US678968A - Voting-machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 678,968. Patented July 23, I90]. F. :45 mass. VOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 16, 1900.)

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No. 678,968. Patented July 23, [90L F. M. MYERS.

VOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 16, 1900.) MOGBL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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No. 678,968. Patented July 23, I90l.

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VOTING MACHINE.

(Applicatipn filed Nov. 16, 1900.)

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iliTE TATES PATENT Trice.

FRANOIS M. MYERS, OF MILLERSBURG, INDIANA.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SZEEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,968, dated July 23, 1901. Application filed November 16, 190i). Serial No. 36,744. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. MYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Millersburg, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Voting-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to voting-machines and the object of the same is to provide simple and effective means whereby an honest vote can be had and counted without the liability of voters being intimidated, the balloting being secret, or of their voting more than once for the same candidate or different candidates for the same office, and as the votes are counted as fast as the voter indicates his preference the total number cast for each candidate can be ascertained rapidly and accurately at the close of the polls.

The invention consists in certain novelties of construction and combinations of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved machine looking toward the voting side thereof and showing the door open. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the machine, showing the door open to expose the vote-registering dials. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the mechanism, t-aken in a plane longitudinally through the machine just in rear of the ballot and in normal condition. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the position of the parts after a straight-ticket vote has been cast. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4:, with other parts removed at the lower portion thereof and showing the parts as they will be arranged when votes have been cast in different vertical and horizontal columns. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through a portion of the machine. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail horizontal section of the gearing and indexes for the registering mechanism used with each key-lever. Fig. Sis a section on the line 8 8, Fig. (5. Fig. 9 is a detail elevation of a removable key-knob forming part of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a frame or casing of any suitable dimension or construction and arranged proportionately to the size or extent of the ballot. This frame or casing will preferably have closed sides and bottom and top and front and rear doors 2 and 3, the rear door 3 remaining closed and locked during an election or voting period and opened by the proper officers of election after the polls are closed.

In the front portion of the machine a ballot 4=is located and regularly divided, so that all similar offices of different political parties or factions will be in horizontal alinement and the different offices of the same party or faction will be in vertical alinement, as clearly shown by Fig. 1.

In the rear portion of the machine are a plurality ofdials 5, over which index devices are moved and indicate the number of votes cast for the straight ticket of the several parties 0r factions or individually for the several candidates included in the ballot. There is one dial and index device arrangement for each ballot-division, and directly in alinement with the latter and over the said dials glass plates 6 are secured, as clearly shown by Fig. 6. Between the ballot and the dials the operating mechanism is confined, and at regular intervals vertical strips 7 extend over the ballot, these strips, as shown in the present instance, bein g arranged at the beginning of the ballot on the left side and at intermediate points between the said side and the right-hand side of the same. The said strips serve With intersecting horizontally-disposed strips 8 to form the ballot-divisions and to hold name plates orcards 9 bearing the names of the candidates and the ofice they represent, the said plates or cards being removable in any preferred manner to adapt the ballot to be changed at will to suit different elections. The said vertical strips 7 have elongated vertical slots 10 formed therein and arranged in vertical alinement in each strip, each ballot-division having one of the slots in complementary relation thereto. Projecting through the said slots 10 and outwardly from the plane of the ballot are voting or key levers 11, having knobs 12 on their outer terminals for convenience in grasping the same. These voting or key lovers are normally held in horizontal position and extend transversely into the machine and have their inner ends pivotally attached to uprights 13, forming part of the interior frame.

