A mechanical device that registers votes on counters through a system of rods and gears. Invented in 1892, the function of the lever machine, according to its inventor, was "to protect mechanically the voter from rascaldom," referring to the rampant practice of stuffing ballot boxes when paper ballots were used. Manufacture of lever machines ceased in the United States in 1972, although some 14% of the popular vote in 2004 was cast on such machines. Lever machines are now illegal in some states, e.g. North Carolina (N.C. Gen. Stat. §163.165.4A(a1)) and for in Maine (21-A Me. Rev. Stat. §809(3-A)(B)). STATE ELECTIONS
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A mechanical device that registers votes on counters through a system of rods and gears. Invented in 1892, the function of the lever machine, according to its inventor, was "to protect mechanically the voter from rascaldom," referring to the rampant practice of stuffing ballot boxes when paper ballots were used. Manufacture of lever machines ceased in the United States in 1972, although some 14% of the popular vote in 2004 was cast on such machines. Lever machines are now illegal in some states, e.g. North Carolina (N.C. Gen. Stat. §163.165.4A(a1)) and for in Maine (21-A Me. Rev. Stat. §809(3-A)(B)). STATE ELECTIONS
Cite this term
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Lever Machine. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 21, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/lever-machine
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