US3232528A - Programming apparatus for voting machine - Google Patents

Description

Fe 1, 19 6 E. J. CROSSLAND ET AL PROGRAMMING APPARATUS FOR VOTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 9, 1960 INVENTORS CEOSSLAND EDWARD J.

BY Ada STANLEV W M/ILCOX ArroeMsVs Feb 1966 E. J. CROSSLAND ET AL 3,232,528

PROGRAMMING APPARATUS FOR VOTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 9, 1960 P 5 m m E @W s I ,\v mnmom P M H 4 an a a. 9 5 R 0 I 2/ T A C 2 Z 5 u AND CARD CONTROL CIRCUIT A.C. SOURCE Feb. 1, 1966 E. J. CROSSLAND ET AL PROGRAMMING APPARATUS FOR VOTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ann INVENTORS EDWARD J. CEOSSLAND BY AA/D STANLEY W Wucax Arron/5%.

United States Patent 0 3,232,528 PROGRAMMING APPARATUS FOR VOTING MACHINE Edward J. Crossland and Stanley W. Wilcox, Tulsa, Okla.,

assignors to Seismograph Service Corporation, Tulsa,

Okla., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 74,887 34) Claims. (Cl. 23550) This invention relates generally to voting machines of the type employing a ballot card 'for recording the voters selections and is more particularly concerned with a new and improved voting machine of this type which is very simple to program prior to an election so that the voter may cast his vote only on those issues for which he is qualified.

A voting machine must be suitable for use both in primary elections and in general elections. When it is used in a primary election, the arrangement must be such that the voter may cast his votes only for candidates of his own party. This means either that separate machines must be provided at each voting station for the different political parties participating in the election or that the machine must be so programmed or set up by an election official prior to the use of the machine by each voter that the voter cannot participate in the selection of candidates of parties other than his own. A similar problem arises in some elections where a voter may not be qualified to vote on certain issues as, for example, in the case of issues where only real property owners are eligible to participate. The use of separate voting machines in such special cases or in primary elections is, of course, expensive and, particularly in regions where relatively small numbers of voters use a voting station, is not a very practical solution to the problem. The programming of the machine for each voter is a laborious and time consuming operation and, hence, considerably impedes the progress of the election. Moreover, the mechanism employed in prior art machines to accomplish the result has been very complex and expensive, since these machines have resorted to elaborate interlock arrangements connected between the different selectors of the voting machine.

In pending US. application Serial No. 74,825, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and now Patent No. 3,096,017, a voting machine is disclosed including manually operated mechanism for programming the machine according to voter classification prior to use by each voter. While the mechanism disclosed in this application for performing the programming function represents a considerable improvement over prior art devices, it suffers from several of the disadvantages previously described since it must be manually set prior to use by each voter in a primary election.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a voting machine having new and improved mechanism for programming the machine according to the classification of the voter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a voting machine using a card having appropriate indicia thereon indicative of the classification of the voter with the machine being automatically programmed in response to such indicia so that the voter is able to vote only on those issues for which the is qualified.

A further object of the invention is to provide a voting machine of the character described employing a plurality of side by side columns each having several manually operable selectors for enabling the voter to make his selections together with an electrical circuit associated with each column and including a multi-position selector switch for activating the associated column so that the different 3,232,528 Patented Feb. I, 1966 selectors therein are effective only if the voters classification corresponds to the switch position.

The invention has for another object the provision of a voting machine using a ballot card for recording the voters selections and including means for preventing the machine from being voted unless the card is inserted properly.

The invention has for a further object the provision of a voting machine of the type wherein a ballot card is inserted through an access door which is latched in position following proper insertion of the card, the machine further including means for preventing opening of the access door after the card has been properly inserted.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a voting machine employing different groups of selectors adapted to be respectively operated by different classifications of voters together with an electrical control circuit for rendering effective the group of selectors so that each voter may vote only upon those issues for which he is eligible.

The foregoing and other objects are realized, according to the present invention, by providing a voting machine having a plurality of side by side vertical columns each divided into a number of selecting positions. The selecting positions of the different columns are aligned in a plurality of horizontal rows. Spaced apart stops in each column divide the column into several office groups with one or more selectors being slideable along the column within each group from a neutral position located adjacent one of the stops to one of the selecting positions in order to permit the voter to make a choice between the candidates of each group.

Associated with each column is a multi-position selector switch having different positions respectively corresponding to the different classifications of each voter. Thus, the different issues to be decided by any particular class of voters are set up on one or more columns and the switch associated with each such column is set in the position corresponding to that voter class.

A ballot card containing indicia representing the voters classification is then inserted through an access door into the machine where a card sensing mechanism determines Whether the card has been inserted properly and, if not, prevents completion of the voting operation. If the card has been inserted properly the access door is latched in closed position and the sensing mechanism determines the voters classification from the indicia on the card and then renders effective only those columns containing issues upon which the voter is eligible to exercise his choice. The remaining columns are not actuated.

After the voter has moved the selectors to the selecting positions of his choice, a Vote switch is closed to move a scanning mechanism along all of the columns. A set of punches, one for each column to be voted, registers the voters choices upon the ballot card by punching holes in the card at positions corresponding to each selecting position chosen by the voter. This is accomplished bymoving the ballot card past the punches step by step as the scanning device moves from one horizontal row of selecting positions to the next. As each row is scanned, in each column where a selector has been moved to a selecting position, an electrical circuit is completed to the punch associated with that column thus punching a hole in the card. Those columns which are not actuated, that is, those columns containing issues on which the voter is not eli ible to vote are electrically disconnected from their punches and, hence, even if the voter attempts to vote on issues for which he is not eligible his choice is not recorded on the ballot card. The described operation continues until all of the rows have been scanned and at the completion of the scan, an alarm is sounded to indicate that a vote has been cast. At the same time, the latch to the access door is released so that the machine is conditioned for the next voter.

Whenthe next voter inserts his ballot card properly, the scanning mechanism is moved along the columns in the reverse direction from the scanning direction and at this time all of the selectors are returned from their selecting positions to their neutral positions.

The invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a voting machine characterized by the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates certain of the parts of the voting machine illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electrical circuit for controlling the operation of the voting machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, a voting machine characterized by the features of the present invention is there shown as comprising a housing 11 made up of a number of individual panels locked together to form a closed unit. The panels may be disassembled by means of key operated locks or the like with the keys being retained in the possession of election ofi'icials whose duty is to supervise the operation of the machines during an election. Since the construction of the panels and the key operated locks forms no part of the present invention, and since they may be of any conventional construction, they are not :described in detail. The housing 11 includes an upper, generally vertically extending voting panel portion 12 having a front panel 13 upon which the voter makes his selections. The housing 11 further includes a lower ballot handling section 14 extending forwardly from the voting panel section 12 to form a relatively flat shelf area 15. The voting machine 10 is preferably of the type described and claimed in copending application Serial No. 74,825, now Patent No. 3,094,277, filed simultaneously herewith and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. As is described in detail in the latter application, the ballot handling section of the voting machine comprises a ballot receiving and punching mechanism indicated generally by the reference numeral 16 which has the function of receiving a ballot card inserted into the voting machine through an access opening 17 formed at one side of the section 14. The opening 17 is adapted to be covered or closed by a door 18 normally biased towards the open position.

The voting operation is initiated by insertion of the ballot card 31) through the access opening 17 to the ballot receiving and punching mechanism 16 where the card is held in fixed position while the voter makes his selections upon the front panel 13. After the ballot card has been inserted, the voter closes the access door 18 and if. the ballot card is properly positioned within the machine in a manner to be described more fully hereinafter, the door is latched in the closed position so that it cannot be opened during the remaining portion of the voting cycle.

As is described in the above-identified copending application, the voter makes his selections by moving slideable voting selectors or keys 19 which are mounted for vertical sliding movement upon a plurality of side by side columns 28a, 20b, etc. making up the front panel 13. Each column is provided with a candidate strip listing the various issues in that column to be decided by the voter. Each column is divided into a number of office groups by means of stops (not shown) which limit the sliding movement of the individual keys. Each office group contains a number of selecting positions with the selecting positions of the different columns being aligned j motor 22 from a source 23 of power.

in horizontal rows. rows used is not important, it has been found that twelve columns and thirty horizontal rows provide an arrangement which may be conveniently used with commercially available, data handling, punch cards. At least one voting key or selector 19 is provided for each office group and the voters selection is made by moving the voting key from a neutral position adjacent the upper stop of its oi'fice group until the pointer 19a of the key points to the name of the candidate in that office group selected by the voter.

As soon as all of the voting keys 19 have been moved to the proper selecting positions, the voter starts the regis= tering or recording operation by actuating a manually operated VOTE switch 21. More specifically, and referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the actuation of the VOTE switch 21 completes a circuit to a drive The motor 22 is suitably connected via reduction gearing to drive a chain and sprocket assembly 24 carrying a scanning mechanism 25. A second sprocket and chain assembly may be provided at the opposite end of the scanning mechanism but, to simplify the illustration, this has been omitted from the drawing. The scanning mechanism 2d is adapted to sweep along the rear of the voting panel 13 in order to sense the selecting positions selected by the voter and to supply electrical signals to thepu'nching mechanism 16 to punch the ballot card at positions cor= responding to these selections. Thus, the ballot card 359 is divided into a number of columns extending lengthwise of the card with each such column corresponding to one of the columns 2%, 219b, etc. on the voting machine. As was indicated previously, the different selecting positions of the columns on the voting machine panel 13 are horizontally aligned to form a series of horizontal rows. As the scanning mechanism 25 progrss'esfrom row to row along the rear of the panel 13, tie ballot card 30 is advanced step by step through the unching mechanism 16. The scanning mechanism is of the type described and claimed in the above-identified application Serial No. 74,825 and, as shown, its sensing or vote detecting sweep occurs during the movement of a horizontal scanning rail 26 from the top of the panel 13 to the bottom. As is described in the copending application, the rail 26 comprises an inner support rod 27 and an outer shell 28 fitting over the rod. The outer shell has a polygon shaped periphery and carries a rigid sheli turning finger 29 which engages a fixed stop 31 as the rail approaches the bottom of the panel 13, thereby to turn the shell through a predetermined angle for a pur= pose which will become evident as the description proceeds. When the scanning mechanism reaches the bot tom of its vote detecting sweep it engages a lower limit switch 33 which is effective in a manner described more fully below to interrupt the drive to the motor 22. The scanning mechanism then remains at the bottom of the panel until the next succeeding voter inserts a properly I positioned ballot card into the machine in which case the direction of drive of the motor 22 is reversed, thereby reversing the direction of sweep of the scanning mecha nism Z5 and raising the rail 26 along the rear of the panel 13. During the reverse sweep of the scanning mechanism key restoring fingers 35a, 35b, etc. (one such finger being provided for each column) mounted on the rail 24 are positioned to pick up the actuated voting keys 19 to return all of them to their neutral positions adjacent the upper stops of the ofiice groups. It should be recalled that at the bottom of the sweep, the shell 28 was turned in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 by the coaction between the rigid detent 29 and the fixed stop 31 and, as a result, the restoring fingers 35a, 35b, etc. are,

disposed to engage the voting keys as the rail is raised.

As the scanning rail approaches its upper position during its return movement the rigid shell turning detent 2-9 engages a fixed upper stop 32 which is effective to turn While the number of columns and the shell 29 back to the position shown in FIG. 2. The drive to the motor 22 is terminated when the scanning mechanism engages an upper limit switch 34 so that the scanning rail is held in the upper or raised position until the VGTE switch 21 is again actuated after the voter has made his selections by moving the keys 19. While the rail is illustrated as moving downwardly during the vote sensing sweep and moving upwardly during the key restoring sweep, the direction of sweep is not important since the voting machine could also be designed with minor changes to permit the vote sensing to occur during the upward movement of the scanning rail and to restore the keys during the downward movement. Of course, this reverse operation would require that the neutral positions of the voting keys be located adjacent the lower stop of each office group.

