Patent ID: 7857200

Claim:
A method for conducting an election and preventing rigging of the election, including the steps of: providing a ballot consisting of a plurality of cards, each card comprising a single issue card displaying a single issue or contest to be voted on, providing a plurality of ballot boxes, each adapted to receive said cards, each of said ballot boxes receiving all of one kind of single issue or contest cards, casting the ballot by inserting the plurality of cards into the respective single issue ballot boxes; and, counting each card as it is inserted in each of said ballot boxes, whereby each ballot is tabulated as it is cast by the voter; further including the step of providing a plurality of ballot card counters, each operatively associated with one of said plurality of ballot boxes, to perform said step of counting each card as it is inserted in each of said ballot boxes; further including providing an indicator on each of said plurality of ballot card counters to verify that each of said ballot cards is tabulated as it is inserted in a ballot box, wherein said indicator comprises a counter having a display, and the ones digit of said counter is arranged to be viewed by a voter as each card is inserted in each of said ballot boxes; wherein said counter is free of any electric or electronic actuation, and shall be construed as providing the official election returns; wherein said counter is connected to be driven by a rack-and-pinion mechanism that causes the insertion movement of the ballot card to advance said counter display.