letterHead from tHe myers
ameriCan ballot maCHine Co . In the wake of voting scandals involving paper ballots , Jacob H . Myers , an inventor and maker of safes , developed a mechanical-lever voting booth that he claimed would “ protect mechanically the voter from rascaldom , and make the process of casting the ballot perfectly plain , simple , and secret .” A series of letters in the Historic Richmond Town archives indicates that the Town Board of Northfield , Staten Island , purchased several of these voting machines in 1896 . The company ’ s letterhead included an illustration of the voting machine in use . Note that only men appear in the illustration ; women in the United States were not guaranteed the right to vote until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 .
eleCtion tiCket
By the mid-1800s , it was common for political parties to provide voters with pre-printed “ tickets ” listing their candidates . In the Presidential election of 1844 , James K . Polk was at the top of the Democratic ticket . Polk , who campaigned for the annexation of Texas , Oregon , and California , defeated Whig candidate Henry Clay .
The STaTen ISland hISTorIan 11