, THK NAMAU PCtfft
;H.V. THURtOAV, OCTOaCR li. 1*14
G>nfu8ing New Bedquilt Paper Ballots Drive Voters to Desperation
and the Automatic Voting Machines are the Voters Only Relief
High Slate Oection Official Calls Latest Leg-
islative Bugaboo a Nightmare of Trouble and
Predicts Unprecedented Complication^
and Contests-Is Sure Voting Machine
Results Will be Unchaljenged—
Town of Hempstead to Try
Out Six Machines
SWING OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS POSSIBLE HERE
.By James E. Stiles I asked a high sUte election official yesterday whether he anticipated any serious trouble from the use of th e; new paper ballot next week. It was a perfectly natural and inottenslTe Q uestion for a newspaper man to ask hut the effect of innocently asking It was to throw that dignified eUte election official Into a towering rage. When he cooled down sufficiently to permit of articulate speech, he said:
"Trouble' Serious trouble 'Great Scott, man, trouble is my £>iamesti twin brother. It's with me day and n ight. We are Inseparable. And for fear that I may forget my ney paper b allot troubles for a single moment the mall man every morning dumps a per feet deluge upon my desk of frantic appeals from local, election officlala t o decide a thousand and one new and confusing points that this new night mare ballot has raised and a mess of letters from anxious candidates askln K me to tell them how they can in a simple way instruct their followers h OW to properly vote. Simple! Help. There is no simple way. There is no thing simple about the new paper bal¬ lot except the printing bills and they are simply enormous.
"We are all working day and nigh t with added clerks and an expensive corps of legal advisors. We are keep Ing up fairly well with our w^rK bui the strain is terrific and our real wor k has not really begun. The minute the polls close the protests and cent ests will begin. One irate candidate told me a few days ago that If he was defeated, no matter by what count, he would contest his opponent's elect ion and flght the case through the courts for months and I don't know f?; at I would blame him.
"The only oases in our Sahara of trouble are the places. where voting machines are used. The adoption of tbe new form of paper ballot has not Interferred with the" machines and we do not anticipate any contests where the machines are used. We never do have trouble in those places."
From all sections of the sUte where the new paper ballot is to be used there has gone up a howl of protest unequalled In the memory ot we pru verblal oldest inhabitant. It is not a yelp here and a yelp there as from a few discontented ones in an other¬ wise contented pack hut the whole pack is in full cry hat on the trail of the men responsible for this new bugaboo of a paper ballot. Big cities, towns and villages are included. The only contented ones seem to be tbose places where voting machines are used and their smiling satisfaction proves doubly aggravating to the less fortunate places.
Paper Ballots prove Confusing In the places where the new paper ballot is to be used candidates, elec¬ tion officers, party workers and voters ^re all confused by the seeming (some say i>ositlve) impossibility ot properly casting and counting the vote. Law- yer« and even Judges on the bench lidiamgyee and therefore explanatloub only serve to further confuse. Argu¬ ments and claims have already arisen which win inexiUbly be carried into ^Jlong draSink out and costly election contests. Highly intelligent voters, experin^enting with the John Doe bal lots, have made mistakes in marking them as If for regular voting which would either liave cost them their votes for certain chosen and favored candidates or utterly spoiled them thus costing them their entire vote. Others have marked them wrongly in suoh a way that the courts would bave to decide on the right of the votes so marked to he counted at all. With the less Intelligent and the care¬ less voters and particularly with the -very large maas of virtually illiterate voters, the num'ber of spoiled and de- ; fective ballots will be without ques- j tion. enormous.
j The change from the on^ style df I straight party voting j (by , merely I marking a cross inf.tW cfycit under ' the party's emblem) to the new style of Individual voting (making It abso¬ lutely necessary to. mark a cross in the right ttlAce oloSe to n4me of eaioh apd every candidate for whom the voter wlshefl to< oast a. vote),- will rer : suit in a tremendous loss of votes to all candid^t^,
sUr emblem which will prove a nat¬ ural tempUtion and plausible trap to cause many voters, of all classes, to mark their crosses there and thus either lose their votes or vote for candidates to whom they are opposed politically.
