering roll and a receiving roll with
which the ends of the sheet are engaged, a swinging lever having a dog engaging
ratchet on the receiving roll, a back stop arranged to permit a limited backward
rotation of the receiving roll, an actuator frictionally engaged with the delivering
roll, a swinging lever having a dog adapted to engage said actuator, and a link
connecting the two levers.
14. A voting machine comprising a tally-sheet, a series of punches adapted to
perforate ballot records in said sheet, a sheet delivering roll and a sheet receiving
roll, connected swinging levers having dogs for operating said rolls, and means for
holding said dogs retracted and thereby permitting the free rotation of the rolls for
the quick transference of the sheet from one roll to the other.
15. A voting machine comprising a sheet-delivering roll and a sheet receiving
roll, and connected swinging levers having means for actuating said rolls, each
lever being composed of jointed sections whereby the levers may be folded within
the casing of the machine.
16. A voting machine comprising in its construction a face-plate provided with
slots, a ballot-adjusting hand-wheel f³, and a shield i secured to said machine
about the wheel f³ constructed and arranged to conceal said wheel from the view
of all except the operator but to permit the hand of the operator to be inserted to
manipulate said wheel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
17. In a voting machine, the combination of an adjustable ballot, a series of
registers or recorders each representing several candidates for the same office, a
single button for each register or recorder, and means independent of said buttons
for selecting the particular registers or recorders to be operated whereby a single
button may be employed to vote for all candidates for the same office and it canuot

page_text: be told by watching the voter's hand on the button for which candidate he is voting,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 10th day of May 1895.
JUHN MTAMMANI.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.