US588671A - Voting-machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. WILSON. VOTING MACHINE.

No. 688,671 Patented Aug. 24,1897.

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G. WILSON.

VOTING MACHINE.

No. 588,671. Patented Aug. 24,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE VILSON, OF ROCHESTER, NElV YORK, ASSIGNOR TOTIIE UNITED STATES VOTING-MACHINE COMPANY, OF JAllIESTOlVN, NE\V YORK.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,671, dated August 24, 1897.

Application filed February 17,1897. Serial No. 628,853. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE VILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe, in the State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Voting-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in IO voting-machines, whereby a particular class of voters, such as women, are allowed to have access to a portion of the voting mechanisms only, in cases Where by law such class is only permitted to vote for candidates for certain I5 officessuch, for instance, as in some States where women vote for school-boards, the.

My improvements are fully described and illustrated in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, the novel fea- 2o tures thereof being specified in the claims annexed to'the said specification.

In the accompanying drawings, representing my improvements, Figure 1 is a perspec tive View of a voting-machine embodying my 2 5 invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the clutch and cam. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is'a side view of the same, showing the dog which prevents a reverse movement of the turnstile. Fig. 5 is a plan view. Fig. 6

0 represents the means for varying the number of Voting mechanisms to which the special class of voters is allowed to have access. Fig. 7 is a side view representing the resetting-bar.

In the voting-machine represented in the accompanying drawings, A is the key-plate, and B the turnstile. The key-plate forms one side ofthebooth, into which the voter enters through the turnstile or entrance-door,

v turning it in one direction when going in and in the opposite direction when coming out.

The booth in the construction shown consists of the side and end walls O D, the partition E, and the door F, which, however, is closed and locked-while an election is in progress.

The voting mechanism is located behind the key-plate, being inclosed in a suitable casing G, provided with doors at the rear through which access is had to the interior of the case. Any suitable form of vote-registering and key-interlocking mechanism may be employed.

The devices by which the counters or other means for registering the votes are operated may consist of pushes, pulls, or, as in the machine represented, of key-levers h, which pro ject through slots in the key-plate and are drawn downward by the voter in the act of voting. In the arrangement shown the voteregistering and actuating mechanisms are arranged in horizontal rows, each of which cor- 6o responds with a political party, and consequently the different candidates for each particular office are arranged in vertical lines; but under certain circumstances any other preferred arrangement may be adopted.

Pushes, pulls, or keys S may be used for voting straight tickets either by operating all the counters or vote-registering mechanisms of any one political party or by actuating a separate counter for each party.

The turnstile B normally occupies the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. 1 and the voter on entering turns the turnstile by pushing against the part d into the position indicated by the dotted lines, the wing or part 7 5 d swinging across the entrance-passage behind the voter and keeping it closed until the voter leaves the booth. This movement of the turnstile through suitable connections unlocks the vote-registering mechanism and permits the voting operation to be performed by the voter inside the booth by actuating the pushes or levers.

When the voter leaves the booth, he finds the part cl of the turnstile across the passage 8 5 and he turns the turnstile back to its normal position and in so doing restores or resets the voting mechanism and holds it locked in position for the next voter. In the construction shown the turnstile is attached to the shaft H, which carries a cam atits upper end, which through the connection I operates the resetting-bar J inside the case G and this releases or resets the voting mechanism, so that it becomes ready for the next voter. This is the 5 general method of operating the machine when voters who are privileged to vote for all the candidates for all the oflices are concerned. Vhen, however, it is required to restrict the access of some special class of voters, as I00 women, to that part N of the key-plate which contains the vote-registering mechanisms representing the candidates for which such class is permitted to vote, I employ a movable partition or door K, which is actuated by the turnstile or other suitable means and is moved into position across the booth, as indicated in full lines in Figs. 1 and 5, so as to prevent such partially-qualified voter from using the whole keyboard. In the particular machine represented the movable door or partition is operated from the turnstile-shaft H by a crank a and connection I), placed under the control of the inspector or election official, by the lever L and pull or treadle M.

