This sketch appeared in 1856 in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. It captures a scene in New York City in the presidential election of that year. New York operated under electoral law requiring voting by party-produced tickets, rather than by voice, as in George Caleb Bingham’s famous painting (link here: Lynn, the painting is part of the website, can we link internally?). Ticket elections were conducted outside, in public, just like viva voce (by voice) elections. But in a ticket election, the voter deposited in a box or glass jar the paper ticket produced by a political party listing its slate of candidates. Party officials handed out these competing tickets at booths outside the polling station.