Editing Polling station (section)

==History==

The word "poll" means "scalp" or "head". When votes were taken by gathering people together and counting heads, the place where this was done (sometimes an open field) was called the "polls".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/polling-democracy-uneasy-relationship/|title=Polling & Democracy: An Uneasy Relationship &#124; On the Media|website=WNYC|access-date=12 December 2019|archive-date=12 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212134720/https://www.wnyc.org/story/polling-democracy-uneasy-relationship/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/16/politics-and-the-new-machine|title=Are Polls Ruining Democracy?|first=Jill|last=Lepore|magazine=The New Yorker|date=9 November 2015|via=www.newyorker.com|access-date=12 December 2019|archive-date=24 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224124354/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/16/politics-and-the-new-machine|url-status=live}}</ref>

Polling places used to gather and count ballots in elections have changed significantly over the past 250 years.<ref name="Before Ballots"/> Advances in technology have played a major role in changing the polling places because as the type of ballot changed, the venue in which the ballots are counted also changed.<ref name="Before Ballots"/> One of the main reasons for advancement was to be able to access the results quicker. First was the word ballot, then came the different types of paper ballots, and in the late 20th Century electronic balloting systems were introduced.

Before there were paper ballots, people would simply call out their selection at the polling place. This polling place was typically the county courthouse or town hall.<ref name="Before Ballots"/> Sometimes these polls were taken outside of the venue in a more informal fashion. When the voters came to the town hall to announce their choice, they would get in line to see the judge and swear in.<ref name="Before Ballots"/> Voters would swear an oath to the judge on a Bible and be allowed to cast one ballot per election.<ref name="Before Ballots"/> The judge acted as the only form of voter identification and it was up to them to be able to identify individuals that had already voted and exclude them from voting again.<ref name="Before Ballots"/>

The use of paper and electronic ballots have been the most widely used form of capturing votes in recent history.<ref name="Before Ballots"/> When paper or electronic ballots are used, the polling place must be professionally organized in order to ensure that the ballots are not tampered with and are accounted for accurately.<ref name="Before Ballots"/> These polls are held inside a building that has been set up in stations to assist voters. When the voter arrives, they will be asked to show a form of voter identification (Photo ID is required in most European countries and in some US states).<ref name="Before Ballots"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx|title=Voter Identification Requirements {{!}} Voter ID Laws|website=www.ncsl.org|access-date=7 June 2019|archive-date=5 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605060355/http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Properly identified votes would go to a voting booth where the votes are captured. After all votes were captured, voters could examine the voting ticket before submitting the ballot to the poll worker, in a ballot box, or on the computerized ballot.<ref name="Before Ballots"/>