American Government and Politics Today, Brief Edition, 2014-2015

186 PART Two • ThE PoliTiCs oF AmERiCAn DEmoCRACy

Australian Ballot

A secret ballot prepared,

distributed, and tabulated

by government officials

at public expense. Since

1888, all states have

used the Australian ballot

rather than an open, public

ballot.

Office-Block, or

Massachusetts, Ballot

A form of general election

ballot in which candidates

for elective office are

grouped together under

the title of each office. It

emphasizes voting for the

office and the individual

candidate, rather than for

the party.

Party-Column, or

Indiana, Ballot

A form of general election

ballot in which all of a

party’s candidates for

elective office are arranged

in one column under the

party’s label and symbol. It

emphasizes voting for the

party, rather than for the

office or individual.

Coattail Effect

The influence of a

popular candidate on

the electoral success of

other candidates on the

same party ticket. The

effect is increased by the

party-column ballot, which

encourages straight-ticket

voting.

Abolishing the college would require a constitutional amendment, however, and the

likelihood of such an amendment is remote. As an alternative, the National Popular Vote

movement advocates an interstate compact to bypass the existing system. This proposal

would require each participating state to cast all of its electoral votes for the candidate who

receives the most popular votes nationwide. The plan will go into effect if the number of par-

ticipating states grows to the point at which these states can elect a majority of the electoral

college. As of mid-2013, eight states and the District of Columbia had joined the compact.

how ARE ElECTions ConDuCTED?

The United States uses the australian ballot—a secret ballot that is prepared, distributed,

and counted by government officials at public expense. Since 1888, all states have used

the Australian ballot. Before that, many states used oral voting or differently colored ballots

prepared by the parties. Obviously, knowing which way a person was voting made it easy

to apply pressure on the person to change his or her vote, and vote buying was common.

office-Block and Party-Column Ballots

Two types of Australian ballots are used in the United States in general elections. The

first, called an office-block ballot, or sometimes a massachusetts ballot, groups all the

candidates for a particular elective office under the title of that office. Parties dislike the

office-block ballot because it places more emphasis on the office than on the party—it

discourages straight-ticket voting and encourages split-ticket voting. Most states now use

this type of ballot.

A party-column ballot is a form of general election ballot in which all of a party’s

candidates are arranged in one column under the party’s label and symbol. It is also called

an indiana ballot. In some states, it allows voters to vote for all of a party’s candidates

for local, state, and national offices by simply marking a single “X” or by pulling a single

lever. Because it encourages straight-ticket voting, the two major parties favor this form.

When a party has an exceptionally strong presidential or gubernatorial candidate to head

the ticket, the use of the party-column ballot increases the coattail effect (the influence

of a popular candidate on the success of other candidates on the same party ticket).

Voting by mail

Voting by mail has been accepted for absentee ballots for many decades (for example,

for individuals who are doing business away from home or for members of the armed

forces). Recently, several states have offered mail ballots to all of their voters. The rationale

for using the mail ballot is to make voting easier and increase turnout. Oregon has gone

one step further: since 1998, that state has employed postal ballots exclusively, and there

are no polling places. (Voters who do not prepare their ballots in time for the U.S. Postal

Service to deliver them can drop off their ballots at drop boxes on Election Day.) In addi-

tion, most counties in the state of Washington now use mail ballots exclusively. By national

standards, voter turnout in those two states has been high, but not exceptionally so.

Voting Fraud and Voter iD laws

Voting fraud is something regularly suspected but seldom proved. Voting in the 1800s,

when secret ballots were rare and people had a cavalier attitude toward the open buying

of votes, was probably much more conducive to fraud than modern elections are. Still,

some observers claim that the potential for voting fraud is high in many states, particularly

LO4: Explain the mechanisms
through which voting takes place
on Election Day, and discuss voter
turnout in the United States.

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