On admitting a voter of the partially-qualified class the inspector operates the lever L and this engages a clutch 0, so that the crank a is connected with the shaft H. Such voter on passing through the turnstile, the crank a being arranged to turn with the shaft II, swings the door K into position where it prevents access to any portion of the key-plate except that between the door and the side wall 0. The vote-registering mechanisms representing the candidates for which such special voter is alone permitted to vote are located between the door K and the end of the key-plate next the side wall 0. After voting the special voter leaves the booth and restores both the turnstile and the movable door or partition to normal position. The inspecter has retained the clutch c in engagement during the time the special voter is in the booth, a spring-catch or other suitable device being arranged for this purpose, if desired. The voter passing through the turnstile arrives at the key-plate by moving around the inner end of the partition or division wall E, which is so arranged relatively to the end wall D that persons on the outside cannot observe the voter while operating the keys or pushes.

N, Fig. 5,indicates that portion of the keyplate containing the keys and vote-registering mechanisms to which alone the special voter is permitted to have access, in the arrangement shown in Fig. 5 such portion comprising six rows of keys and their correspondingcounters, and as the number of such candidates may differ from time to time inany one State, and as they may differ materially in dillerent States, I arrange the movable partition K and its operating mechanism so that it may be adjusted lengthwise of the key-plate to include a varying number of pushes or keys between it and the end of the key-plate or the side wall 0.

The partition or door K may be operated by the inspector. directly when he admits a special voter, but as all voters must reset the mechanism for the next "oter I prefer the construction already described, although the inspector can reset the mechanism by opcrating the turnstile.

It will of course be understood that my invention for allowing the special voter to have access to only that portion of the vote-indicating mechanism which represents candidates for which such special voter is by law allowed to vote may be constructed, arranged, and practically operated in many other Ways and on other types of voting-machines different from that herein shown, but that such arrangement or transfer will still embody the principle and the essential features of my i11- vention. Thus the booth may be variously modified, the partition E may be differently located or omitted, the key-plate may be varied in size or position, and other rearrangements adopted, but any machine which divides off the key-plate by a movable partition, so as to restrict the special voters to their special voting meehanisms,will be within my invention.

Having thus described the general features of my invention, the specific construction is as follows:

The turnstile B has two arms or parts (I d at right angles with each other, the turnstile in the construction shown making but a quarter-revolution forward and back. The arms or Walls cl cl may be open or solid, the construction shown being a gas-pipe frame of sufficient height. The arms (Z d are attached to the upright shaft II, which is support-ed in suitable journals on the division-wall E.

e e are braces which connect the partition E with the end wall D at top and bottom. A railing 0 serves to keep the intending voters in line and to prevent them from becoming mixed with those who have voted. The sides and ends and the partition E are constructed of wood or sheet metal or in any other suit able manner. The movable door or partition K is arranged in any suitable manner for the purpose for which it is designed, in the eon struction shown being pivoted at f, Fig. 5, to lugs or hinges attached to the partition E.

P is a flange attached to the key-plate A and extending inward across the booth a suffieieut distance to meet the edges of the door F, so that the latter can be made narrow enough to swing free of the pushes or keys 72'. The door F is connected with the shaft 111 by the crank a and the connection D, which is pivoted to the door at 9, Fig. 2.

It will be observed that when the door F is closed across the booth against the flange l the crank and connection are in the same straight line extending from the shaft ll to the pivot g, so that the door is automatically and positively locked against any return movementthat is, the special voter in front of that portion of the key-plate designated by N cannot push the door open or partially open, so as to reach any of the keys beyond the door. \Vhen the special voter leaves the booth, the door K is again folded up alongside of the partition E, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, by the movement imparted to the turnstile by the voter in leaving the booth. The journals 1' t" of the turnstileshaft II are attached to the partition E or the braces e c. The arm a is provided with a hub j, which is loose on the shaft IT, being IIO supported by a collar 7a on the shaft. The upper part of the hub j is provided with a ring of teeth I, which engage with the ring of teeth m 011 the clutch 0 when the latter is depressed. The clutch c is splined 011 the shaft H and provided with a groove in which pins or rollers on the fork n of the lever L engage, so that the clutch can be moved up and down on the shaft by the lever L to e11- gage it with or disengage it from the hub of the arm a. The clutch is disconnected when fully-qualified voters are using the machine, but when a member of the special class is intending to vote the inspector engages the clutch c with the arm a and locks it to the shaft, so that when such voter enters through the turnstile the door or partition K is swung or moved into position to prevent access to the key-plate beyond it. v

The mechanism shown for engaging the clutch consists of the tre'adle M, rod Q, and lever L; but it will be obvious that any other suitable means for placing the clutch under the control of an election official may be adopted. The treadle M is pivoted to the floor, and the lever L is pivoted to an arm 0, carried by a brace 19. The arm a and door K remain stationary in the dotted positions in Fig. 5, except when the clutch is engaged on the admission of a voter of the special class. Vhile the special voter is in the booth, the turnstile, arm, connection, and door occupy the positions indicated by the full lines in Fig. 5.

