US520609A - Voting-machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.- J. MOTAMMANY.

VOTING MAUHINE.

INVENTDRI h 741% Patented May 29, 1894.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet2.

J. MOTAMMANY. VOTING MACHINE.

No. 520,609 Patented May 29, 1894.

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JOHN IWIO'IAMMA'NY, OF SPENCER, MASSACHUSETTS.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,609, dated May 29,1894.

Application filed December 2,1893. Serial No $92,607. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MCTAMMANY, of Spencer, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to that class of voting machines which employ a tallysheet to record the votes, and the objects of the invention are to provide for increased secrecy of the ballot, to provide for voting a straight party ticket by a single manipu1ation on the part of the voter instead of his going through a separate operation for each candidate, to provide improved means for feeding the tally-sheet, to provide locking means which take effect automatically when a straight party ticket is voted and prevent repeating, and to provide other arrangements which will increase the efficiency of this class of machines.

To the above ends, the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of the machine. Fig. 2 shows a cross-section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a portion of a longitudinal section, with the parts in a different adjustment from that in which they appear in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a front elevation, with the doors open.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, the letter a designates a frame, to Which the inclosing casing 64 is secured, and which supports a number of transverse frames b. Plates 0, preferably of metal, are supported on shoulders of the transverse frames, and upon these plates are placed the ballot-sheets or voting lists 0'.

The machine is adapted for that style of ballot which contains the names of all the candidates of one party in one list, and all those of another party in another list, so that the whole of any one list constitutes a straight party ticket. There are as many ballotsheets as there are parties, and they are separated by the partition-frames b. r

The push-pieces d to be operated upon by the voter appear through the front of the frames 19, and the latter are formed with guide-ridges b to guide the voter to the pushpieces. Each ballot-sheet is, covered by a glass plate 6, so as to secure it against being extracted or mutilated and yet have it clearly visible, and these glass plates are held in a frame 6', which is fastened to the main frame a in any suitable manner, as by being formed at one end with tenons to engage mortises in the frame a, and provided at the other end with a hasp engaging a staple on the main frame and held by a padlock.

The box has a door, composed of two membersf hinged at opposite ends of the box, and the latter is designed to stand on its side and the doors to thus open outwardly. The doors are operatively connected by means of a band or belt f, fastened to drums f on the journals of the lids.

The tally-sheet g is unwound from a roll 9 and wound upon a roll and is carried over idlers 9 supported by the frame a, and be hind the rear ends of the partitions b, said rear ends being rounded, as shown.

In each frame b are supported aseries of sliding rods or push-pieces d, which emerge at the front alongside the voting-list, as previously stated, there being one of these push-pieces opposite each name of a candidate. Each rod or push-piece is yieldingly supported by a spring d, and is prevented'from turning by a pin 61 extending through a slot in the rod. At the rear end, the rod has a circular head d and a punch 03 thereon, and said head fits an opening in the frame 5, across which the tally-sheet passes, and within which the punch recedes in its normal position. It will be seen that the pushing in of the push-rod carries the punch through the tally-sheet. Now if the punches of a series of push-rods were all in line, the perforations made by one voter would extend in a straight line transversely of the tally-sheet. The identity of a voter might be disclosed with such an arrangement, and hence I vary the positions of the punches with respect to, the centers of the push-rods,

so as to throw them out of alignment. In this,

way, the perforations made by different voters are so mixed up as to make identity of a voter by the tally-sheet impossible.

In conjunction with the push-pieces, a gong h is employed so as to notify the voter that he has depressed a'push-piece to the desired extent. A pivotal frame h extends under the punches, and is adapted when actuated by any one of the latter to operate a hammer h, which strikes the gong.

The tally-sheet is fed along step by step by the opening of the doors, through the following means: The roll 9 carries a ratchet g and an arm 9 pivoted on thejournal of said roll, carries a pawl g for engagement with said ratchet. The arm g extends into a slot in one door, and is connected with the latter by a link 9 so that upon opening the door the arm will be moved and will cause the pawl to move the ratchet and the roll through one tooth of the ratchet, and thus carry the tallysheet along one step. Upon closing the door, the pawl will be carried over the next tooth of the ratchet, so as to be ready for action on that tooth when the door is next opened.

The means for voting a straight party ticket by a single manipulation will next be described. Each push-rod has a pin 2' affixed transversely in it and protruding on opposite sides, and arock-shaftt" extends behind each series of push-rods, and carries projections t to act against the pins 2' and depress the pushrods simultaneously. Each rock-shaft will carry a handle, with a suitable inscription designating the party. A ratchet t on the rock-shaft and a pawl engaging the said ratchet prevent rotation of the rock-shaft in the wrong direction.

The means for automatically looking all the push-rods of all the series after a straight ticket vote are as follows: A carriage j is supported by the frames b, and carries pivotal locking-plates j, one for each series of pushrods and adapted for engagement under the pins '5 thereof. These locking-plates are held normally at right angles to the carriage by springs 7' which bear against arms j on the plates and hold them yieldingly against suitable stops on the carriage. A longitudinal movement of the carriage takes the lockingplates behind the pins of the push-rods and prevents inward movement of the latter. Longitudinal movement of the carriage which effects this is brought about through projections It on one of the rock-shafts z" acting against projections on the carriage. These projections k are located out of horizontal alignment with the projections t so as not to interfere with the push-pieces.

