2020.006.002 [Torch, Campaign]

This is a glass ballot box torch that was used in the presidential campaign of James A. Garfield between 1880 and 1881. Garfield was the 20th president of the United States of America before his assassination on September 19, 1881; he was president for only seven months. During the middle of the nineteenth century, there was much concern over the transparency of political campaigns when it came to corruption and vote tampering. As a solution to public fears of vote manipulation, the Honest Ballot Box was put into use in some instances. This consisted of a spherical glass vote collecting vessel inside a wooden box frame, which allowed for people to see the number of ballots cast inside the box. It was believed that this would help assuage peoples' fears of vote manipulation by parties and their candidates. This torch is representative of an Honest Ballot Box but is not one in and of itself. This content can be used with the following resources: SS-US.9-12.2: Iowans Influence US History This content can be used to educate students on the political history of the United States and the roles that Iowans played within that history. Honest Ballot Boxes were created as a means of increasing the transparency of elections, which can be a good lesson to students about how political life in Iowa developed and how Iowa voters influenced the larger United States. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item for any copyright restrictions.