It will be understood that the partition K may be arranged to slide or otherwise interpose itself across the booth, so as to form the special compartment and prevent access to the rest of the keyboard, instead of being pivoted, as shown, and in this case the jamb P may be dispensed with, since the partition could reach the key-plate between two of the vertical rows of keys or pushes. It will also be understood that since the keys outside of the special compartment are not in use when the special voter is voting the partition or door may be arranged so that it covers or in any way prevents access to the keys, which the special voter is not allowed to use.

In order to provide for varying the number of voting mechanisms which the special voter is allowed to use, the door or partition K may be made adjustable in its travel or adjustable in its position in any suitable mannersuch, for instance, as that shown in Fig. 6. This object may be accomplished by adjusting the plate or jamb P on the key-plate, the travel of the door being correspondingly adjusted. \Vhen located at P, Fig. 6, the special voter can have access to only three of the voting mechanisms of each of the political parties, while when placed at P six of the mechanisms are accessible, and at P" eight are similarly accessible. The jamb in this case is made wide enough to contact with the swinging door in any position to which it may be adjusted. The jamb is attached to the keyplate A by bolts 1 passing through a flange or otherwise secured so that it may be adjusted. The connection I) is made adjustable in length to correspond with any position in which the jamb may be placed in any suit able mannersuch, for instance, as the slot and bolt 8, Fig. 6. The locking of the door in position across the booth by arranging the connection and crank in the same straight line may also be secured in any position of the jamb by any suitable arrangement, such as varying the position of the arm a on the shaft II or by adjusting the pivot g on the door. I11 another arrangement for varying the size of the compartment for special voters the lugs '15, carrying the pivots f of the door K, are made adjustable on the partition E, as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 6. The connection Z) is changed or short ened for this adjustment, and the jamb P, as already described, is adjustable to any desired position.

The shaft H is provided with any suitable cam arranged to impart a reciprocating lengthwise motion to the connection I, which, by the bell-crank lever B, Fig. 7, raises and lowers the resetting or releasing bar J. In the construction shown the cam consists of a plate a, Fig. 2, attached to the shaft and provided with a cam-groove c, Fig. 3, in which the pin 20 on the connection I engages. Vhen the shaft is turned by a voter entering the turnstile, the connection I is drawn toward the shaft and the bar J is raised, thereby permitting the voting mechanism to be operated by the voter. hen the shaft is turned in the opposite direction by the voter leaving the booth, the connection I is forced outward, depressing or releasing the bar .1 and resetting or releasing the voting mechanism or putting itinto position for the next Voter. The bar J is arranged to travel in suitable guides and extends over all the voting mechanisms, so as to restore or reset or release them, according to the particular form of voting mechanism employed.

The voting mechanism described in the pat ents of S. E. Davis, No. 526,668, dated September 25, 1894, and November 12 and 19, 1895, Nos. 5%),631 and 549,901, may be employed in connection with my invention, although any other suitable voting mechanism may be adopted. The inner end of the connection I is guided by the slot 00, Fig. 3, embracing the shaft lI.

3 represents a brace or braces by which the upper end of the shaft II is firmly held in position relatively to the casing of the voting mechanism. A corresponding brace 3 Fig. 1, may be employed across the lower part of the booth.

In order to prevent a partial movement of the turnstilethat is, to arrange it so that when its movement in either direction is begun it cannot be turned backward until it has been swung the full quarter-revolutionI employ the toothed segment 0, Figs. 2, 3, 4,

IIS

and 5, and arrange a pivoted dog 0* to engage with the teeth, so that it will permit the segment to move in either direction, but will prevent its being turned the other way until the segment has passed beyond the dog, when the latter will resume its normal position, which is represented by the full lines in Fig. 4:. If the segment 0 is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, the dog will swing to the position indicated at r, where it will not resist the continued movement of the segment, but will prevent any reverse movement. When the segment moves in the opposite direction, the dog will occupy the position 0'' and perform a corresponding function in insuring the complete movement of the turnstile. The dog 1" is supported in any suitable way, as by the arm 3, attached to the brace y. The segment is carried by the arms t, attached to the plate on the hub or collar 7t. The slot 11 may be made in the plate .2 or, as shown, in the plate a, which is attached to by screws or rivets.

