Moncena Dunn
Encyclopedia
Moncena Dunn son of farmer Wallace Dunn (b Maine July 1827-1907) and Lucy N Miller (1840–1905), was a farmer, telegrapher, optometrist and inventor of the fraud-proof, color-coded coupon ballot (Dunn Ballot).
Reservation was opened for settlement Moncena and Lois took up a claim adjacent to the Town of Summit, built a small wooden house and here their two children, Everett
and Wendell
, were born.
In July 1914, Dunn came to Chicago, Illinois to interest civic and legislative organizations in his new color-coded coupon ballot. Dunn asserted that the ballot would put an end to all Electoral fraud
; that it was simple enough for any voter; that it would enable clerks and judges to count ballots four times as quickly as under the present Australian ballot system
; that it would not entail the expense of the voting machine, and that voters would not be hurried as they were with the voting machines.
"Only one ballot is to be counted at a time," Dunn told the Chicago Tribune
. "When the judge takes the envelopes out of the ballot box he numbers them. There is a pocket in the discard envelope to contain the smaller envelope which holds the voted coupons. The Judge takes the coupons out and reads the vote by the color and number of office, each office being numbered on the ballot. A person standing twenty feet away can tell if he reads the vote correctly. After the vote is read, the judge puts the envelopes together again. Then if any controversy over the result arises there are two records of the ballot. There are the names the voter voted for and the names to be discarded. There is never any question as to what the voter meant, as there so frequently is with the present ballot in general use. There is absolutely no chance for short pencil work. If there are any errors, they are easily caught. We consider, in counting, only the names voted for. With the present ballot we consider all the candidates of every party. Experiment has shown that the ballots can be counted four times as fast as at present."
was a noted educator, son Everett Dunn
was a civil engineer and labor negotiatior, daughter Anita Elizabeth Dunn (1913–1990) was Supervisor of English, Milne School, New York State College for Teachers, Albany, Associate Professor of Education, State University of New York at Albany, and co-author of a popular school reader. Son Cletus Moncena Dunn (1912-2010) was a radio engineer who directed the construction of an underground concrete chamber that simulated the radio room of a sub. "Dunn's Dungeon," the chamber's nickname, was a test site for the antenna system and communication system for USS Seawolf (SSN-575)
, the first integrated radio sub and the second atomic sub ever built. Stephen Hopkins
(1582–1644) was a 9th great grandfather of Moncena Dunn.
Early Years
Moncena Dunn married Lois Woodward in 1891 and as the station agent went to live at Summit, SD, a station established on the recently built extension of the Milwaukee Road. When the Sisseton and WahpetonSisseton Wahpeton Oyate
The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, formerly Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe/Dakota Nation, is a federally recognized tribe comprising two bands and two sub-divisions of the Isanti or Santee Dakota people...
Reservation was opened for settlement Moncena and Lois took up a claim adjacent to the Town of Summit, built a small wooden house and here their two children, Everett
Everett Dunn
Everett Wesley Dunn, was a civil engineer and labor negotiator. He was known for his work with the Iowa State Highway Commission, which demonstrated his knowledge not only of engineering but of financing as well.-Early life:Everett Dunn was the son of Moncena and Lois Woodward Dunn...
and Wendell
Wendell E. Dunn
Wendell Earl Dunn, Sr. was a noted educator, longtime principal of Forest Park High School in Baltimore , and President of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.-Early Years in South Dakota:Wendell Dunn was the son of Moncena and Lois Woodward Dunn...
, were born.
Dunn Ballot
The Dunn color-coded coupon ballot was authorized as part of an act passed by the Wisconsin legislature in 1905.In July 1914, Dunn came to Chicago, Illinois to interest civic and legislative organizations in his new color-coded coupon ballot. Dunn asserted that the ballot would put an end to all Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
; that it was simple enough for any voter; that it would enable clerks and judges to count ballots four times as quickly as under the present Australian ballot system
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
; that it would not entail the expense of the voting machine, and that voters would not be hurried as they were with the voting machines.
Use of the Dunn Ballot
Under Dunn's system there was a colored card of coupons for each party. Every voter was given two envelopes with his ballot. In one he placed the coupons of the candidates he voted for. In the other he placed the remaining coupons. If a voter desired to vote a straight ticket he tore off the full page which contained the names of all the candidates of his party. When he split his ticket he tore out the coupons on which were the names of the candidates he wished to vote for. The coupons of each party were of a different color."Only one ballot is to be counted at a time," Dunn told the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
. "When the judge takes the envelopes out of the ballot box he numbers them. There is a pocket in the discard envelope to contain the smaller envelope which holds the voted coupons. The Judge takes the coupons out and reads the vote by the color and number of office, each office being numbered on the ballot. A person standing twenty feet away can tell if he reads the vote correctly. After the vote is read, the judge puts the envelopes together again. Then if any controversy over the result arises there are two records of the ballot. There are the names the voter voted for and the names to be discarded. There is never any question as to what the voter meant, as there so frequently is with the present ballot in general use. There is absolutely no chance for short pencil work. If there are any errors, they are easily caught. We consider, in counting, only the names voted for. With the present ballot we consider all the candidates of every party. Experiment has shown that the ballots can be counted four times as fast as at present."
Reception of the Dunn Ballot
Dunn held a conference with C. E. DePuy of Lewis Institute, who demonstrated the possibilities of fraud in the voting machines purchased for Chicago, "This appears to me the most feasible style of ballot I have ever seen," DePuy said. "It remedies many of the faults of the present system, and I do not see why it should not gain the universal approval of honest voters."Family
Son Wendell E. DunnWendell E. Dunn
Wendell Earl Dunn, Sr. was a noted educator, longtime principal of Forest Park High School in Baltimore , and President of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.-Early Years in South Dakota:Wendell Dunn was the son of Moncena and Lois Woodward Dunn...
was a noted educator, son Everett Dunn
Everett Dunn
Everett Wesley Dunn, was a civil engineer and labor negotiator. He was known for his work with the Iowa State Highway Commission, which demonstrated his knowledge not only of engineering but of financing as well.-Early life:Everett Dunn was the son of Moncena and Lois Woodward Dunn...
was a civil engineer and labor negotiatior, daughter Anita Elizabeth Dunn (1913–1990) was Supervisor of English, Milne School, New York State College for Teachers, Albany, Associate Professor of Education, State University of New York at Albany, and co-author of a popular school reader. Son Cletus Moncena Dunn (1912-2010) was a radio engineer who directed the construction of an underground concrete chamber that simulated the radio room of a sub. "Dunn's Dungeon," the chamber's nickname, was a test site for the antenna system and communication system for USS Seawolf (SSN-575)
USS Seawolf (SSN-575)
USS Seawolf , a unique submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seawolf, the second nuclear submarine, and the only U.S. submarine built with a liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor....
, the first integrated radio sub and the second atomic sub ever built. Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (settler)
Stephen Hopkins , was a tanner and merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620, settling in Plymouth Colony. Hopkins was recruited by the Merchant Adventurers to provide governance for the colony as well as assist with the colony's ventures...
(1582–1644) was a 9th great grandfather of Moncena Dunn.