The first voting machine built and actually used in an election was the invention of Jacob H. Myers; it was used in the election of the town of Lockport, N. Y., in 1892 and attained considerable use elsewhere in that State. This machine was legalized in the State of NeW York, as well as the States of Connecticut and Michigan. Afterward improved machines began to malce their appearance. The inventions of Sylvanus E. Davis and Alfred J. Gillespie re sulted in the Standard and United States Stand ard Voting Machines, which have attained thc greatest use and perhaps the greatest celebrity in the voting-machine art. These machines are used extensively in the States of New York, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey and California. The election for the entire city of Rochester, N. Y., in 1898 was held by 73 of these machines and the election was the first complete and convincing demon stration of the practicability of using voting machines on a large scale. In Buffalo, N. Y., these machines have been used in the elections since 1899; the returns from all of the 108 elec tion districts with over 60,000 voters have been received and tabulated at the city hall in 35 minutes and papers sold on the streets within one hour after the closing of the polls, although the ticket was of considerable size, containing some 150 candidates.
The United States Standard Voting Machine has an upright keyboard, on which the party rows of candidates and keys therefor are ar ranged in horizontal lines with the lines of the offices transverse thereto. At the end of each party row, a lever is provided by means of which all of the keys of that party row may be moved together to a voting position over the names of the candidates nominated by that party; or the keys may be moved separately to a voting position over the names of the can didates for which the voter desires to vote. Before the voter can arrange his ticket he must enter the booth by closing the curtain around him to shield himself from the public, after which he pulls either a party lever for straight ticket voting or a releasing lever, to unlock the keys to enable him to prepare his ballot inde pendently. The machine affords the voter an opportunity to cast a straight party ticicet, to split his ticket, to correct mistakes, to vote for candidates not in nomination and gives him all facilities to cast only a leg-al vote, which is sure to be counted as he indicates. If constitutional amendments or questions are submitted to the people, they can be voted on, provisions being made to vote 4yes's or 'Inop on all such ques tions or amendments. By opening the curtain the voter counts his vote and sets the machine for the next voter. The total vote for each
candidate and question is given at once at the close of the election. The machine is also equipped with loc1couts which are operated by the election officers to prevent particular voters from voting for offices or on questions on which they are not entitled to vote.
The machine is provided with a protective counter which counts up to 1,000,000 and can not be reset, and reliably indicates whether the machine has been operated or changed after it has been prepared. for an election, or after the close of an election.
The Abbot machine has had some use in the State of Michigan, being legalized by the laws of that State. It has all of the candidates for one office mounted on a slide, which can be ad justed according to the wishes of the voter. He can move the office slides to the right or to the left, so as to bring the name of the candidate desired into line with the operating bar, by the operation of which the vote is registered on counters. The machine is lim ited, however, in that it cannot group; that is, provide for the voting for two or more candi dates on one office line, which is always neces sary when two or more candidates are to be elected to an office.
The Bardwell machine, which has been used to a limited extent, has the candidates arranged in office lines and party rows. When the voter enters the booth, he is furnished with a key which he inserts in the key-hole belonging to the candidate he wants to vote for avid turns it half way around. This counts a vote for that candidate and locks the other candidates for the same office from receiving a vote, and by repeating this operation on other office rows the voter is enabled to cast his vote as he de sires for the whole ticket. In case he has made a mistake by casting a vote for the wrong can didate. he can withdraw this vote by again inserting the key in its key-hole and turning it backward. Straight party tickets are counted on separate counters, the operation of which, by- the voter, locks the balance of the counters against operation, but the total of the counters must be added to the counters of the candidates of that party at the end of the election. The machine is so arranged that it is impossible for two persons to vote at the same time or for a second voter to vote before the preceding voter has left the booth by the opposite direc tion from which he entered it. Consult Cleve land, F. A., 'Organized Democracy> (New York 1913) ; Luddington, A. C., (American Ballot Laws> (Albany 1911) ; National Mu nicipal League, (Conference for Good City Government' (New York 1910).