Returning now to the vote sensing operation and referring still to FIG. 2 of the drawings, it will be observed that the scanning rail 26 supports or carries a number of .voting wipers 36a, 36b, etc. there being one such wiper for each of the columns a, 2%, etc. making up the front panel. During the downward sweep of the rail 26, the wipers are positioned to complete an electrical circuit to the punching mechanism whenever they pass a voting key 19. While the wipers 36a, 36b, etc. are illustrated as actually engaging the voting keys 19, this is merely for simplification since, in actual practice, as will be apparent by reference to the above-identified copending application Serial No. 74,825, the voting keys bend or flex detent fingers of an elongated, continuous strip through which the diiferent selecting positions of each column are electrically connected. The common electrical connection ailorded by the continuous detent strip is represented by the common conductors 33a, 38b, etc. respectively associated with the columns a, 301;, etc. All of the wipers 36a, 3612, etc. are connected together via a common lead 37 which is in turn connected to one side of an AC. power source and control circuit 23, for example, to the ground side. Each key operated wiper is adapted to be electrically connected to the associated column of the panel as, for example, by engagement with the spring fingers of the elongated detent strip referred to above. Thus, the wiper 36a is adapted to be electrically connected to the elongated column Ztla, the wiper 36b is adapted to be electrically connected to the column 2% and so on. Each column is electrically connected to one of the punch solenoids of the punch mechanism 16 which may be of the type described in copending application Serial No. 74,888 filed simultaneously herewith by Stanley W. Wilcox and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The operation of the punch mechanism will be apparent from the latter application and, hence, this mechanism will not be described in detail herein. in any event, the column 20a is connected to a first punch solenoid 16a, the column 201) is connected to a second punch. solenoid 16b, and so on. The energization of the punch solenoids is effective to draw associated punching knives into position to actuate male punching dies as is described in detail in the aboveidentified copending application Serial No. 74,888.

The step by step advance of the ballot card 30 through the punch mechanism 16 is controlled by a wiper mounted on the scanning rail 26, the latter wiper, indicated by reference numeral 40, being connected to the common ground conductor 37. A11 elongated, vertical conducting strip 41 carrying a number of vertically spaced pins or wiper contactors 42 thereon is shown for periodically engaging the wiper during the downward sweep of the rail 26. The strip 40 is electrically connected to a solenoid (not shown in FIG. 2) but identified by reference numeral 39 in FIG. 3 and forming part of a mechanism 43 for advancing the card. The latter mechanism may arrangement with the ratchet being advanced one step whenever the solenoid 39 of the mechanism 43 is energized. Thus, as the scanning rail 26 moves from row to row along the rear of the voting panel 13 during its vote detecting sweep, the wiper 4t) periodically contacts the vertically spaced pins 42 thus completing an electrical circuit to the solenoid 39 with the result that the ballot card moves step by step through the punch mechanism 16 in synchronism with the continuous sweep of the scanning rail 26. The mechanism 43 may also include a suitable stop (not shown) indexing the ballot card in proper position within the punching mechanism when the card is inserted into the machine, this stop being released when the VOTE switch is actuated in order to permit the card to advance. The mechanism 43 including the last mentioned stop is adapted to return rapidly to its original or starting position at the completion of the vote detecting scan of the rail 26.

For the purpose of controlling the actuation of the male punches and their associated knives in the punching mechanism 16, the scanning rail 26 carries a wiper 45 which is connected to the common ground lead 37. A vertical conducting strip 46 carrying a plurality of ver tically spaced pins or wiper contactors 49, one for each horizontal row of selecting positions, is electrically connected to a solenoid 47 for controlling the movement of a punch lever 43 which drives the punch knives downward against their associated male punching dies in order .treme upper position at the start of the registering operation, the wiper 40 engages the top pin 42 on the strip 41 thus advancing the ballot card 30 one step. When the scanning rail moves adjacent the first horizontal row of selecting positions of the voting panel, the wipers 36a, 36!), etc. detect which of the voting keys in that row have been moved to a selecting position and they actuate the punch solenoids 16a, 16b, etc. associated with each energized column containing a voting key or selector in the first horizontal row. As soon as the .punch solenoids have been energized, the wiper 45 engages the top pin 49 on the strip 46 thus energizing the solenoid 47 to force the punch actuating lever 48 downwardly against the punch knives, thereby forcing through the ballot card all of the punching dies associated with an energized punch solenoid 16a, 16b, etc. Thus, one or more holes are formed transversely of the ballot card 30 at column positions on the card corresponding to the columns 20a, 20b containing actuated voting keys in the first horizontal row of the voting panel. The scanning rail continues its downward movement and as it approaches the second horizontal row of selecting positions on the voting panel, the wiper 40 engages the second pin 42 on the strip 41, thus completing a circuit to actuate the step by step card advance mechanism 43 in order to move the ballot card 39 forwardly one additional step thus bringing a new row or area of the ballot card between the punching dies. When the wipers 36a, 3612, etc. reach the second horizontal row of selecting positions each energized column 20a, 20b, etc. containing a voting key 20a, 2%, etc. is effective to complete a circuit to the associated punch solenoid with the results described above. When the wiper 45 engages the second of the pins 49 on the strip 46, all of the actuated punches are moved through the ballot card in a manner which will be obvious in view of the foregoing description. The above described operation continues as the scanning rail 26 is driven continuously along the rear of the panel 13 until the rail reaches a position near the bottom of its sweep at which time the detent 29 thereon engages the fixed stop 31 in order to turn the shell 28 through a predetermined angle as described above. A wiper 52 connected to the common ground lead 37 engages a .pin 53 on a vertical conducting strip 54 and thus completes a circuit which is effective to energize an End of Sweep relay 55 (FIG. 3) for a purpose which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The scanning rail 26 moves slightly below the pin 53 before it engages the lower limit switch 33 to interrupt the drive to the motor 22 and, as a result, the relay 55 is deenergized. As was indicated above, the return sweep 'of the scanning mechanism does not occur until the next voter starts the voting machine operation by properly inserting his ballot card and by closing the access door 13 and, hence, the scanning rail remains in its lower position. When the shell 28 is turned at the bottom of the sweep, the wipers 36a, 36b, etc. 40, 45 and 52 are moved to positions where they cannot engage their associated voting keys or actuating pins and, hence, these wipers cannot complete the circuits for their associated solenoids 16a, 1612, etc., relays 39, 47 and 55 during the return movement of the scanning rail. However, when the shell '28 is turned, the key restoring fingers 35a, 35b, etc. are