The spaces are under the sUrs and are fllled In with only two very finely printed black lines which are not real¬ ly sufficient In a bad light or to the quick glance to Indicate to the aver¬ age persons that they are not places
which crosses are to be marked. „ ._ „ .„^ „,^
These spaces are in the same places extreme menUl and phys'icarexhaus
flcials, declare their misUke, turn in the spoiled ballot and get a new onej This new one they must mark all over again being sure to put a cross in the RIGHT place near the name of every man they wish to vote for.
If there was to be only one of these new style bedquilt paper balloU it would be bad enough but throughout tbe sUte there will be from one to three additional paper ballots (where voting mftchlnes are not used) not all of which are to be marked in tbe same way.
Counting the vote at the close of the polls, where the paper ballot is used, will this year prove an almost literal¬ ly endless task. It will not be pos¬ sible to lay aside all tbe "straight" tickets and then count the "split". This year each candidate's individual vote must be counted for each office is uken up which will necessIUte the handling of each ballot as many times as there are candidates on each of the paper balloU where individual voting is required.
Where previously, even with the I>aper ballot, it was possible for the election officUls to complete their count by three or four o'clock of the morning following election day It is probable that this year it will Uke many, many hours longer with the difficulties Increased many hundred percent., and as no recess Is uken in the count It will be perfectly natur¬ al to exipect many mistakes and slight ing of the count due to the InexniUble
the correct space in which tne democratic voter would place his cross to vote for the governor—which is the flrst mark that the average democrat would make. The fact of marking the flrst cross under the sUr (which in the case of the vote for Governor only would be correct) is suggestive of the necessity of marking all other crosses under the sUrs to vote the democratic ticket.
But—If the democratic voters yield to the natural inclination to place their crosses under the sUr when vot¬ ing for SecreUry of SUte, Comptrol¬ ler, Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, United SUtes Senator, State Senator and Member of Assembly they will not only fall to vote for their democratic choices for those offices but will possibly actually cast their votes for the Republican candl-
tlon of the election offlcials and the naturally IrriUted tempers.
One small up-state town boasted that it finished it's primary count on the new style paper ballot in three and a half days.
All This Trouble I* Costly
And one of the worst features of the new style paper ballot is that virtual¬ ly all of the added trouble and delay .means a considerable added expense in one way or another so that the ag¬ gregate increased cost of holding elec¬ tions (where voting machines are not used) will be great as to be stunning The largest single item of increased expense will of course be the printing bill for from one to four paper ballots some of them two feet long and one foot wide to say nothing of the John Doe ballots.
It must also be remembered that the
. One appHcatlon of that* and Illiterate Voter, feels that a bnei I the other offices to be filled. At the | .nd the back of Um machine warn ; complex ohllosoohical com- ?«"«^.'^P"o'» «' ""o* macWnes will top of the machine the quesUons or f_l:. ._. .. T^^tJ?^ T"
successes
somewhat complex philosophical com-1 ""'"'"v^-iou or voung macnines wm i lop or me machine the queeUons or ...... .. r*® ^™ely and generally beneflcUl. amendmenU to be voted upon are
;pent is the attention which has been Such sutements, facts and figures printed each In its own spaoci Above Attracted by the new form of paper | as are used In this arUcle are the'that again are the spaces in which a
ballot to the voUng machine.
The oting Machine a Safeguard
The voting machine has been aptly described by a prominent editorial writer as "too stupid to,'make a mis¬ Uke." It offers no tempUtlon to a voter to do the wrong thing; it pre¬ vents the voter from doing the wrong thing; it cannot think for the voter beyoDNd that preventive action and it does what it is built to do but posi¬ tively nothing more. The finest watch will not run a washing machine and tbe flitest washing machine will not Indicate the time of day. Either will do what it was built to do and noth¬ ing more. So it is with the ovting ma¬ chine. It is built ^o properly record and count votes and It will do that perfectly but nothing more.
