Editing Voting machine (section)

====Buttons====
In 1875, Henry Spratt of [[Kent]] received a U.S. patent for a voting machine that presented the ballot as an array of push buttons, one per candidate.<ref>H. W. Spratt, ''Improvement in Voting Apparatus,'' {{US patent|158652|U.S. Patent 158,652}}, Jan 12. 1875.</ref>  Spratt's machine was designed for a typical British election with a single [[Plurality voting system|plurality]] race on the ballot.

In 1881, Anthony Beranek of Chicago patented the first voting machine appropriate for use in a general election in the United States.<ref>A. C. Beranek, ''Voting Apparatus'', {{US patent|248130|U.S. Patent 248,130}}g, October 11, 1881.</ref>  Beranek's machine presented an array of push buttons to the voter, with one row per office on the ballot, and one column per party.  Interlocks behind each row prevented voting for more than one candidate per race, and an interlock with the door of the voting booth reset the machine for the next voter as each voter left the booth.