Black and white beans to voting machines: voting technologies in America

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October 18, 2:49 PM

by Renata Lana, D.C. Political History Examiner

 

Masonic Ballot Box at the Phoenixmasonry Masonic Museum

In the 17th century, balloting was often conducted by means of a bean count.  A white bean was used to indicate one’s choice, while a black bean was a “blank”.

Many times a viva voce or voice count method was used.  J.S. Wise describes this process as it occurred in Virginia (from The End of an Era, cited by Eldon Cobb Evans in A History of the Australian Ballot System in the United States):

“The election judges, who were magistrates, sat upon a bench with their clerks before them.  Where practicable, it was customary for the candidates to be present in person, and to occupy a seat at the side of the judges.  As the voter appeared, his name was called out in a loud voice.  The judges inquired, ‘John Jones . . . for whom do you vote?’---for governor, or whatever was the office to be filled.  He replied by proclaiming the name of his favorite.  Then the clerks enrolled the vote, and the judges announced it as enrolled.  The representative of the candidate for whom he voted arose, bowed, and thanked him aloud; and his partisans often applauded.”  According to Evans, this method of voting continued in use longest in Missouri (1846) Virginia (1867) and Kentucky (1890).

Paper ballots became the dominant form of balloting by the mid-nineteenth century in America.  Printed by the political parties themselves, they were often colorful and clearly distinguished from one another so that  even the illiterate voter could easily determine the ballot he wanted.  Sometimes parties counterfeited the ballots of their opposition with deliberate mistakes.  The ease with which voters could be linked to their votes under these systems lead to widespread bribery and corruption.   Voters could easily be intimidated by their employers and/or other powerful figures in their community. 

The adoption of the secret ballot was instrumental in helping to eliminate the most egregious bribery and intimidation of voters.  Known as the “Australian Ballot” because it was first developed in Australia in the 1850s, the Australian ballot involved an official printed ballot created by the government, distributed only at the polling place, marked in secret, and identifying the names of nominated candidates, their parties, and all proposals.  
 

The first locality to adopt the Australian ballot was Louisville, Kentucky in 1888 under “An Act to Regulate Elections in the City of Louisville”.  According to this legislation, candidates for office had to meet the following requirements to get on the ballot:
 

--to represent the ward, be proposed by a written petition of ten or more registered voters and pay a fee of five dollars
--to be an at-large candidate, present a petition by fifty or more registered voters and a pay a fee of twenty dollars
--present the petition to the Mayor not less than ten days (Sundays included) before the election
 

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