Defined term
Lever Machine
Lever Machine: A mechanical device that registers votes on c ounters through a system of rods and gears.
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Legal & Policy
Definition
A mechanical device that registers votes on c ounters through a system of rods and gears. Invented in 1892, the function of the lever machin e, according to its inventor, was “to protect mechanically the voter from rascaldom,” referri ng to the rampant practice of stuffing ballot boxes when paper ballots were used. Manufact ure of lever machines ceased in the United States in 1972, although some 14% of the popular vote in 2004 was cast on such machines. Lever machines are now illegal in some st ates, e.g. North Carolina (N. C. Gen. Stat. §163.165.4A(a1)) and for STATE ELECTIONS in Maine (21-A Me. Rev. Stat. §809(3-A)(B)).
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Electronic Voting Glossary
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