moved to positions where they engage the voting keys as the scanning rail is returned to its uppermost position. Since one key restoring finger is associated with each of the columns 29a, 2%, etc. these fingers are effective to lift all of the voting keys until the upward movement of the keys is prohibited by the stops at the top of each office group whereupon the restoring fingers flex or bend to pass over the voting'keys, thus leaving each key in its neutral position.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, the ballot card 3t contains suitable indicia, for example, holes pie-punched before the card is furnished to the voter, which indicia correspond to or represent the classification of the voter. For example, in a primary election, the ballot card is pre-punched with one or more holes representing the political party affiliation of the voter. In an election where other qualifications, such as the property holding status of the voter, are used to determine his eligibility, the ballot card is pro-punched with the necessary information to indicate his classification.

The voting machine of the present invention is adapted to sense the voting card indicia and to render effective only those columns Zita, 2%, etc. containing issues upon which the voter is eligible to vote. As is shown in. FIG.

2, the card sensing apparatus comprises a plurality of sensing wipers 6t 61, 62, etc. spaced apart transversely of the card and normally biased or flexed downwardly towards an insert plate 63a carried by but electrically insulated from a grounded card support plate 63. One such sensing wiper is provided for each voter classification. Obviously, if the wiper encounters a pro-punched card hole, it engages the insert plate 63a but if the card is not punched in the area below the wiper, the card insulates the wiper from the latter plate.

A switch operating arm 64 is provided for detecting the presence of the ballot card and another such arm 65 detects the advanve of the ballot card after the VOTE :switch 21 is actuated. The arms '64 and 65 respectively control the operation of associated switches 66 and 67, the purpose of which will become evident as the description proceeds. The switches 66 and 67 are normally open in the absence of a ballot card but when their operating arms 64 and 65 are raised by the insertion of a card, their switch contacts are closed.

For the purpose of determining whether the card has been properly inserted into the voting machine, there is provided a wiper 68 normally biased or flexed towards the grounded card support plate 63. The ballot card is provided with suitable position indicating indicia as, for example, by cutting off a corner of the card as indicated at 30b. If the ballot card is properly positioned on the "plate 63 in the manner shown in 'FIG. 2 the wiper 68 engages the plate in the area of the cut corner of the card and, hence, an electrical circuit described below is completed which permits the voting operation to continue. If, on the other hand, the card 3%) is not inserted properly, it will break the contact between the wiper 68 and the plate 63, thus preventing the voting operation from being continued until the card has been removed and re-inserted in proper orientation.

As was previously indicated, the ballot card 30 is inserted through the opening 17 which is adapted to be closed or covered by the door 18. The latter door is biased towards its open position in any conventional manner as, for example, by one or more biasing springs 69. A fixed switch actuator 7b is effective when the door is closed to engage and operate an interlock switch 71. A latching device generally indicated by the reference numeral '73 is provided for latching the door in closed position only if the wiper 6:; indicates that the ballot card is properly positioned within the machine. The latching device 73, which may be of any suitable construction, holds the door 18 in closed position throughout the voting cycle and, hence, prevents removal of the ballot card during the voting cycle. As shown in PEG. 2, the latching device comprises a keeper 74 carried by the door and a latch arm "25 mounted for pivotal movement upon a pin '76 and having a blade portion '77 cooperating with the keeper '74 to perform the latching function. The arm 75 is normally biased to pivot about the pin 76 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 by means of a spring 78 so that the latching device 73 is normally ineffective. A solenoid 79 is provided for overcoming the biasing spring '76 to pivot the arm 75 in a clockwise direction in order to engage the blade portion '77 in the eeper 74, thus latching the door in closed position.

In accordance with another important feature of the invention, each of the columns 20a, 2012, etc., has ass-oci ated therewith a multiple position manually operated selector switch with the switch associated with the column 20a being identified by the reference numeral 80a, that associated with the column 2% being identified by the reference numeral 80b and so on. Each column also has associated therewith an indicating light, the light for the column 26a being identified by reference numeral 81a, the light for the column 2%!) being identified by the reference numeral 31b, and so on. The illumination of the indicating lights 81a, 31b, etc. is visible from the front panel which, as shown in FIG. 1, is provided with colored light covers 82a, 82b, etc. respectively provided at the top of each column. The switches 80a, 8%, etc. are adapted to be preset by the election oificials to cooperate with the sensing wipers 61' 61 and s2 to render effective only those columns 20a, 20b, etc. of the panel containing issues upon which the Voter is qualified to vote as indicated by the pro-punched classification information on his ballot card. The illumination of the lights 31a, 81b, etc. will indicate which columns are active and, hence, will inform the voter as to the columns in which his selections should be made. To this end, each selector switch contains a number of switch positions corresponding to the number of different voter classifications. For purposes of illustration, a three position switch is illustrated so that the voting machine is capable of handling three different classifications of voters, for example, Democrat, Republican and Independent, if a primary election is being held. Thus, each of the selector switches contains a movable wiper arm 83 and a set of three fixed contacts 84, 85 and 86. Each of the voter classification sensing wipers 6d, 61 and 62 has associated therewith a control relay, these relays being identified by the reference numerals W), 91 and 92, respectively. Thus, it will be observed that the wiper 60 is electrically connected to one side of the operating coil of the relay and is also connected directly to the first contact 84 of each of the manually operated selector switches 80a, 801;, etc. Similarly, the wiper 61 is electrically connected to one side of the operating coil 9 "of the relay 91 and is also connected directly to the second contact 85 of each of the selector switches 80a, 80b, etc. Finally, the wiper 62 is electrically connected to the operating coil for the relay 92 and is also connected directly to the third contact 86 of each of the selector switches 80a, 80b, etc.

