1912 Presidential Election Ballot for the Town of Castile, New York

In the mid-1800s, American voters cast preprinted ballots listing candidates from a single party. It was a confusing, public process that invited intimidation and fraud. After 1888, blanket ballots -- originally used in South Australia in the 1850s -- gradually replaced single party ballots. Blanket ballots listed all candidates from all parties. Many included party symbols to help guide voters' selections.