The recent primaries in this state in some of which the new form of pa¬ per ballot and individual voting were flrst used, attracted a great deal of attention; first by a comparison of the time in which the results were known in those cities and towns where votig machines and paper bal¬ loU were used; second because of the greatly increased coat through the use of the paper ballots even for pri¬ maries and third because of the ab¬ sence of wrangles where voting ma¬ chines were used.
A majority of the cities of the flrst and second class throughout this state and more than one hundred other towns and villages In the state total¬ ling more than 55 per cent, of the votes in the entire state, outside of Greater New York, are now using and have successfully and satisfactorily used voting machines for from one to sixteen years. Those cities and towns where the paper ballot was used are now deluging the main of¬ fices of the manufacturing company In New York with inquiries as to the cost of voting machines and particu¬ larly for estimates of possible saving by their use, complaining that the in¬ creased primary expenses foretell such a greatly Increased regular elec-!
direct result of staff investigation, ac¬ tual use of tbe machines and corres¬ pondence with officials in places where the machines have long been in successful yse.
The voting machine is a simple mechanical device as near absolute perfection as mechanical genius, twen¬ ty years of development, and sixteen years of actual successful use, can be.
It is designed to safely, surely, swiftly and honestly record and au¬ tomatically count votes at a saving sufficient to enable it to pay for iUelf out of what it actually saves the com¬ munity in election expenses. And it does all of tbat.
A Giant In Performance
In appearance it is a midget. In performance it is a giant. The first voting mahine was fourteen feet square. The present perfected type
voter may write the name of a man for whom hfe wishes to vote but wbo is not nominated by any party—in other words what is sometimes called the "blank ballot." Over the name of each and every candidate there is a small hardened steel lever. Under the questions or amendments there is a lever (one for each) which can be turned to point at 'Yes" or "No" ac¬ cording to the voter's wish. That is all there Is to the voting sOrtace of the machine.
Remember that the voter has had ample opportunity to become familiar with the voting surface of the machine and the method of operating it through the medium of the printed duplicate and the small working mo¬ del of the machine placed, by law, upon the walls of the voting place.
Tho following Instruction is all that
has a face about five feet square and i it is necessary to give any voter to
The Town of Hempstead, up to July 1st, 1914, had 27 election districts. Under the provisions of Sections 296 and 297 of Chapter 244 of the Laws of 1914, the Town Board was required on or before July 1st, 1914, to redlstrlct
I the Town, increasing the number of districts to 43. because of the new form
I of ballot limiting each election district to 350 voters.
I But, under the provisions of SecUon 419 of the above laws, if voting
I machines should be insUiled, the Town would not need more than 30 dis¬ tricts.
I The reasons for the above are that, under the new form of paper ballot.
j the voting must necessarily 1)6 slow, and election districts are allowed to
j contain no more than 350 voters. But, where voting machines are used, the
; voting is much faster, and the law therefore permits the districts to contain
j 450 voters each.
I Therefore, by the use of voting machines in the Town of Hempatead.
there would be a saving of the* entire expense of i:'. election districts. The
! expense of each district is as follows:
I Registration
' 4 Inspectors of Election 2 days © $12.00 per day $96.00
j General Election
4 Inspectors of Election @ |12.00 per day 48 OO
2 Ballot Clerk.s @ $12.00 " " 2400
I 2 PoU Clerks @ $12.00 •• " 24 00
Total coct of one district
$192.00 13
$2-196.00
This illustration shows a section of the face of one of the six voting machines to be used in the Town of
Hempstead on Tuesday... Such of the ballot as is shown is official but the questions to be voted on here will be
shown on the machine on election day (they are blank on this reproduction). A similiar style of diaaram, the
full size of the face of the machine with all candidates' names in place and all questions pointed on it in full, will
be displayed on the walls of the polling place on and before election day for the information and instruction of
voters...The machines have room for seven parties and thirty candidates in each party and fifteen questions or amendments.
