ELECTIONS.—­The right of suffrage is exercised by means of elections.  An election is the direct method of ascertaining the will of the people upon public affairs.  They are held for the purpose of giving the people opportunity to express their choice in the selection of officers, and thus to make known their will upon questions of public concern.

METHODS OF VOTING.—­There are three methods of voting—­viva voce, by ballot, and by machine.  A man votes viva voce by announcing to the election officers the name of the candidate of his choice, and having it recorded upon the polling-list.  A man votes by ballot by handing to the officers a slip of paper containing the name of the candidate voted for.  The officers deposit the ballots in a box called the ballot-box.  A voting machine has a knob or lever for each candidate, and is so arranged that the voter can record one vote.

The viva voce method was once considered the best; but voting by ballot or by machine has supplanted it generally in the United States.

The Australian system provides at each polling-place a private apartment, called a booth, where each voter in private prepares his ballot from a printed list of all the candidates, and then hands it to the officers, who deposit it in the ballot-box.[1]

OFFICERS OF ELECTIONS.—­The officers of elections at each polling-place are usually two or more supervisors, inspectors, or judges; a clerk; and a sheriff, marshal, or other officer of the peace.

The supervisors or inspectors decide who are entitled to vote under the law, and in elections by ballot they deposit the ballots in the ballot-box.

The clerk makes a list of the names of voters, and when the election is viva voce he records the votes.

The sheriff or other peace officer preserves order at the polls, has charge of the ballot-box and polling-list after the election closes, and delivers them to the proper authorities.

In most States, at the close of the election the officers canvass, that is, examine the votes cast, and certify the number of votes received by each candidate.

In some States the ballot-box is sealed at the close of the election, and delivered to the canvassing board of the county.  In such cases the canvassing board of the county canvasses the vote, and in State and national elections sends returns to the canvassing board of the State at the State capital.

In some States election officers are appointed by the county officers, usually by the county judge or probate judge; in other States they are elected by the people.

BRIBERY.—­Bribery in elections is one of the serious evils of politics. Bribery is offering or receiving a reward for voting.  In most States, in addition to other penalties, persons convicted of giving or taking bribes are disfranchised; that is, are not permitted to vote thereafter.  In ancient Athens a man convicted of corrupting a voter suffered the penalty of death.