In case the special voters are permitted to vote on questions or amendments the mechanisms for registering such votes may be placed in the special compartment.

The operation of the resetting is similar to that of the corresponding part in the patents of Davis already mentioned. It may, however, be adapted to restore the voting mechanisms to normal position in any preferred type of machine.

The machine may be arranged so that the count can be taken off from either the front or the rear of the casing G. partition maybe locked in any suitable manner different from that herein shown.

Z, Fig. 1, represents the devices for registering the irregular or scattering vote, which may also be arranged in the special-voting compartments.

The irregular-voting devices may be constructed or arranged to operate in any suitable or preferred way-sueh, for instance, as in the manner shown in the said Davis patents previously mentioned.

I claim-- 1. The combination with the key-plate and vote-registering mechanism of a voting-machine, of a booth having two compartments abutting on the key-plate, and a movable partition between the compartments, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the key-plate and vote-registering mechanism of a voting-machine, of a booth having two compartments abutting on the key-plate, a movable partition between the compartments, and means for admitting a voter to the whole booth or to one of the compartments only, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the key-plate and vote-registering mechanism of a voting-machine, of a booth having two compartments abutting on the key-plate, a movable partition between the compartments, a turnstile The movable or door which admits the voter to the booth, and a detachable connection between the turnstile or door and the movable partition, substantially as described.

4:. The combination with the vote-registering and actuating mechanisms of a votingmachine, of a booth provided with a movable partition by which the booth is divided into compartments to one only of which the voter of the special class can have access, and means for operating the said partition, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the vote-registering and actuating mechanisms of a votingmachine, arranged in horizontal rows each of which represents a political party, of a booth provided with a vertical movable partition, by which the booth is divided into compartments in one only of which the special voter has access to a limited number of the actuating mechanisms of all the political parties, and means for operating the said partition, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the booth and voteregistering and actuating mechanisms of a voting-machine, of the turnstile and its shaft, a clutch or disconnecting device thereon, a

movable partition in the booth, and a suitable connection between the partition and the shaft, substantially as described.

'7. The combination with the booth and voteregistering and actuating mechanisms of a voting-machine, of the turnstile and its shaft, a clutch or disconnecting device thereon, a movable partition in the booth, at suitable operating connection between the partition and the shaft, a cam on the shaft, and the movable bar by which the voting mechanism is restored to normal position, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the key-plate and vote-registering and actuating mechanisms of a voting-machine, of a booth, the jamb attached to the key-plate and the movable partition extending across the booth, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the key-plate and vote-registering and actuating mechanisms of a voting-machine, of a booth, the jamb attached to the key-plate and adjustable lengthwise thereof, and the movable partition extending across the booth, substantially as described.

10. The combination with the key-plate and vote-registering and actuating mechanisms of a voting-machine, of a booth, and the movable partition extending across the booth and adjustable therein to vary the number of voting mechanisms to which the special voter has access, substantially as described.

11. The combination with the key-plate and vote-registering and actuating mechanisms of a voting-machine, of a booth, the jamb attached to thekey-plate and adjustable lengthwise thereof, and the movable partition extending across the booth and adjustable therein to vary the number of voting mechanisms to which the special voter has access, substantially as described.

12. The combination with the hey-plate and vote-registering and actuating mechanisms of avoting-machine, of a booth, the jainb attached to the key-plate and adjustable lengthwise thereof, the movable partition extending across the booth and adjustable therein to vary the number of voting mechanisms to which the special voter has access, and means for operating the partition, substantially as described.

13. The combination with the key-plate and booth of a voting-machine, of the movable partition K, the turnstile B, clutch c, and connecting mechanism between the clutch and the partition, substantially as described.

14:. The combination with the key-plate and booth of a voting-machine, of the movable partition K, the turnstile B, clutch 0, connectabutting on the key-plate, a movable partition between the compartments, and means for securing the partition in place across the booth, substantially as described.

GEO. WILSON. lVitn esses:

GEO. B. SELDEN, G. S. DEY.

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