The machine embodies in its organization a plurality of slide-bars 1a, which form the main operating parts of the entire mechanism, and have a movement in a plane at right angles to that of the voting or key levers 11, the said slide-bars being arranged horizon tally with the edges in vertical alinement. There is one slide-bar to each horizontal row of candidates of different political parties or factions for the same office, and all the bars are of similar construction. These bars shift in guides 15, fixed to the frame and engaging opposite extremites thereof, and opening out through the upper edges thereof are slots 16, the upper portions of the slots being inclined to the left in the present instance and communicate with lower rectangular portions extending longitudinally of the bars and have their upper walls 17 forming shoulders to lock the voting or key levers 11 within the slide-bars when depressed through the said slots 16. In the upper portions of the slide-bars and extending longitudinally thereof are slots 18 to loosely receive the outturned or angularly-bcnt ends of shifting wires or rods 19, connected at their opposite extremities to arms of bell-crank levers 20, fulcrumed on the frame of the machine in rear of the bars and having their other arms in the path of depression of the voting or key levers 11, and as the latter are individually depressed for the purpose of casting a vote the free arms of the levers 20 will be correspondingly depressed, and thereby throw up the opposite arms of said levers and pull toward the left on the shifting rods or wires 19, and likewise pull the slide-bars to the left. The movement of the said slide-bars in the direction noted is resisted by retractile springs 21, connected to the right extremities thereof and to the frame adjacent thereto, and as soon as said bars are free to so act they are returned to normal position by the said springs. The upper edge portions of the left extremities of the slide-bars are also formed with notches 22, one in each bar, which are adapted to be engaged by gravitating locking latches 23, extending transversely of the machine over said portions of the bars and pivoted to a part of the frame at their rear ends and free at their outer extremities. The outer or front extremities of these locking-latches 23 extend through vertically-disposed alined slots 24 in a resettingbar 25, having a vertical position at the left end of the machine and connected at its lower end to a resetting lever or treadle 26, fulcru med in the lower portion of the casing at the left and exposed for operation through the front of the machine and will be under the surveillance of an election attendant or officer for preventing tampering therewith by a voter and for operation to reset the machine in condition for use by succeeding voters. The slots 24 will be long enough to permit vertical movement of the resettingbar without disturbing any of the latches 23 that have not been operated; but when any one of the said latches drops into the notch 22 adjacent thereto it will be located close to the lower wall of the slot 2 through which it projects, and be engaged by said wall when the resetting-bar is elevated and cleared from the said notch and free the slide-bar in which the latter is formed for return to normal position by the spring 21 connected thereto.

The top horizontal row of voting or key levers 11 are for use in straight-ticket voting, and the slide-bar actuated thereby is similar in construction to those arranged below, with the addition of outstanding studs 27, arranged in alinement longitudinally of the bar at regular intervals. These studs are adapted to contact with upstanding free arms of bellcrank levers 28, fulcrumed on a portion of the frame of the machine, and from the terminals of the lower arms of said levers locking-bars 29 are movably suspended and have slots 30 therein of the same length of the slots 10 inthe strips 7 and with which they coincide when said locking-bars are in normal position. The voting or key levers project through both sets of slots 10 and 30 and are also given additional support by projection rearwardly through slots 3]. in partition-strips 32, forming part of the frame and shown by Figs. 5 and 6. The straightticket slide-bar has the same complementary mechanism for shifting the same by the depression of the voting or key levers and also the same locking means as heretofore described in relation to the slides generally, and by a depression of any one of the straightticket-voting key-levers said straight-ticket slide is moved to the left and the outstanding pins or studs 27 all contact with the upper free arms of the bell-crank levers 28, and thereby throw the latter over to the left and cause the lower arms thereof to draw upwardly on the locking-bars 29 and dispose the bottom walls of the slots 30 in the latter close under the voting or key levers in vertical alinement below those controlling the straight-ticketslide-bar, and thereby prevent depression of any other voting or key lever in the machine by the same voter who operated the straight-ticket voting or key lever, because any attempt to carry out voting by any one of the voting or key levers below the straight-ticket slide would be blocked by the lower wall of the slot 30 adjacent thereto and the immovable position of the locking-bar 29 having the same therein. ,Vhen any one of the voting or key levers is depressed either in the straight-ticket series or representing individual candidates below said series, the slide-bar corresponding to and actuated by the depression of the voting or key lever will have the upper edge thereof move under the remaining voting or key levers in the same horizontal series and obstruct depression of the latter voting or key levers. Furthermore, when any one of the voting or key levers in a horizontal series is depressed it exclusively operates the bell-crank lever 20 thereunder and solely exerts on the Wire or rod 19 connected to the actuated bell-crank lever, by reason of the fact that the wires or rods 19 remaining in the series have their ontturned or angular ends loosely slip or slide in the slots 18, with which they engage. From the foregoing it will be seen that it will be impossible to vote for any one candidate in the vertical series below the straigh t-ticket row when either of the series of the voting or key levers in the latter row have been operated to cast a vote, nor can any one of the nnoperated voting or key levers in any horizontal row representing a similar ofiice be actuated after one of the same series has been voted for a candidate of one party or faction. By this means the voter is accorded the privilege of voting a straight party ticket or ballot or to scratch part of his party ticket and cast his vote for a candidate for a certain selected office in the vertical row of another party; but repeating will be absolutely prevented and tampering with the voting mechanism will be impossible, in view of the fact that the same is completely inclosed in a substantial frame. The general structure of the mechanism will be of such a strong and durable nature as to have a prolonged wearing service without in the least affecting the accuracy of operation of the several parts.