To understand the operation of the electrical circuit illustrated in FIG. 3, let it be assumed that it is desired to program the voting machine 10 for operation in a prirnary election and that all of the oflice groups upon which a Democrat voter is eligible to vote are to be located in the first two columns, namely, columns 20a and 2011. To energize the columns 20a and 20b for op- -eration by each Democrat voter, the switches 89a and 80b are set to the positions shown in FIG. 3 so that the wiper arm 83 of both of these switches are connected through the first contacts 84 to the sensing wiper 60 which is adapted to determine whether the ballot card 30 has been pre-punched for a Democrat voter. More specifically, if the voter is a Democrat he will be supplied with a ballot card containing a pre-punched hole which will be located below the wiper 60 when the card is in proper position. Current is supplied from one terminal 93 of the power source via a path described more fully below, through the insert plate 63a and through the contact wiper 60 to both of the columns Zita and 2%, the power obviously being supplied through the selector switches 80a and 89b and through the punch solenoids 16a and 16b respectively associated with the columns 242a and 20b. Those columns having their selector switches in the second or third switch positions, as for example, the column 20c illustrated in FIG. 3, will not receive power from the Democrat card sensing wiper 60. bviously, since the ballot card is not pre-punched beneath the wipers 61 and 62, no power is applied to the second or third sets of contacts of the switches and, as a consequence, none of the remaining columns is energized. Thus, when the scanning mechanism 25 sweeps downwardly in the vote sensing direction, only the wipers 36a and 36b of the first two columns are effective to complete electrical circuits to their associated punch solenoids 16a and 16b. Thus, all of the voters selections on the columns set up for a Democrat vote are punched onto the ballot card 30 so that these selections may be tabulated or computed at the counting station by running the cards through appropriate punch card operated tabulators. Even though the voter attempts to exercise choices in other columns containing issues for which he is not eligible to vote, that is, if the Democrat voter, either inadvertently or intentionally, moves the voting keys in columns other than the columns 20a and Ztib, the circuits to the punching solenoids associated with these other columns will not be completed because their associated select-or switches are not positioned to correspond to the voters classification. Thus, any choices made by the voter by moving keys in non-energized columns will not be registered on the ballot card.

In similar manner, if the voter is a Republican he will be given a ballot card which is pre-punched as indicated at 30a in FIG. 2 so that the sensing wiper 61 completes an electrical circuit to the insert plate 63a through the pre-punched hole representing the Republican afliliation of the voter. Thus, all of the selector switches which are in their second positions, for example, the switch 800 shown in FIG. 3, are efiective to supply power to their associated columns. In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 3, only the column 200 is energized, since the Republican sensing wiper 61 is ineffective to supply power to the columns 20a and 20b in view of the tact that their selector switches 80a and 8012 are in engagement with the first switch contacts 84. The later contacts do not receive power in view of the fact that the Democrat sensing wiper 60 is insulated from the insert plate 63a by the presence of the ballot card.

Thus, it will 'be observed that the voting machine of the present invention may be easily programmed or set up to permit the voter to make selections only on those issues for which he is qualified. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this is accomplished by sensing the voters classification via the pre-punched ballot card and by supplying power through the column selector switches only to those columns containing issues upon which the voters classification entitles him to exercise a choice.

Turning now to the operation of the voting machine described above, it will be recognized that after the voter has been furnished a ballot card pre-punched to correspond to his classification, he inserts the card into the machine through the opening 17 until the card is properly indexed. Ir" the card is oriented in proper position with respect to the punching mechanism 16, the wiper 68 will engage the card support plate 63 and the switch 66, which detects the presence of a ballot card in the voting machine, is closed. After the card has been inserted, the voter closes the door 18 to actuate the switch 71, thus closing its normally open contacts. It the ballot card has been properly inserted, a circuit is completed through the wiper 63, through the operating coil of a main start relay 95, through the closed contacts of the switch 71, through the card presence detecting switch 66 and through a normally closed set of contacts 55-2 of the End of Sweep relay 55 referred to above. Since the End of Sweep relay 55 is not energized with the scanning mechanism 25 at the bottom of the voting panel following operation by the preceding voter, it is apparent that the contacts 55-2 are closed and, as a result, current flows through the opera-ting coil of the relay between the terminal 93 and the second or grounded terminal of the power supply. The relay 95 is thus energized to close its three sets of contacts 95-1, 95-2 and 95-3. If the ballot card has not been properly inserted into the machine, the wiper 68 will not contact the grounded card support plate 63 and, as a result, it will be impossible to energize the relay 95 so that the operation of the circuit cannot proceed. However, if the ballot card is properly oriented, the energization of the relay 95 completes a circuit to the solenoid 79 through the contacts 95-2 thus latching the door 18 in the closed position to prevent removal of the card. The solenoid 79 remains energized as long as the main control relay 95 is operated. The closing of the relay contacts 95-1 completes a circuit to ground to bypass the wiper 68. Thus, if the latter wiper were positioned at the forward edge 30a of the card instead of the rear edge as illustrated in FIG. 2, the advancement of the card at the beginning of the registering operation would not be effective to deenergize the relay 95. The closing of the contacts 95-3 supplies power through a normally closed set of contacts 98-5 of a sweep start relay 98, through a set of normally closed contacts 34-1 of the upper limit switch 34, through the armature winding of the series wound motor 22, through a set of normally closed contacts 98-3 of the sweep start relay and through the field winding 99 of the motor 22 to ground. Thus, current flows through the windings 99 and 1% to drive the motor in a direction to raise the scanning mechanism 25 along the rear of the votirig panel. As the scanning rail is raised the voting keys are restored to their neutral positions in the manner described above. When the rail reaches its upper position, the shell 28 is turned by the stop 32 to position the key operated wipers 36a, 3612, etc. for the vote detecting sweep and to move the key restoring fingers 35a, 35b, etc. out of the path of the voting keys. The upper limit switch 34 is then engaged to open its normally closed contacts 34-1, thereby interrupting the current flow to the motor 22.

