Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Ballot

​BALLOT, a means of expressing an individual choice for a public or other officer or a measure of public importance; the medium through which a voter indicates his preference at an election.

The term ballot, at a club or private election, is applied to a ball used for the purpose of voting. In casting a ball for or against an individual, the arrangement sometimes is that if the vote be designed in his favor, then a white ball is used, but if it be intended to be against him, then one of a black color is used—whence the phrase "to blackball one."

In ancient Athens and the other Greek states the ballot was in use when votes had to be taken on political questions. In England it constituted one of the five points in the Chartist programme, both of the great political parties being at first opposed to it, as deeming it a revolutionary project. Gradually, however, the mass of the Liberal party ceased to fear the ballot, and opposition to it on the part of the Conservatives became less pronounced, till, at last, while Mr. Gladstone was in the plenitude of his power, a bill, legalizing it as an experiment for eight years, was passed during the session of 1872. In the United States the ballot was in use in the early colonial times.

Ballot reform is a term applied to such improvements in methods of voting as tend to eliminate unfairness at elections. In 1895 every State in the United States, excepting Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina, had adopted some reformed plan of balloting, based on the Australian system, and modified to suit local conditions. The first States that adopted a reformed plan were Massachusetts, for the whole State, and Kentucky, for the city of Louisville, both in 1888. Subsequently, experience and legislation have led to a variety in the forms of the ballot, more than 40 States now employing the single "blanket-ballot." Two forms of the single ballot are in use: (a) One, following the Australian plan, in which the titles of the officers are arranged alphabetically, the names of the candidates and of the party following; (b) one which groups all names and offices by parties.

A newer feature of ballot reform is the substitution for the ballot paper, which is folded and deposited by hand, of a voting machine.