>w
QUESTION 1
VESA NO
FOR
GOYERNOR
Vote for one
QUESTION 2
YES A NO
3 FQR
LIEUTENANT
Vote for one
IA 2A
Martln.H. Glynn
^arDnaoerMk^ S^iL'"^ LetfiM
3A
ThoYnas B Loekwood
IB 36
Charle* 6. Whitman
^ItirtUcu
IC 2C
Frederick M. DavenportlChauncey J
live
4
FOR
SECRETARY Of STATE
Vote for dnc
The savings in 13 election districts would be In addition to this saving, there ¦would be the saving of two tion expense that they feel sure their i Ballot Clerks in each of the 30 districts required it niachines are bnis will not be passed l)y the auditors I used. Each tialiot clerk receives $12.00 a day, making a total of 720,.,00
without hard fights as well as com-1
plaining of the! resignation of election ! Total $3216.00
offlcials who refused to put up with i In addition to the above would be the saving In room rem, fuel, light,
the added work at the old prices regu- ballot boxes, voting stalls, and other supplies that would be needed in the 13
, I districts eliminated. There would also be a large saving both to the Town
! and to the County in the ost ot the ballots, as where I'aper Ballots are used, ' one ballot must be provided for every voter, whereas, with machines, each j voter uses the same ballot.
1 It will he seen from the above that, by the u.se of voting machines, the
I Town could save at least $3216.00 at each ele<'tion. As there are three I elections every year, this would be an average annual saving of $4824.00
Each machine cost $600.00, making the total cost'of the 30 machines I required $18000.00. Within four years, therefore, the saving the machines j would make in election expenses would more than equal their entire cost, OUESTION 3 OUESTION 4 »»<' after that, the taxpayers would be saving $4824.00 ayear.
'if the Town should Install an pqiiipment of machines and, instead of paying cash for them, should pay for them in installments equal lo what- evver they would save In election expenses, the machines could be had %.,wm^ /I .,.-% v#r-/N i t.iA I without any expense whatever to the taxpayers, hy simply making the pay-
Yt S ft NO YES A NO mems on them out of the election fund that would have to be raised each
I U.\J HI liv/ i-w HI ivvr I ^.^^^ yj^^pj, ^jjg p^p^j. jj^jjp^ system.
In addition to the saving to the Town and County by the use of voting machines, would be a saving to each village in the Town at Village elections.
FOR
CONPTROUER
Vote for one
¦yj^tkaaaeutSc
4A
Mitchell
May
^VDMsocnik $A^
3B
Edward Schoeneck
^KtNUku Ind. League
4B
Francis M, Kugo
^bftllicu
4cr
Sydney W Stern
SA
William Sohmer
•y^DtmtoMit ^Ui.UaKa4
»B Eugene M Travie
KqsUicia
%
6
FOR
Vote for one
7 FOR
AHORNEY GENERAL
Vote for one
6B lames L. Well)
B|^Renkll(M
SC John B. Burn ham
6C l-iomer D,
C4li|
^^racrmlTC ^IndLeaCDel
8 FOR
STATE
ENGINEER AND
SURVEYOR
Vote for one
'Democratic
7B
Esburt E Woodbury
^ Rtpibllcu
'nptnlve
^^Demoerali
8B Frank M Williams
^Rtpiblic
I canaio^iev, .^ ; • ,-• ', W'.; , ri A Dangerous Trap For Vbters This is particularly.true,bec^se'Of tbe fact that tli6 tdttces where the crosses are to be ipafked ar^ not.^li- ways in the same felaftive position to the names, of thep/indidates. For in¬ stance to it>i« t6)r the^mocratlc iseV- «mor on the neyr paper ballot, the voter shoum t plaoa > ihis > icxoss / under the democratic party's sUr emblem whereas to.. ,vi9)te few thb 'dfm«qift|c lieutenant tlie cross should be marked In the apace to the right of the sUr candidates for.S^atary, at, SUt«. Ciompttoller. Mmmfbl Jhi^KO' at vtt^ Court of ppedMTtMed'sSitBi Se&a<^
•pace under the democntle party**
dates according to a recent ruling that la cose: iof error in placing the cross the general location of the crosses may be taken to indicate the "inten¬ tion of the voter" and in many cases t)M'iotUptofled. cross-alongside of the Republican ESagle emblem would be d^^l^ke^' to ,,lodtf|i)te the intention of the voter to vote for the Republican p^ntUcUte. whejseas , a^ a matter of fact he was keenly anxious to vote
lor the- democratic candidate. ' 'twere-are othfer plthills in the new pai>er ballot but the ,^ne mentioned is tlsibie'no'oaaee-the'Neatest trouble ind expense. And t^t trouble ap¬ plies nnly, to the attfMht party Uchet voting. With "apUtting" the troukle will be greatly multiplied. {