The closing of the contacts 95-3 also supplies power to the insert plate 63a through the card advance detecting switch 67 described above. The latter switch is closed when the ballot card is indexed in its starting position beneath the punch mechanism in the manner illustrated and, hence, the circuit to the insert plate 63a is completed. The classification sensing wipers 60, 61 and 6 2 sense the classification of the voter as indicated by the pre-punched holes in the ballot card and one of these wipers supplies power to the proper columns corresponding to this classification in the mannor previously described. Here again, let it be assumed that the voter is a Democrat and that the wiper 60 therefore engages the insert plate 63a so that power is supplied to the two columns Ztla and 20b. The relay 90 is also connected to the terminal 93, through the wiper 60 and the insert plate 63a so that this relay is energized to close its holding contacts 90-1. The latter contacts maintain the relay 9t) energized and also supply current via a signal connector 97 in order to maintain the columns Zea and 20b active during the period when the ballot card is being advanced through the punching mechanism 16.

When power is supplied in the manner described to the columns 20a and Ztlb through the selector switches 812a and 3012, the lights 31a and 811) are illuminated to inform the voter that he may exercise choices in these two columns. The voter then moves the voting keys 19 located in these two columns to the selecting positions indicating his choices between the candidates of the ofiice groups appearing on the two columns 29a and 20b and after all of the selections have been made on all of the energized columns, the voter depresses the manually operated VOTE switch 21 to complete a circuit from the energized conductor 97 to the sweep start relay 98 through the normally closed contacts of the lower limit switch 33. Since the scanning rail is at the top of the voting panel at this time, the contacts of the switch 33 are obviously closed and, hence, the relay 98 is energized. The latter relay includes the pair of normally closed sets of motor reversing con tacts 98-3 and 98-5 referred to above and, in addition, includes three normally open sets of contacts 98-1, 98-2 and 98-4. The closing of the contacts 98-1 completes a holding circuit to the terminal 93 to lock the operating coil of the relay 98 across the line until the lower limit switch 33 is engaged by the scanning rail at the completion of the vote detecting sweep. The closing of the contacts 98-2 and 98-4 completes a circuit from the terminal 93 through the contacts 98-1, through the contacts 98-2, through the armature Winding 100, through the contacts 98-4 and through the field winding 9% to ground. The current flow through the motor windings is obviously reversed from that previously described and, hence, the motor is driven in the forward direction to drive the sprocket and chain assembly 24 in order to start the downward movement of the scanning mechanism 25.

As'the scanning rail moves downwardly, the wipers 36a and 36b in the two energized colums 20a and 2911 are effective in the manner described above to complete circuits to the punch solenoids 16a and 16b whenever these wipers encounter a voting key. As was previously indicated, the other columns of the voting machine are not energized and, hence, the remaining punch solenoids are not actuated during the downward sweep of the scanning mechanism. The downward movement of the scanning rail is accompanied by the step by step advancement of the ballot card in the manner previously described. As soon as the ballot card advances, the switch 67 is returned to its normally open position but the opening of the latter switch does not interrupt the supply of power to the energized columns 20a and 20b since the circuit to the actuated selector switches 80a and 80b remains completed through the holding contact 90-1 of the relay 90. It will also be observed that the flow of power to the relay and to the selector switches of the columns is independent of the wiper 6t) and, as a consequence, the advancement of the card to a position where the latter wiper no longer engages the insert plate 63a is not effective to interrupt the power to the energized columns. The secrecy of the ballot may be preserved by means of a curtain (not shown) of the type illustrated and described in the aforementioned application Serial No. 74,825 which curtain is raised and lowered with the scanning mechanism 25 so that it covers the front panel when the vote detecting sweep has been completed.

After the card has been advanced completely through the punch mechanism, it may be inserted directly into a sealed ballot box which may be removed from the machine at the completion of the election for transport to the counting station. The ballot cards may also be supplied to a ballot allotting or sorting mechanism indicated generally by the reference numeral 111) in FIG. 1 which is effective to supply the card alternately to different chambers of a sealed box 111 in the manner described in copending application Serial No. 74,886, now Patent No. 3,148,827 filed simultaneously herewith by Guilbert M. Hunt and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Since the construction of the ballot box 111 and the operation of the allotting mechanism 110 is described in detail in the latter application, this description will not be repeated herein.

When the scanning mechanism 25 reaches the bottom of its sweep, the wiper 52 engages the pin 53 to complete a circuit from the terminal 93 and through the operating coil of the End of Sweep relay 55 to ground. When the relay 55 is energized, its normally open contacts 55-] are closed to complete a circuit to an alarm bell 101 and to an indicating light 162 whose illumination is visible from the exterior of the voting booth containing the voting machine. Actuation of the alarm bell and the light 102 informs the election oflicials that the voters selections have been registered. Energization of the relay 55 is also effective to open the normally closed contacts 55-2 to break the circuit to the main start relay 95. The contacts 95-3 open to prevent supply of power to the columns through the signal conductor 97, while the contacts 95-2 open to break the circuit to the solenoid '79 with the result that the latching device 73 is released and the door 18 is automatically opened to uncover the opening 17 for receipt of ballot card from the next voter entering the voting booth. When the scanning rail reaches the bottom of the sweep and engages the limit switch 33 to open its contacts, the circuit to the sweep start relay 98 is broken and, as a result, the contacts of the latter relay revert to their normal positions. The contacts 98-1 open to break the holding circuit for the relay 98 while the contacts 98-2 and 98-4 open to interrupt the supply of forward drive current to the motor armature and field windings. Thus, the complete voting cycle has been described and the scanning rail is positioned at the bottom of the voting panel awaiting operation by the next voter.

