Innovating Within Restriction
In 1899, Lenna R. Winslow of Ohio filed a patent for a groundbreaking voting machine that separated ballots based on the voter’s gender. Designed to address partial suffrage for women, the machine used doors labeled “Ladies” and “Gents” to activate mechanisms displaying gender-specific ballots.
A Decade-Long Process
It took 11 years for Winslow to receive patent number 966,505 in 1910. The machine featured analog levers and switches to ensure men could vote unencumbered while limiting women to specific races. Other inventors, like Angus Gordon, patented similar devices, locking out non-relevant ballots for women voters.
The End of Restrictive Machines
When the 19th Amendment granted women full suffrage in 1920, these inventions became obsolete. Most were discarded, though one machine survives at the Hennepin History Museum in Minneapolis. This 1914 device still bears instructions for operators to adjust settings before a woman entered the booth.
In 1910, Lenna Winslow patented a voting machine that displayed different ballots based on a voter’s gender. Using doors labeled "Ladies" and "Gents," the machine activated mechanisms to restrict or allow access to specific races, reflecting the era's unequal voting rights. 1/4… pic.twitter.com/jR6dhJTou1
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) December 27, 2024