A VOTING MACHINE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13332, 26 January 1909, Page 8

A VOTING MACHINE.

•Mr W. Dall, a resident of Dunedin, had on private exhibition yesterday a vote-recording machine which has been highly spoken of by people who take an interest in such contrivances. Mr Dall's invention appears to be simplicity itself, and it responded very effectively to tie tests to which it was put yesterday. The particular machine which he had on view displayed the plainly-printed names of six gentlemen who might have been candidates for a Dunedin constituency. The names were arranged in a row, in alphabetical order, behind glass-fronted recesses. Below each name was a projecting knob labelled "push," standing out about four inches from tho ' body of tho machine. Assuming that a voter had to vote for only ono candidate, he would push in the knob which was below tho name of the candidate for whom he wished to vote. The ringing of a bell would indicate that the veto had been automatically registered. A»suming, also, that a voter discovered that ho had voted for a candidate other than the one for whom be had intended to vote, he would find that the machine would not permit him to pull out the knob he had pressed in, or to push in any of the other registering knobs. The officer in charge of the booth is advised that a vote has been recordea by tho ringing of tho bell, and he has to re-set the machine for the" next voter. A touch on a lever which would project from the machine to a compartment next the ballot box would accomolish this, and tho automatic recorder ""would be ready for the next voter. The machine is so devised tliat it can be set to allow the voter to vote for ono c_uidid_itc only, or (on this particular machine) any number up to six. As the votes are cast they aro automatically credited by an numbering apparatus to tho candidates in whose favour they are registered, and simultaneously another numbering machine keeps the total of tlie votes cast-. The number- \ ing. of course, is not risible from the outside of tho machine, which in the progress of an election would be sealed up. At. the close of the polling the machine would be opened-, and a glanco at tho numbering would show exactly the total votes cast, and the numbers cast for each candidate. The work of the I returning, officer would be immensely j simplified, aa there would be no counting of ballot p.ipcrs. and there would be no vote, missing, unlcs* somcon-. departed with an entire machine. In regard to the probability of dual voting, and the possibility' of its detection. Mr Bail suggests that briforc a voter is permitted to record his vote ho ..houkl -sign his name on a card to be supplied by the Returning Officer, on which there would also be lsi_ roll nunt'.ier. Ca_e_ of impersonation would be discovered by a comparison oi' the eardls ar.d signatures. Mr DaJl says that th:- pri;:r* of r_eb machine would bo about £10. He admits that tii_ initial expense of introducing them into « general election would 'be ho-ivy, but, on the other hand, the saving they would effect would- toon justify the first cost. He also stated thai several local bodies in the .South desired to use the machine at their elections, but they found that, curiously enough, the Act. while providing for the use of machines in Parliamentary elections, did not- allow the same 'privilege to local -government elections. Mr I>_i_l __ invention has undoubtedly many points to recommend it, and a trial in actual election work would be interesting.