US602011A - Apparatus for counting ballots - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

F. E. HOLT.

APPARATUS FOR COUNTING BALLOTS.

No, 602,011. Patented Apr. 5, 1898.

mineses 176087760? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. HOLT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR COUNTiNG BALLOTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 602,011, dated April 5, 1898.

Application filed February 21, 1896. Serial No. 580,226. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANK E. HOLT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Counting the Australian Ballot, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore the method of counting has been for a precinct officer of one political party to take a block of fifty ballots and an officer of a different party a tally-sheet upon which are printed the names of the candidates appearing on the ballot. The first officer looks over each ballot, calling off the names which have been marked by the voter, and the second places a mark in front of each of the corre spending names on the tally-sheet. It is not convenient for the one calling the names to watch the other with the tally-sheet, nor for the latter to have an eye on the ballot while attending to his end of the business, so that an error, intentional or otherwise, made by either officer is not likely to be discovered unless a recount of the votes is called for.

My invention relates to an improved apparatus for counting the Australian ballot, by means of which the liability of error and the possibility of fraud, so much complained of in the method of counting now used, are removed and the count is made with accuracy and speed. I attain these objects by using the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents the apparatus with a block of fifty ballots in position for counting; Fig. 2, the clamp; Fig. 3, a vertical section of the board on the line 1 2, Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

The board A is of sufficient length and width to properly hold the required number of ballots. From one side project the two springs B B, which hold in position the clamp O, which has fifty marks upon its upper surface.

D is the follower, which is placed on the upper margin of the ballots G after they are in position and is firmly secured by the buttons E E E E.

F is a straight-edge.

To facilitate the counting,the ballots should be printed so that the blank margin at the top will be of a given width, and the pages should be numbered in the upper right-hand corner.

The method of counting is as follows, viz: The ballots in blocks of fifty are first looked over to see if any are improperly marked, any so marked being laid one side to be counted later. The balance are then folded with the printed side out and placed upon the board, the first page uppermost. The first ballot is placed at the right-hand end of the board, the right-hand edge of the ballot corresponding with the first mark on the clamp. The second ballot is placed over the first with its righthand edge corresponding with the second mark on the clamp, and so on with the rest of the block. The marks on the clamp are a sufficient distance apart to show the column of marks made on each ballot by the voter. WVhen all the ballots are in position on the board A, with their upper edges resting in the clamp O,the follower D is placed on the margin of the ballots and fastenedin the clamp by the buttons E E E E. If the ballots are properly placed, the figure l will show in the upper corner of each, thus showing that all the ballots have the first page uppermost. The straight-edge F is now placed under the first name on the ballot and at a glance the whole number of'crosses against that name on the entire block is counted. The straight-edge is now moved under the second name, which is counted in like manner, and so on until the whole of the first page of the ballot is counted. The clamp O is then turned over, which brings the second page in position for counting in the same manner as the first page. In the case of three or four page ballots they are first folded so as to show two pages, and after these are counted are refolded, so as to show the remaining page or pages. After the ballots in the clamp have been counted those laid one side 011 account of improper marking are counted and the result added to the other count.

The officer who handles the straight-edge must be of a different political party from the one with the tally-sheet. The first-named officer does the counting; but he must be followed by the second, and their counts must agree before the entry is made on the tally-sheet by the second officer, and the first clamp C, held in position by said springs, said clamp C, having upon its upper surface marks placed at regular distances from each other to show the proper place for each ballot, and also buttons E, E, E, E, and the follower D, for the purpose specified, all substantially as described.

7 FRANK E. HOLT.

Witnesses:

LUTHER NEWCOMB, C. A. WILKINS.

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