01.20.2005 23:27
'Party ticket': the parties printed the tickets
Winds of
Change prints a Maryland Free Soil Party ticket from the 1848
election. Many years ago, someone told me that back then, political
parties printed and distributed the tickets, with only their
candidates' names on them, no one else. Here's the image, from the
Smithsonian's article on Paper
Ballots:
Before the Civil War 'only Kentucky and Virginia were electing by voice vote. Kentucky, which had had the paper ballot from 1792 to 1799, was the last state to abandon voice voting.' Ballot from the Encyclopedia Americana. Interesting that they abandoned paper ballots after seven years and had voice voting for another seven decades.
'Party-tickets' were used after the Civil War, and the first State to adopt the 'Australian' ballot, printed by the government, with all candidates listed, was Massachusetts, in 1888. It was the Progressive Movement which eliminated ballots printed and distributed by parties, which also involved the government is ballot access questions, leading to our time's petition signature campaigns and litigation by Ralph Nader, the Libertarian Party and other minor parties. Richard Winger is usually cited as the authority on ballot access. His web site is Ballot Access News.
The Smithsonian has other interesting images at the link.
Ballot, Free Soil ticket
Maryland Free Soil party ticket, 1848
Before the Civil War 'only Kentucky and Virginia were electing by voice vote. Kentucky, which had had the paper ballot from 1792 to 1799, was the last state to abandon voice voting.' Ballot from the Encyclopedia Americana. Interesting that they abandoned paper ballots after seven years and had voice voting for another seven decades.
'Party-tickets' were used after the Civil War, and the first State to adopt the 'Australian' ballot, printed by the government, with all candidates listed, was Massachusetts, in 1888. It was the Progressive Movement which eliminated ballots printed and distributed by parties, which also involved the government is ballot access questions, leading to our time's petition signature campaigns and litigation by Ralph Nader, the Libertarian Party and other minor parties. Richard Winger is usually cited as the authority on ballot access. His web site is Ballot Access News.