In View of the foregoing description, it will be recognized that the apparatus illustrated and described is efl'ective to accomplish the enumerated objects of the in vention. The voting machine may be programmed prior to an election simply by setting the selector switches a, 86b, etc. to the proper positions whereupon the machine is automatically elfective to permit the voter to make his selections only upon issues for which he is qualified to vote as indicated by the pro-punched indicia on the ballot card supplied to the Voter.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be recognized that many modifications will readily occur to those skilled in this art and it is, therefore, contemplated by the appended 13 claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a voting machine the combination of means defining a plurality of columns of manually operable selectors for permitting the voter to make his selections, said columns containing different issues to be passed upon by the voter, registering means for recording the voters selections, and an electrical circuit associated with each column for rendering each column effective to actuate the registering means, each electrical circuit including a manually operated switch movable to different positions respectively corresponding to the different voter classifications for rendering effective only those columns containing issues upon which the voter is eligible to vote.

2. In a voting machine the combination of means defining a plurality of columns of manually operable selectors for permitting the voter to make his selections, said columns containing different issues to be passed upon by the voter, means including at least one movable scanning device for simultaneously scanning all of said columns to .determine the voters selections, registering means for recording the voters selections as said scanning device is moved, and an electrical circuit associated with each col- :umn for rendering each column effective to actuate the registering means, each electrical circuit including a manually operated switch movableto different positions respectively corresponding to the difierent voter classifications for rendering efrective only those columns containing issues upon which the voter is eligible to vote.

3. In a voting machine the combination of means defining a plurality of columns each containing a number of stops defining a plurality of oifice groups, each office group containing a number of selecting positions, manually operable selectors, at least one for each ofiice group, mounted upon each column and each slideable along said column from a neutral position adjacent one of said stops to one of the selecting positions whereby the voter makes his selections, said stops limiting the movement of the selectors so that the movement of each selector is confined to its office group, means including at least one movable scanning device for simultaneously scanning all of said columns to determine which of the selectors has been moved to a selecting position by the voter, registering means for recording the voters selections as said scanning device is moved, and an electrical circuit associated with each column for rendering each the voter is eligible to vote.

4. In a voting machine of the type utilizing a ballot card for recording the voters selections, said ballot card having indicia corresponding to the voters classification, the combination of means defining a plurality of continuous, spaced apart, parallel columnar members, a candidate strip carried upon each of said members and divided into a number of selecting positions, manually operable selectors mounted upon each columnar member whereby the voter makes his selection at said selecting positions, means including at least one movable scanning device for simultaneously scanning all of said columnar members to determine which of the selecting positions has been selected by the voter, electrically operated registering means for recording upon said ballot card I the selecting positions selected by the voter, means providing a common electrical conductor along each column,

an electrical circuit connected to each common conductor means for passing electrical current to the scanning device at each of the selecting positions along each column selected by the voter, each electrical circuit including a '14 manually operated switch movable to different positions respectively corresponding to the different voter classifications, and means in each electrical circuit responsive to the indicia on the card for energizing only those columnar members whose switch positions correspond with the card indicia.

5. In a voting machine of the type utilizing a ballot card for recording the voters selections, said ballot card having indicia corresponding to the voters classification, the combination of means defining a plurality of columns of manually operable selectors whereby the voter makes his selections, means including at least one movable scanning device for simultaneously scanning all of said columns to determine the voters selections, a plurality of electrically operated registering means, one for each column, for recording upon said ballot card the voters selections, and an electrical circuit connecting each registering means to one of the columns, each electrical circuit including a manually operated switch movable to different positions respectively corresponding to the different voter classifications, and means in each electrical circuit responsive to the indicia on the card for energizing only those columns whose switch positions correspond with the card indicia.

6. In a voting machine of the type utilizing a ballot card having indicia corresponding to the voters classification, the combination of means defining a plurality of columns each containing manually operable selectors whereby the voter makes his selections, means including at least one movable scanning device for simultaneously scanning all of said columns to determine the voters selections, registering means for rendering the voters selections, an electrical circuit connected to each column for rendering that column effective to actuate the registering means, each electrical circuit including a manually operated switch movable to different positions respectively corresponding to the different voter classifications, and means in each electrical circuit responsive to the indicia on the card for rendering effective only those columns whose switch positions correspond with the card indicia.

'7. In a voting machine of the type utilizing a ballot card for recording the voters selections, said ballot card containing indicia thereon corresponding to the voters classification, the combination of means defining a plurality of side by side columns each divided into a number of selecting positions, manually operable means in each column whereby the voter makes his selection upon said selecting positions, registering means for recording upon said ballot card the selecting positions selected by the voter and means for sensing the indicia upon said card and for rendering the registering means ineffective to record any selections for which the voter is not eligible to make a selection because of his classification.

8. In a voting machine of the type adapted to be activated by a card containing-indicia indicative of the voters eligibility, the combination of means for receiving said card and sensing the indicia, selecting and recording means for recording the voters selections, the last named means including a plurality of manually operated selectors manipulated by the voter to make his selections and means for recording said selections for tabulation, and interlocking means for rendering the selecting and recording means effective only if the receiving and sensing means senses that the voter is eligible, said interlocking means being effective to prevent the selecting and recording means from being operated if the voter is ineligible.

9. The apparatus defined by claim 8 wherein the sensing means comprises electrically operated means for sensing said indicia and wherein an electrical circuit including said electrically operated means controls the operation of the selecting and recording means.

159. The apparatus defined by claim 8 wherein the indicia represents the party affiliation of the voter and wherein the interlocking means renders the selecting and recording means effective only for those candidates of the political party for which the voter is qualified to make selections according to his party afiiliation.

11. The apparatus defined by claim 9 wherein the indicia represents the party atliliation of the voter and wherein the interlocking means renders the selecting and recording means effective only for those candidates of the political party for which the voter is qualified to make selections according to his party afliliation.

12. A voting machine for use with a record having voter eligibility indicia thereon, comprising a plurality of manually operable selectors for casting votes, said selectors being manipulatable by the voter to pass upon different issues, vote registering means for producing an indication of votes cast on each issue, means interposed between the manually operable selectors and the vote registering means and normally controlled by selective operation of the manually operable selectors for operating the vote registering means to produce an indication of the votes cast, record sensing means for removably receiving said record, and disabling means controlled by said record sensing means and responsive to indicia on a sensed record representing the voters eligibility for rendering said manually operable selectors ineffective to produce an indication of votes cast in said vote registering means.