^ TkevCnwNl A Big Jop j
; ^Ji^fqt }i^||t4>^ also that if
% mistaEe ia siade in marking th An f iMstbaetmma may suggest They tkoold go out to the election gi^
increased cost of conducting elections with the new paper ballot is quite aside from the cost of election con¬ tests and the long uncerUInty of who is really elected. The delay in accre¬ diting and insUlling men elected to office where contests result will mean also a delay in the transaction of pub¬ lic business and a consequent coet to Uxpayers and to those doiu;, busi¬ ness with municipalities and towns. The new i>aper ballot is an evolu¬ tion from many forms of ballot in this sUte. The theory of evolution presupiKwes a culmination in perfec¬ tion but tbere are many who char¬ acterise the latest paper ballot foisted
larly paid.
)^ Town of Hempstead Interested
The experiences of up-sUte places and the turning of offlcials to the vot¬ ing machine for relief is brought close to bome in our Town of Hempstead where voting macliines are to be used for the first time In six of its forty three districts. It is officially estimat¬ ed that the machines will pay for themselves in the course of a few elections aad that thereafter they will save the town, when used in all its districU, several thousand dollars an¬ nually—figures of which are given elsewhere on this page.
In view of the discussion growing
U^n the unsuspecting, but now loudly' ou^ oi this flrst use of voting ma-
protesting pobUc as a footle, a ml8cu<\ A back-fire, a fllver, an error in fleld- Ihg'oiF'ln whatever way their sporting
Bf .jPfiUoeopber once said that area were public benefits becauae r 'Mtiictied aeriona attention to
chines here. Tbe Nassau Post, fully believing that voting machines will not only greatly liciliUte the honest casting and counting of votes at a great aaving of both time and money.
is about twelve incnes thick. It stands on edge, as it were, supported by steel legs. It has camparatlvely tew moving parts, aside from the counters which operate on the princi¬ ple of the speedometer or old bicycle cyclometer. All movements are what mechanics call, positive movements, meaning that there are no rubber tubes, wires or strings that might be warped or stretched or conttracted by changes of temperature. The finest workmanship and the best and most durable materials are used.
It Is complete In itself requiring no booths or fixings. When unboxed It Is set up in ten minutes and ready for Instant use. It is as easily dismount¬ ed and stored away in a very small space and being rust and dust proof suffers no deterlatlon. Il Is protected In every part with simple but effective individual locks as safely as a bank vault.
The claim of Its sucessful operation for many years in many states has been investigated by the Nassau Post and proved.
Its apearance and operation In ac¬ tual elections and in its demonstra¬ tion lo our Investigators in Police Headquarters In Freeport and In Hempstead has furnished an illuslra lion of the adaption of an Inanimate machine to the expression of a highly mporunt mental process loat is notu Ing short of marvelous.
The voter when his turn comes In¬ stead ot being handed a collecjilon of intricately folded and confusingly printed paper ballots, and sent into a booth to mark them before handing i them lo a ballot clerk as in the old way, is directed to the voting machine. He has no ballot of any kind in his hand. The only ballot used is one at¬ tached to the face of the voting ma¬ chine and which Is not to be handled by the voters or by the election of¬ ficials once It has been officially plac¬ ed on the machines before the open¬ ing of the polls. That one tjailot ou the machine Is the only one used In voting with a voting machine. Full Instructions Given
A printed duplicate of the surface of the machine conUinIng the names of all candidates In exactly the same position which they occupy on the ma¬ chine Itself and a working model of the machine are required by law to be hung upon the walU of the voting place, both before and during the holding of the election for the inform¬ ation and instruction of voters.
