Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Taking and Recording Votes by Ballot.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 26th June, 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Taking and Recording
Votes by Ballot.
1, SAMUEL HANCOCK, of 37 Houndsgate, in the Town and County of the Town
of Nottingham, Dealer in Silk and Cotton Yarns, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention has for its object the construction and arrangement of apparatus
or mechanism for taking and recording automatically the votes given at municipal,
parliamentary or any other elections, or contests, where voting by ballot is
adopted and used, in such a manner that the result of the election, at the close of
the poll, can be at once ascertained, without the delay of counting the votes and the
errors contingent thereon, and furthermore that any attempt at tampering with
the mechanism, or voting more than the proper number of times, can be immediately
detected by the presiding officer.
For the purpose of my invention I provide a suitable case or box, hereinafter
called the ballot or voting box, within which I arrange a series of apparatus, or
boxes, hereinafter called the recording boxes, or devices, the number of which is
variable according to the number of candidates or persons for whom votes are
required to be taken, and each of the said recording boxes is provided with a dialled
counter, actuated by the fall of a ball, or its equivalent, or balls, of hard substance,
upon an arm or leaf of a vane, or its equivalent, mechanically connected with the
said counter.
The ballot box is separated by a partition into two compartments, one of which
receives the recording boxes, the other being so shaped or provided with guide
channels, or their equivalent, that a ball, or balls, introduced through the top or
cover of the ballot box into any of the recording boxes, may be automatically
delivered, preferably by gravity, from one common opening in the said ballot box.
Each recording box is furnished with suitable mechanism for preventing the vane
or its equivalent turning too far and recording more than the correct number
of votes.
My improved apparatus for taking and recording votes by ballot is operated in
the following manner :-
The desired number of recording boxes, having their counter dials by preference
set at zero, are placed or slid into the ballot box side by side, the ballot box is then
closed, locked, and sealed in the presence of the duly appointed persons. If each
voter has only one vote, one ball alone is necessary, said ball returning to the
officer for use by the next voter immediately after actuating the vote-recording
mechanism. The ballot box is so enclosed by suitable screens or partitions and
doors that no one can see which opening or cup the ball has been placed in by the
voter, and since the counter dials are enclosed and concealed within the ballot box,
perfect secrecy is attained. The duly qualified voter passes behind the screens and
drops the ball, previously handed to him by the officer, into the cup or opening on
the ballot box cover against which is the name, and, if desired, the colour, of the
candidate, or party, for whom he desires to vote. The ball thus introduced passes
through a suitably shaped passage in the recording box and falls upon one of the
arms or leaves of the rotary vane or device which projects into the passage. The
said vane, or equivalent device, is fixed upon or secured to the arbor of a pinion of
the counter, or to the spindle of the first pointer, and the said counter may be of
any suitable construction having dials and pointers indicating units, tens, etc.
similar to the counters in gas and like meters. The weight of the ball carries

page_text: round the arm a distance sufficient to cause the pointer to move forward one number
or interval on one of the dials, the ball leaving the arms or blades of the vane in
position for the next vote, and falling down a suitably curved or inclined passage
into the delivery compartment of the ballot box, from which it returns to the
officer through the opening therein. The vane may be maintained in position by a
catch held against one of its arms or blades by a spring of sufficient strength to be
overcome only by the weight of the voting ball; or any suitable pawl and spring,
or equivalent mechanism, may be employed in connection with the vane to prevent
it turning too far, or in the wrong direction. This proceeding is continued until
all the voters have passed through, or the time has arrived for closing the poll,
when, in the presence of the appointed officers, the seals of the ballot box can be
broken, the box unlocked, and the recording boxes withdrawn, in order to ascertain
from the dials therein the number of votes given for each candidate.
I may further provide means whereby, if desired, it can be ascertained how any
particular person voted at a given election, so as to meet the requirements of a
scrutiny, and these means may consist of a spindle or rod mounted on bearings and
furnished with registering appliances affixed to the inclined receiving channels, so
that each time the ball passes along its own particular channel it records its passage
on a numbered revolving registering sheet.
Dated this 27th day of Sentember 1893.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Taking and Recording
Votes by Ballot.
I, SAMUEL HANCOCK, of 37 Houndsgate, in the Town and County of the Town
of Nottingham, Dealer in Silk and Cotton Yarus, 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, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
This invention has for its object the construction and arrangement of apparatus
or mechanism for taking and recording automatically the votes given at municipal,
parliamentary, or other elections, or contests where voting by ballot is adopted and
used, in such a manner that the result of the election, at the close of the poll, can
be at once ascertained, without the delay of counting the votes, and the errors
contingent thereon; and furthermore, that any attempt at tampering with the
mechanism, or voting more than the proper number of times, can be immediately
detected by the presiding officer.
.
For the purpose of my invention, I provide a suitable case or box, hereinafter
called the ballot or voting box, within which I arrange a series of apparatus or
boxes, hereinafter called the recording boxes, or devices, the number of which is
variable, according to the number of candidates or persons for whom votes are
required to be taken, and each of the said recording boxes is provided with a
dialled counter actuated by the fall of a ball, or its equivalent, or balls, of hard
substance, upon an arm or leaf of a vane, or its equivalent, mechanically connected
with the said counter, and which vane projects into the passage down which the
ball falls.
The ballot box is separated by a partition into two compartments, one of which
receives the recording boxes, the other being so shaped, or provided with guide