13. The voting machine defined by claim 12 wherein said sensing means comprises electrically operated means for sensing said indicia and wherein said disabling means includes an electrical circuit connected to said electrically operated means.

14. A voting machine for use with a record having voter eligibility indicia thereon comprising a plurality of manually operable selectors for casting votes, each of said selectors being manipulatable by the voter from a nonvoting position to a voting position to pass upon different issues, vote registering means for producing an indication of votes cast, means interposed between the manually operable selectors and the vote registering means and controlled by the selective operation of the manually operable selectors for operating the vote registering means to produce an indication of the votes cast, means for restoring to their non-voting positions all of the selectors moved to their voting positions during the vote casting operation, record sensing means for removably receiving said record, disabling means controlled by said record sensing means and responsive to indicia on a sensed rercord representing the voters eligibility for rendering said manually operable selectors ineffective to produce an inrdication of votes cast in said vote registering means.

15. The voting machine defined by claim 14 wherein :said sensing means comprises electrically operated means 'for sensing said indicia and wherein said disabling means includes an electrical circuit connected to said electrical- 1y operated means.

16. The apparatus defined by claim 1 wherein said electrical circuits are included in a common control circuit including means for supplying information indicative of the voters classification, said control circuit including means for rendering effective each column whose :switch is moved to a position corresponding to the clas- :sification information supplied.

17. The apparatus defined by claim 16 wherein the means for supplying information comprises a sensing mechanism cooperating with a voter identification card containing indicia thereon representing the voters classification.

18. The apparatus defined by claim 2 wherein said elec- 'trical circuits are included in a common control circuit including means for supplying information indicative of the voters classification, said control circuit including neans for rendering effective each column whose switch its is moved to a position corresponding to the classification information supplied.

19. The apparatus defined by claim 18 wherein the means for supplying information comprises a sensing mechanism cooperating with a voter identification card containing indicia thereon representing the voters classification.

26). The apparatus defined by claim 3 wherein said electrical circuits are included in a common control circuit including means for supplying information indicative of the voters classification, said control circuit including means for rendering effective each column whose switch is moved to a position corresponding to the classification information supplied.

21. The apparatus defined by claim 20 wherein the means for supplying information comprises a sensing mechanism cooperating with a voter identification card containing indicia thereon representing the voters classification.

22. The apparatus defined by claim 8 wherein there is provided means for receiving and storing said card at the completion of the vote casting operation.

23. The apparatus defined by claim 12 wherein there is provided means for receiving and storing said record at the completion of the vote casting operation. v

24. The apparatus defined by claim 14- wherein there is provided means for receiving and storing said record at the completion of the vote casting operation.

25. The voting machine defined by claim 12 wherein the indicia represents the party affiliation of the voter and wherein the disabling means renders the selecting and recording means eilective only for those candidates of the political party for which the voter is qualified to make selections according to his party affiliation.

26. The voting machine defined by claim 13 wherein the indicia represents the party affiliation of the voter and wherein the disabling means renders the selecting and recording means effective only for those candidates of the political party for which the voter is qualified to make selections according to this party affiliation.

27. The voting machine defined by claim 14 wherein the indicia represents the party atfiliation of the voter and wherein the disabling means renders the selecting and recording means effective only for those candidates of the political party for which the voter is qualified to make selections according to his party affiliation.

28. The voting machine defined by claim 15 wherein the indicia represents the party afiiliation of the voter and wherein the disabling means renders the selecting and recording means effective only for those candidates of the political party for which the voter is qualified to make selections according to his party afiiliation.

29. A method of recording a voters selections in a primary election, said method comprising the steps of furnishing to each voter a record having indicia thereon representing the party atliliation of the voter, inserting said record into a voting machine capable of recording selections made by the voter, causing said machine to sense the indicia on said record and, in response to said sensing, rendering said machine effective to permit the selection and recording only upon issues for which the voter is qualified to vote Within his party affiliation as determined by the aforesaid sensing of the indicia on his record, making voting selections on said machine among the different issues presented to the voter, and, upon completion of the vote casting operation, recording on said record the selections which the voter is qualified to make.

30. A method of recording a voters selections comprising the steps of furnishing to each voter a record having indicia thereon representing the voters eligibility to vote in an election, inserting said record into a voting machine capable of recording selections made by the 17 voter, causing said machine to sense the indicia on the record and, in response to said sensing, rendering said machineefiective to permit the selection and recording only upon issues for which the voter is eligible to vote as determined by the aforesaid sensing of the indicia on his record, making voting selections on said machine, and, upon completion of the vote casting operation, recording on said record the selections made by the voter.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,495 1/ 1917 Lausterer 23554 2,099,202 11/1937 Gustavson 23554 2,289,033 7/1942 Moore 235-50 2,326,204 8/1943 Dowey et al. 23550 2,493,858 1/1950 Carroll 23561.8

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A VOTING MACHINE THE COMBINATION OF MEANS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF COLUMNS OF MANUALLY OPERABLE SELECTORS FOR PERMITING THE VOTER TO MAKE HIS SELECTIONS, SAID COLUMNS CONTAINING DIFFERENT ISSUES TO BE PASSED UPON BY THE VOTER, REGISTERING MEANS FOR RECORDING THE VOTER''S SELECTIONS, AND AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT ASSOCIATED WITH EACH COLUMN FOR RENDERING EACH COLUMN EFFECTIVE TO ACTUATE THE REGISTERING MEANS, EACH ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INCLUDING A MANUALLY OPERATED SWITCH MOVCABLE TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS RESPECTIVELY CORRESPONDING TO THE DIFFERENT VOTER CLASSIFICATIONS FOR RENDERING EFFECTIVE ONLY THOSE COLUMNS CONTAINING ISSUES UPON WHICH THE VOTER IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE.

Images