When the voter steps up to the ma¬ chine to vote he faces seven rows of printed names of candidates running from left to right. Each political par¬ ty has a straight row all to itself and
enable him to vole properly and then actually count ihs own vote.
Voting On Machines Is Simple "Move the large handle as far to the right as it win go and leave It there. Then pull down a lever over the name of each man for whom you wish to cast a vote and leave It down. Move the levers which are under the ques¬ tions or amendments until they point lo 'Yes' or 'No' according lo bow you wish lo vole and leave them there. Then throw the big handle to' the left as far as It will go and step away from the machine."
Voters by following those simple Instructloijfs vote salisfactorlly for all c:andldale8 and on all questions In from flfteen seconds to one minute al¬ though the law allows them three full minutes.
I have lold you of the brief instruc¬ tion given for voting on the machine. Now let me explain, as il was explain¬ ed and demonstrated to me, what those few simple movements do In the operation of voting.
When the big handle Is thrown to the right It unlocked the machine for voting and drew a curtain around the voter giving his cflraplete privacy. Tho small levers pulled down over the name of each man Indicated the voter's intention to vole for that man but did not record his vote. The same applied lo moving the question leve. to "Yes" or ".No". Throwing the big handle to the left automatically, posi¬ tively and unchangeably recorded one vote for each man over whose name I a lever was turned down and record¬ ed either "Yes" or "No" on t«ch ques- I tion or amendment voIskI upon. It I also locked the machine against fur- ! ther voting until the next voter should be onicially admitted lo the machine : by the election inspector and opened | j the curUln. i
From Personal Investigation Having seen other voters vote on i I tho machine and having voted on It I myself, I was nalurally curious to, know how the count was taken at the close of the polls and what protective measures we.-e Uken to renuive the ' possibility of fraud either by dUe elec-; lion offlcjal or by several in collusion. \ As a courtesy 1 was permitted to, witness the preparation ot a voting machine for voting and later to wit -1
locked and the tkce sealed by anap- ping a lock around the shank of the big handle aad threading m special patent sealhag meUI ribbon arooM the lock and handle.
An official examiner then. In tito presence of two party watchers. In¬ spected the machine and when en¬ tirely satisfied that It was ready for proper use (as soon aa unsealed In the presence of the election offlcials Just previous to the opening of the polls) signed a sworn statement to tbat effect as did also the uusio«Bin and tbe two party watchers. It «eem- ed to me absolutely impossible to Umper with the machine without breaking the seal which was promiO' ently numbered with figured stamped into the metal.
AfUr the close of the polls election offlcials of different parties with tbe special keys (there are two seU) first locked the face of the machine mak¬ ing (I impossible to cast another vote and opened the back of the machine to look at the counters. As the face was locked it would have been Impos¬ sible lo change the counters even had all hands been in league because the face being locked, as 1 said, the voling mechanism was locked. Full Count in 30 Minutes To take the count the election offl¬ cials who were sUlloned at the back of the now opened, machine read off the total (and only) count recorded on each counter by number—to wit "4 B-(09" which figures were set down on the Ully or return sheet opposite the andldate accredited with "4 B". When all the numbers on the counters had been read off and recorded on the return sheet the count was ended. It consumed thirty minutes.
So much tor the simple voling and counting system.—1 was .still unsatis¬ fied that the reports from election and city oflicials in the places where vot¬ ing niachines liave been in u-se for years as to the reniarliable claim and flat signed statements of these gentle¬ men that the machine would prevent fraud and save a man. despite himself, from carelessly spoiling his vole. I wanted to be convinced. 1 was.
