When Americans Voted OUT LOUD, in Front of Everyone #Shorts
Pack: 39 - When Americans Voted OUT LOUD, in Front of Everyone
Before the secret ballot, a Virginia voter walked up at the courthouse and said his vote out loud, in front of the sheriff, the candidates and his neighbors. Then the candidate he picked stood up and thanked him. Kentucky was the last state to give voice voting up, in 1891.
- In colonial and early Virginia, the sheriff called each voter's name, the voter named his choice aloud, a clerk wrote it down, and the candidate "arose, bowed, and publicly thanked him" (Charles S. Sydnor, Gentlemen Freeholders, 1952, via Carlyle House).
- A 1705 Virginia act had the poll taken in writing: each voter's name "fairly written" under the candidate he voted for (Virginia election act of 1705).
- "Simply by listening, one could tell fairly well how things were going" (Sydnor, 1952).
- Kentucky was the last state to abandon viva voce voting: its 1891 constitution mandated a secret ballot in all elections (University of Virginia, First Vote project).
- In December 1892, an Owensboro paper mourned "the last opportunity the voters will ever have of walking up and expressing their votes openly" (Owensboro Messenger, via UVA First Vote).
Would you vote out loud in front of your neighbors? Tell us in the comments. Full story in our documentary, The Full History of Voting in America.
Quick answers
What is “When Americans Voted OUT LOUD, in Front of Everyone” about?
Before the secret ballot, a Virginia voter walked up at the courthouse and said his vote out loud, in front of the sheriff, the candidates and his neighbors. Then the candidate he picked stood up and thanked him. Kentucky was the last state to give voice voting up, in 1891.
What are the key facts?
In colonial and early Virginia, the sheriff called each voter's name, the voter named his choice aloud, a clerk wrote it down, and the candidate "arose, bowed, and publicly thanked him" (Charles S. Sydnor, Gentlemen Freeholders, 1952, via Carlyle House). A 1705 Virginia act had the poll taken in writing: each voter's name "fairly written" under the candidate he voted for (Virginia election act of 1705).
What sources is this Short based on?
It cites Carlyle House (NOVA Parks), Docent Dispatch, November 2004, on Sydnor's Gentlemen Freeholders; An act for regulating the Elections of Burgesses (1705), Encyclopedia Virginia; Frederick County Poll Sheet, 1758, Papers of George Washington (Founders Online, National Archives); University of Virginia, First Vote project, "The Australian Secret Ballot"; and 1 more. Links are in the Sources list below.
Sources
- Carlyle House (NOVA Parks), Docent Dispatch, November 2004, on Sydnor's Gentlemen Freeholders
- An act for regulating the Elections of Burgesses (1705), Encyclopedia Virginia
- Frederick County Poll Sheet, 1758, Papers of George Washington (Founders Online, National Archives)
- University of Virginia, First Vote project, "The Australian Secret Ballot"
- University of Virginia, First Vote project, "Why Kentucky?"
Images
- The County Election, 1852, Saint Louis Art Museum (a Missouri poll of 1846) — George Caleb Bingham — Public domain —
- A Virginia courthouse voice vote, c. 1800 — Illustration: Shadowfetch Studio (Unreal Engine) — our own work
- The County Election, engraving after Bingham, 1854, National Gallery of Art (detail) — John Sartain — CC0 —
- Hanover County Courthouse, Virginia (background) — Erechtheus — Public domain —
- The Verdict of the People, 1854–55, Saint Louis Art Museum — George Caleb Bingham — Public domain —
