Secret Ballot
In the years prior to the Progressive era, Political corruption was abundant. Wealthy Politicians and businessmen often used bribery and intimidation to gain the votes of the populace. The corresponding results did not truly show the public opinion; rather, the elections merely made it easier for corruption to be implemented during the next election, as crooked politicians gained influence to do so. This issue became most apparent to the public after the Presidential Election of 1888. In the election, Grover Cleveland beat opponent James G. Blaine by only 24,000 popular votes, yet received 219 electoral votes, as opposed to Blaine's 182; this was not feasible, due to the small margin in the popular vote. The margin was so small, in fact, that if Blaine had won the vote in New York, he would have won the election. The most obvious example of Corruption in this situation was the Influence Tammany Hall, and by extension, Boss Tweed, had on the allegiance of voters in New York. Using bribes and threats, the voters were forced to vote for Cleveland. There was no way to pretend to bypass this, as all voters who voted at one of the many locations under Tammany Hall's influence were monitored while voting to assure they voted for the Political ally of the hall. After the outrage of the election, Americans began integrating a new ballot system, one specially designed to counteract the monitoring and corruption.
The Secret, or Australian, ballot system was introduced the same year. Originally used in southern Australia in 1856, and Britain in 1872, the system was initiated in Massachusetts in 1888. Most states quickly followed suit. The system battled corruption in multiple ways. First, it made sure all official candidates were present on all voting slips, preventing businesses from paying to minimize options. This is present in the above figure, with all candidates from all parties organized by their potential office. Also, the ballots were publicly funded and managed. This kept business almost completely separate from the process, preventing the votes from being tampered with. Lastly, the ballots were made anonymous, and voting occurred in private booths, without anyone else knowing who voted for whom.
The Secret Ballot system, introduced during the Progressive Era, was a vital part of the struggle to end the corruption which plagued the U.S. at the time. It gave more power to voters, and kept the growing political power of industry in check.