The registering mechanism, which operates in conjunction with each voting or key lever, comprises a main shaft or arbor 33, which projects beyond the plane of the dial 5, the latter having a double scale thereon representing, for instance, units in the outer circle and tens or hundreds in the inner circle, and on the rear terminal of the said shaft or arbor an index-hand 34 is fixed to rotate therewith and show on the outer scale the number of individual votes that have been cast for the candidate corresponding thereto. This shaft has a ratchet-wheel 35 also fixed thereon in advance of the partition-strip 32, and pivotally mounted on the latter strip above the said ratchet-wheel is an arm 36, having its free end normally extending across the path of movement of and under the adjacent voting or key lever and adapted to be engaged and operated by the latter. The said arm is held in and caused to return to a normal elevated position by a flat spring 37, mounted thereunder on the partition-strip 32, and fulcrumed on the said arm near its free extremity is a depending pawl 38, which continuously engages the ratchet-wheel below, and a single full depression of the arm by the actuation of the voting or key lever in voting will cause the ratchet-wheel to be revolved the distance of one tooth and the registry of a single vote by the hand 34 in relation to the outer scale of the dial 5, and the parts are so timed in their movement and arrangement that a full depression of the voting or key lever and the arm 36 is necessary before the hand will be turned to a full vote position, and at such time the voting or key lever will be held under its locking-shoulder in the slide-bar, as heretofore set forth. By this means repeated voting with the same key-lever is prevented, and in the event that the said key lever in any one instance is depressed only to such an extent as not to be looked under the locking-shoulder therefor in the corresponding slide-bar a vote will not be registered, because the movement of the key-lever in a downward direction is not great enough to actuate the registering mechanism related thereto a full stroke, or, in other words, it is necessary that a full depression of the operated key-lever be made before registration of the vote can ensue. This simple form of registering mechanism can be used alone at times without including other features; but it is preferred, as a matter of convenience in condensing a large number of votes on each dial, to renderthe registering mechanism practical for protracted voting without requiring resetting of the same, and for this latter purpose the shaft or arbor 33 has a pinion 39 secured, thereto and meshes With a spur-gear40 on a counter-shaft or arbor 41, the latter in turn meshing with a spurgear 42 at the front terminal of a sleeve 43, slipped over the shaft or arbor 33 and extending rearwardly beyond the plane of the dial 5. The rear end of the said sleeve 43 has an index-hand 44 secured thereto and of less length than the hand 34 to coact With the inner scale on the dial. Through the gearing set forth the sleeve 43, which freely rotates on the shaft or arbor 33, is caused to move slower than the said shaft or arbor, and consequently the hand 44 will have a sluggish movement over its scale and be regulated to register the tens, hundreds, 850., made up by the units of the outer scale with obvious advantages. Only one registering mechanism has been described; but it will be understood that all are of the same construction and have a similar operation.

The improved votingmachine embodies simple structural features in its entire complement, and as the parts are similar in form one pattern or guide can be used for all the parts having a similar construction, and thereby materially cheapen the manufacture of the same as well as expedite the erection thereof.

The capacity of the machine as to the number of candidates that can be voted for may be varied indefinitely.