It was pointed <iut to me that the law decides upon how many men shall be voted for under one heading as for Instance this year one vote to be cast for each individual office sucb as Governor. Secretary ot State, etc., and three district delegates. It was also conclusively demonstrated to me on the machine that If one lever was pulled down and left down over the name of any candidate of any parly for the olllce of governor, for instance, all other levers in the governor column were automatically locked and could not be forced ilown—one man and all the law allows having already been vottul for for Ijiat ofllce. In the case of district delegates where tt Is permissible lo vote for three I found that a fourth man could not be voted tor although I proved tor myself that If 1 made a mIsUke In turning down a lever over the name of the wrong man or changed my mind and wanted to vote tor Jones after I had pulled down Smith's lever that all 1 had lo do was to throw up the lever over Smith's name and then pull down the one of Jones whereas with a paper ballot, and individual voting I would • not only have lo get a new ballot but I would have to mark by crosses all over again for every candidate Juat to change my mind in one InsUnce. Could Not Spoil My Vote I found also that if I wanted to change my mind in the matter of my vote on any question or amendment I had only to shift the lever from "Yes" to "No" or vice versa. I could spoil a paper ballot in any one of many ways but I dlscbvered that there was no way in which 1 could spoil my vote on a voting machine either by carelessness, through Ignorance or by design.
As far as the Town of Hempstead directly is concerned tt seems to me and to oihers who have been Interest¬ ed, civilly, in a thorounh Investigation of the voting ma<:hlnes that voting machines offer a sure solution of the election difficulties with wblch we have long been beset.
I have told you wbat 1 have found them capable of doing and what oihers have proved to their credit. 1^1 me give you in a box on this page a rough estimate of the money that would be saved In the Town of Hemp¬ stead If they were installed In all Ils distiicts (and money is not the only thing that would be saved, by a long shot).
Irwrldently I undersUnd that the manufacturing company Is willing to accept payment from Hempstead— the basis of which will be the town's own offlclal estimate of wliat the ma¬ cliines actually save each year— which seems not only a fair proposi¬ tion but one whi'-h th(? town can III afford or reject If formally offered to It by the company.
Voting machines are now In use in more than IHO places in this sUte iiMludlng Buffalo, F^lmlra, Geneva, l/i- liaca, .Newtiurgh, Nlagra Falls, Ro¬ chester, Rome, Poughke^psie, Sehe- necUdy, Syracuse, Troy, I'tlca, Water- town. Waterollet, Tonawanda, Rotter¬ dam, Richfield, Rensselaer, Port Jer- vls, Oswego, Mlddletown, Little Falls, Lyons, Malone, Jamestown, Horse- heads, Herkimer, Oloversvllle (jtuiu-
ness the taking of the count.
Before the opening of the polls the tauqua. Corning, BaUvla, Auburn and official custodian, a local appointee, Amsterdam.
flrst locked the face of the machine and then opened the back of tbe ma¬ chine exposing the counting devices which consist of a wheel counter simi¬ liar to the mileage recording device on an automobile speeooiarrer—one counter for every lever on tbe voting face of the machine. These counters
every candidate of that party i« inl^^e all numbered to correspond with
bis party row. The name of the ofllce for which each candidate is running is over that candidate's name and every candidate for governor, for instance.
at tbe suae time proving an almost i is in the np and down row headed by incale^UcmMflt to the dull diffident j the word "Oovemor" and ao on with
the number accredited to tbe candi¬ date whose name appears on the vot¬ ing face of the machine under tbe lever which belongs to the counter. All of the counters were turned to sen) (which shows unmistakably red)
Voting machines are also used in Bridgeport, Conn.; Hew Haven, Conn; Harford, Cona.; Waterbury, Ckmn.; throughout Alameda County, Cal.—200 machines; Sacramento, Ol.; Vallejo, Cal.; Arapahoe County, CJal.; Indian¬ apolis. Ind. • Black Hawk County, lo-, wa; Saginaw, Mich.; Bay City, Mich.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Sliver Bow Conn¬ ty. Mont.; Omaha, Ntfb.; Salt Lake cny, Uuh; Appleton, Wla.; Fond du Lac, Wis.- PitUfleld, Maaa.; Millran- kee. Wis.; Des Moines, U..' Bntte. Moot.; Orand Junction, Col. an4 many otber pUcea.