page_text: channels, that a ball, or balls, introduced through the top or cover of the ballo
box, into any of the recording boxes, may be automatically delivered, preferably by
gravity, from one common opening in the said ballot box. Each recording box is.
furnished with suitable mechanism for preventing the vane, or its equivalent,.
turning too far and recording more than the correct number of votes.
And in order that my invention may be readily understood, I will describ; the
saine fully with reference to the annexed drawings.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of the same.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section, and Fig. 4 a transverse section of one of the recording-
boxes.
Fig. 5 shows means for ascertaining how any particular person voted.
a is the ballot box, and b are the recording boxes, each of which has a passage b',.
and a handle b*. In the top or lid of the box a are apertures c, provided with
cups c', for the insertion of the voting or ballot ball d. The said ballot box has.
two compartments e and g, the former of which is provided with slides or strips f
between which are held the recording boxes b. The other or latter compartment.
has a number of grooves or channels formed by wooden strips or blocks i, glued
or otherwise fixed to the inclined bottom thereof, as shown at Fig. 2, and leading to.
the common outlet aperture 4. The box a is enclosed by a casing or partition j to.
prevent anyone seeing which cup is used by the voter. Outside this casing or
partition, near the presiding officer, is a receptacle or cup k, for the reception of the.
ball d, after it has passed through the apparatus.
is the vane which projects into the passage and against one of the arms of
which the voting or ballot ball d strikes, as in Fig. 2, in falling down the said
passage, and thus causes the vane to turn and to move back the catch min
opposition to its spring n. This catch after the passage of the ball resumes its.
normal position and locks the vane, as at Fig. 3, ready for the next ball. The
movements of the catch and spring are limited by stops o, o¹. The spindle p of the
vane เ passes through one wall of its recording box and carries a pinion q, which is
in gear with the units wheel r of a dialled counter s, of any suitable type, there
being one such counter for each recording box. Each counter is provided with a
cover which can be removed when it is desired to ascertain the number of votes.
recorded.
If the apparatus is intended to record how any particular person voted, as for the
purposes of a scrutiny, the arrangement shown in Fig. 5 may be employed. This
comprises an endless strip of paper u, having printed thereon numbers corresponding
to each vote, and arranged under each of the channels h of the compartment ..
Said strip passes over a roller v, there being one such roller under each channel,
and all these rollers being carried by a common spindle vl, which is actuated by
means of a ratchet w and band w passing over a pulley w³ on the said spindle ..
A balanced lever a, capable of being depressed by the voting or ballot ball in
rolling over it, is arranged in each of the channels, and is provided with a point..
for perforating the strip u under the channel through which the ball has passed..
A similar lever is arranged where the channels unite, so as to be depressed by
the ball on its passage out of the apparatus. By means of the pawl y, and
ratchet w this lever turns all the wheels simultaneously, till the number of the
next vote is under the point x'.
The following is the working:-The recording boxes having the indices of their
counter dials preferably set at zero, are placed or slid into the ballot box, side by
side, one recording box being provided for each candidate. The ballot box is then
closed, locked, and sealed in the presence of the duly appointed persons. If each
voter has only one vote, one voting ball alone is necessary, said ball immediately
after use by one voter returning to the officer for use by the next voter, after
actuating the vote recording mechanism. The ballot box is so enclosed by suitable
screens and doors, or by its being arranged in a separate chamber, that no one can
see which receptacle or cup the ball has been placed in by the voter, and since the
counter-dials are enclosed and concealed within the ballot box, perfect secrecy is

page_text: attained. The duly qualified voter passes behind the screens and drops the ball,
previously handed to him by the officer, into the cup against which is the name,
and, if desired, the party colour, of the candidate, or party, for whom he desires
to vote. The ball thus introduced passes through the passage in the recording box
apparatus and strikes against one of the arms or leaves of the vane and moves said
vane a sufficient distance to cause the pointer to move forward one number or
interval, on one of the dials. The ball leaves the vane in position for recording
the next vote, and falls down the inclined passage into the delivery compartment of
the ballot box, from which it returns to the officer through the common opening.
When all the votes have been polled, or when the time has arrived for closing the
poll, the seals of the ballot box are broken in the presence of the appointed officers,
the box is unlocked, and the recording boxes withdrawn so as to ascertain from the
dials therein the number of votes given for each candidate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The improved means or apparatus for taking and recording votes by ballot,
comprising a ballot box and recording boxes, these latter being each provided with
a suitably curved or inclined passage and with mechanism adapted to be operated
by a voting or ballot ball which, in falling down said passage, causes such
mechanism to actuate a counter for indicating the number of votes recorded, and
said ballot box having guide channels leading to a common delivery opening for
the escape of the ball after use, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a ballot box, of recording boxes having curved or
inclined passages, vanes having their arms or blades projecting into the said
passages and transmitting their motion, when operated by a falling ballot ball, to
vote recording counters, and spring catches for controlling the movement of said
vanes, substantially as described and shown with reference to the annexed
drawings.
3. In combination with the above claimed voting apparatus, the means or
mechanism, substantially as herein described and shown with reference to Fig. 5 of
the drawings, for the purpose of permitting the requirements of a scrutiny.
4. My improvements in means or apparatus for taking and recording votes by
ballot, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown with reference to the
accompanying drawings, whereby the result of an election can be readily
ascertained without having to count voting papers, and any attempt to tamper with
the mechanism, or to vote more than the proper number of times, can be immediately
detected.
1
1004
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.