Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF THE I~V~ ON
This invention relates generally to improvements in
ballots for use in the electoral process and a method for
producing such ballots.
BACKGROUND OF THE l~v~ ION
Studies have shown that a large percentage of voters
who are ill-informed as to the candidates in an election tend
to mark the names listed toward the top of the ballot, rather
than those listed toward the bottom. This frustrates the
democratic process as persons whose names appear at the top of
the list are preferentially selected over those whose names
appear at the bottom. Since many elections are won or lost by
only a few votes, the bias introduced by this effect can be
major. Furthermore, candidates names are not infrequently
listed alphabetically on ballots. Accordingly, persons whose
last names begin with, for example, the letters A or B would
have their names appearing toward the top of the ballot and
would tend to be preferentially picked by ill-advised voters
over persons whose names begin, for example, with the letters
T or W.
Ill-advised voters further tend to be influenced not
only by the position of a candidate's name relative to the
ballot but also relative to the other names on the ballot. For
example, if there is one outstanding candidate, voters tend to
prefer candidates whose names are adjacent that outstanding
candidate. Similarly, if there is a particular candidate
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which a majority of voters would tend to avoid, ill-informed
voters would tend also not to choose a candidate whose name
appears adjacent to the one being avoided.
SUMMARY OF THE INvh~ ON
The present invention provides a bundle of ballots,
each said ballot having a plurality of names marked thereon,
each said name being in a discrete location and each said name
appearing in each of said discrete locations on generally an
equal number of ballots in said bundle.
According to one embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a method of producing sets of
ballots in which the names of candidates appear in different
arrangements, said method comprising the steps of:
i) generating the desired arrangements of names;
ii) printing ballots corresponding to each of said
arrangements of names;
iii) collating said ballots into groups having one ballot
representing each of said arrangements; and,
iv) compiling a desired number of said groups of ballots
into sets of ballots.
According to another embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a method of producing bundles of
ballots in which the names of candidates appear in different
arrangements, said method comprising the steps of:
i) generating the desired arrangements of names;
ii) printing ballots corresponding to each said arrangement
of names;
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iii) putting a ballot corresponding to each said arrangement
into a bundle; and,
iv) repeating step 3 above until said bundle contains a
desired number of ballots.
According to yet another embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a method of producing sets of
ballots in which the names of candidates appear in different
arrangements, said method comprising the steps of:
i) generating the desired arrangements of names;
ii) printing a ballot according to one of said arrangements;
iii) printing a ballot according to another of said
arrangements;
iv) repeating step 3 until all of said arrangements are
exhausted;
v) repeating steps 1 through 4 until a desired number of
ballots has been printed; and,
vi) compiling said ballots into a set.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention,
and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect,
reference will now be made, by way of example, to the
accompanying drawings, which show preferred embodiments of the
present invention and in which:
Figure 1 illustrates the front of four individual
ballots of a bundle of ballots according to the present
invention;
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Figure 2 illustrates six ballots of a bundle of
ballots according to a further embodiment of the present
invention; and,
Figure 3 is a diagramatical representation of a
system for carrying out a method according to the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT I~V~ ON
Referring to Figure 1, there are shown four ballots
identified by reference numbers 10, 12, 14 and 16. Each
ballot is divided into two adjacent columns, 18 and 20
respectively. The columns are divided into four rows, 22, 24,
26 and 28 respectively.
The rows 22 through 28 of the columns 18 each
contain one of the letters A, B, C, or D marked thereon. Each
of these letters denotes the name of a different candidate on
the ballot. Each row 22, 24, 26 and 28 of column 18 on each
ballot 10, 12, 14 and 16, represents a different discrete
location on the ballot. Rows 22, 24, 26 and 28 of column 20
are left blank for insertion of a mark by the voter to
indicate which candidate they have selected.
Comparing ballot 10 to ballot 12, it can be seen
that the last three letters of ballot 10, namely, B, C and D,
have been shifted one row upward to the position in ballot 12
and the first letter, A, has been shifted from the top row to
the bottom row. This pattern of shifting the last three
letters upward one row and moving the letter occupying the top
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row to the bottom row is further repeated in going from ballot
12 to ballot 14 and again from ballot 14 to ballot 16. In
this manner, each of the letters A, B, C and D appears once in
each of the discrete locations defined by rows 22, 24, 26 and
28 of column 18 in this group of four ballots. Each bundle of
ballots would contain an equal number of ballots according to
ballot number 10, 12, 14 and 16 arranged in sequential order.
As each candidate's name appears on the top of a ballot, an
equal number of times, the names in effect rotate on the
ballot. This eleminates any bias caused by the unconscious
tendency of the ill-informed to select the candidate whose
name appears at the top of the ballot.
Although only four letters, each of which represents
a candidate's name, are illustrated on the ballots of Figure
1, it will be appreciated that this system is readily
adaptable to any number of candidates' names.
Referring still to Figure 1, it can be seen that
despite the rotation of names, the sequential order of names
remains the same. For example, the letter C is always
adjacent at least one of the letters B or D and is never
adjacent the letter A. Similarly, the letter A is always
adjacent one of the letters D or B and never adjacent the
letter C, and so forth. Accordingly, if the candidate whose
name is represented by the letter A would be particularly
undesirable to a large number of voters, and if ill-informed
voters are disinclined to select a candidate whose name
appears adjacent the name of this undesirable candidate, then
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such ill-informed voters would be more inclined to pick the
candidate represented by the letter C over either of the
candidates represented by letters D or B respectively. In
this manner, the candidate represented by letter C has an
unfair advantage over the candidate represented by letters B
or D respectively.
Figure 2 illustrates six ballots, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40
and 42 respectively, each of which has a different sequence of
candidates' names represented by letters A, B, C and D,
thereon. In the six ballots, the letter A appears adjacent
each of the remaining letters B, C and D two times.
If each of the six sequences shown on ballots 32,
34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 is rotated four times as discussed above
concerning the ballots of Figure 1, twenty-four ballots will
be produced in which each candidate's name will occupy a given
one of the four rows 22, 24, 26, or 28 of column 18 an equal
number of times and as well, each candidate's name will be
adjacent another candidate's name an equal number of times.
The set of ballots will contain an equal number of each of
these twenty- four different ballots.
Sets of ballots, according to the present invention,
can be produced by separately printing batches of ballots
corresponding to each desired arrangement of names and
subsequently collating the ballots into groups. In each
group, each ballot representing a different arrangement. With
this method, any desired number of groups can be compiled to
form a set of ballots containing a desired number of ballots.
133~985
Alternatively, the ballots can be printed
sequentially with each subsequent ballot having a different
arrangement of names thereon until all of the permutations
have been exhausted at which point the cycle would again be
repeated. One way of accomplishing this latter method is to
program the sequence of names into a computer which controls a
printer, such as a laser printer. The computer would then
drive the laser printer to print out the ballots in sequence.
A further refinement of the latter method is, as
diagrammatically indicated in Figure 3, to enter an
appropriate program 50 into a computer 52 which is connected
to a printer (e.g. a laser printer) 54. The program 50
functions such that when a series of names is entered into a
computer, the program arranges the names in all possible
combinations, as shown in Figure 2, so that each name appears
adjacent each other name an equal number of times. The
program then causes the names to be rotated so that in
addition, each name appears in each location generally an
equal number of times.
The computer then directs the printer 54 to print
sets of ballots meeting the above explained criteria. The
sets of ballots emerge into a paper tray 56 and are repeated
until a desired number of ballots has been printed.
Variations and modifications to the present
invention may be apparent to one skilled in the art without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
