In response to Monday’s post about the Voting Day Colorama, I had an email exchange with John Zimmerman of Westhampton, Massachusetts, in the Berkshire Hills. He wrote,

I could not help but chuckle at your comment, "Check out that voting booth, on the right." We here in Westhampton, Massachusetts, still use that exact same voting booth! Our machine has those little toggle levers, and the big lever that also moves the curtain. And it is only used for the major elections, such as the presidential election coming up in November 2012. 

The rest of the time, for local/County/State and off year elections we use paper ballots, and they go into a big wood automatic-number counting hand-cranked ballot box. They are later counted—three times—by an Elections Committee. Our voting booths are simply people lining up at the edge of the Town Hall Stage, with plywood sheets separating the writing areas; kind of looks like a Men's Room line of urinals.

On Voting Day one enters to the right of the booths; checks in with the Election Committee; gets a paper ballot; and goes to the voting booths to mark it by hand, in pencil; then puts it into the intake chute on the Ballot Box, and the Town Clerk turns the crank which counts your vote, then drops your ballot into the Ballot Box. A Town Police Officer (this a part-time job) guards the Ballot Box. 

One then exits to the left of the booths, and checks out with the other group of Election Committee members. All 800 (more or less) of us here in Westhampton are registered voters. 

The folding chairs across the front of the voting area demarcate the area where you are not supposed to linger, and on the chairs are example ballots for people to look at. And when you are all done, on your way out, you can get some sweets and local cider (and usually coffee and tea) as a thank-you snack, for a “suggested donation” to a local worthy cause, such as the Library Fund.

I photographed this set-up because I know that it is probably on the way out and a remnant of a by-gone era.

Photos copyright and courtesy John Zimmerman

02102012