Though it is never presumed that a voter who in the least appreciates his right of franchise would attempt to vote a series of keys for the same candidates of different parties because of the evident injury by such practice to the candidate he selects, yet to avoid any such methods in the-present construction it is preferred that the key-knob 45 (shown by Fig. 9) be employed. This key-knob has a shank 46, which is partially tubular, to removably fit on the levers 11, the latter in this construction only projecting far enough toward the front of the machine to be engaged by the knob 15, but out of reach of the fingers of the voter. When a voter comes up to the machine, the proper ofiicer of the election will give the said voter a knob 15 and the latter will use the same for casting the votes he desires. The application of this knob is indicated in Fig. 8. These knobs will be in the keeping of the ofiicers of the election and the tendency to illegal voting will thus be overcome.

Though the preferred form of the machine has been shown and described, it is obviously apparent that changes in the form, size, proportions, and minor details can be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a votingmachine, the combination of downwardly-swinging voting or key levers arranged in horizontal series for candidates of the same office of different parties and in vertical series for diiferent candidates for various offices of the same party, slide-bars coacting with and operated by the depression of the said votingor key levers, movable devices operated by the depression of the said voting or key levers for gradually shifting the slide-bars, shifting members connected to the movable devices and looselyattached to said slide-bars, and registering mechanism in operative relation to each voting or key lever.

2. In a voting-machine, the combination of downwardly-swinging voting or key levers, a slotted slid e-bar arranged ed gewise, means for retracting said slide-bar to normal position and locking it in abnormal position, movable devices operated by the depression of the said voting or key levers for gradually shifting the slide-bar, shifting members connected to the movable devices and loosely attached to the said slide-bar, and registering mechanism for each voting or key lever.

3. In a voting-machine, the combination with voting devices for direct engagement by the voter, of a slidebar, levers independent of andloosely connected to said bar and arranged in the path of movement of the voting devices, means for automatically retract ing the slide-bar, a locking device for the latter, and mechanism for registering the votes cast.

4. In a voting-machine, the combination with voting devices for direct engagement by the voter, of a slide-bar, means for moving the slide-bar independent of the voting de vices but operated by the latter and in loose terminal engagement with said slide-bar, the said slide bar having slots opening out through the upper edges thereof at regular intervals to form locking-shoulders for the said voting devices when the latter are depressed, means for locking and retracting the slidebar, and means for registering the votes cast.

5. In a voting-machine, the combination with voting devices for direct engagement by the voter, of a slide-bar having slots for the reception of the said voting devices and other slots at the upper portion thereof extending longitudinally of the said bar, levers having connecting wires or rods terminally in loose engagement with the said upper slots, means for retracting the said slide-bar, means for locking the same in abnormal position, and mechanism for registering the votes.

(3 In a voting-machine, the combination with voting devices arranged in horizontal series for candidates of the same office for different parties and in vertical rows or series for candidates representing various offices of the same party, of horizontal slide-bars, one for each horizontal row, arranged edgewise, means operated by the voting devices for shifting the said slide-bars, one of said slidebars being used for straight-ticket voting, levers actuated by the movement ofthe straightticket-voting slide-bar, slotted locking-bars through which the voting devices extend sus pended from the levers actuated by the straight-ticket bar, vote-registering mechanism for each voting device, means for automatically retracting the shifted bars, means for locking the bars in abnormal or shifted position, and means for resetting the mechanism in normal position.

7. In a voting-machine, the combination with a frame of voting devices for engagement by voters, of a slide-bar under said devices, levers loosely attached to said frame and operated by the depression of said devices to move the bar, shifting members movably connected to said levers and having terminals slidably attached to the bar, and registering mechanism in connection with each of the said voting devices.

8. In a voting-machine, the combination with voting devices for engagement by voters, of a slide-bar having the upper portion of one extremity notched, a gravitating latch arranged over the said slide-bar, means for disengaging the latch from the notch, means for automatically retracting the bar to normal position, and means for registering the votes cast.

9. In a voting-machine, the combination with voting devices for engagement by voters, of a slide-bar having the upper portion under and normally close to the said devices and provided with shouldered slots to receive the latter, a device for locking the slide in its shifted position, and vote-registering mechanism including in its complement a pivoted arm in each instance located under the indi vidual-voting devices and having a member to actuate a portion of said mechanism.

Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS M. MYERS.

Witnesses:

O. H. ll/IYERS, BELMONT MILLER.

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