The carriage is actuated by a spring m to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 1. When one of the rock-shafts is turned to vote a straight party ticket, the carriage is moved to its locking position, and is held in such position by a latch 02, which engages a projection 41' on the carriage; When the carriage is thus moved transversely, the locking-plate which co-acts With the depressed push-rods is carried against the pins thereof (see Fig. 3). When the projections on the rock-shaft pass the pins on these push-rods, the latter are restored to their normal position, and the locking-plate springs under the pins 1' and prevents repeating. The parts are all restored to operative adjustment by the closing of the door, through the agency of a tappet-rod 0, so arranged as to be pushed in by the lid, and to act upon the latch n and disengage it from the carriage (see Fig. 1).

The doors are designed to be held closed by springs, and one of them has a knob by which to open it. The voter pulls on this knob, and thereby opens both doors. If he desires to vote a straight party ticket, he turns the handle of the rock-shaft which is labeled for that party. If he desires to vote individually for the candidates, he presses the push-rods opposite the names of the candidates.

An implement of proper form will be provided, wherewith to operate the push-pieces, and the latter are formed with flaring sockets in their upper ends to receive the implement, which is correspondingly formed.

When the voter leaves the booth, the doors of the machine close automatically, and when they are opened by the next voter the tallysheet is fed along. Openings may be made at suitable places, through which sufficient of the tally-sheet is visible to show that it is working, but these openings will not be of such an extent as to show how the sheet is perforated. When the voting is over, the votes may be quickly counted by the perforations in the tally-sheet. It will now be seen that my invention accomplishes the objects primarily set out.

It is to be noted that the push-pieces which carry the punches have position on one side of the tally-sheet, while the alarm-operating devices are on the opposite side of the tallysheet, thereby making it impossible to actuate the alarm without puncturing the tallysheet.

A brake is applied to the unwinding drum g, so as to keep the tally-sheet taut, and comprises a resilient band y, embracing the drum, and having its ends fastened to one end of a lever y, the opposite end of which bears on an adj ustment-screw g supported in a lug on the casing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a voting machine, the combination of an inclosing casing, transversely-extending supports therein holdingthe voting-lists, pushpieces in the supports alongside the votinglists and carrying punches positioned variously with respect to the centers of the pushpieces, a tally-sheet extending across said punches, and means for feeding said tallysheet.

2. In a voting machine, the combination of supports for a voting-list, a series of pushpieces alongside the voting-list and independently movable and having lateral projections,

and a rock-shaft carrying projections to coact with those on the push-pieces, and whose rotation simultaneously actuates the said push-pieces.

3. In a voting machine, the combination of supports for a plurality of different votinglists, a plurality of series of push-pieces, one series extending along each voting-list and each push-piece being independently movable, a handle for each series of push-pieces, means controlled by said handle for simultaneously operating all the push-pieces of a series, and locking-devices controlled by each handle for rendering the push-pieces inoperative for repeating.

4. In a voting machine, the combination of supports for a plurality of different votinglists, a plurality of series of push-pieces, one series extending along each voting-list and each push-piece being independently movable, a handle for each series of push-pieces, means controlled by said handle for simultaneously operating all the push-pieces of a series, lockingdevices controlled by each handle for rendering the push-pieces inoper ative for repeating, and means for releasing said locking-devices, which means control access to the voting-lists.

5. In a voting machine, the combination of an inclosing casing having a hinged door, supports for a plurality of different voting-lists, a plurality of series of push-pieces, one series extending along each voting-list and each push-piece being independently movable, a handle for each series of push-pieces, means controlled by said handle for simultaneously operating all the push-pieces of a series, locking-devices controlled by each handle for rendering the push-pieces inoperative for repeating, and means controlled by the hinged door of the casing for releasing the said locking-devices.

6. In a voting machine, the combination of an inclosing box or casing having a hinged door; supports in the casing for different voting-lists; a plurality of series of push-pieces, one series extending along each voting-list and each push-piece being independently movable and havinga lateral projection; rockshafts extending along the series of pushpieces and having projections for co-action with the projections on the push-pieces, and also provided with other projections; a carriage provided with pivotal locking-pieces, one for each series of push-pieces, adapted to engage and lock the push-pieces, and projections to co-act with projections on the rockshafts; a latch adapted to hold the carriage in its locked adjustment; and a tappet-rod operated by the hinged lid and adapted to release the said latch.

7. In a voting machine, the combination of an inclosing box or casing, a tally-sheet in said casing, push-pieces located at one side of said sheet and adapted to puncture the same, a bell-striker located at the opposite side of the sheet in the path of the pushpieces and adapted to be moved thereby, and a bell arranged to be struck when a pushpiece punctures the tally-sheet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 20th day of November, A. D. 1893.

JOHN MOTAMMANY.

\Vitnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, WALTER F. MCLEOD.

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