Label
Portable Voting Booth Product Model, 1911
Made by David Mayo (1847 – 1934)
Montpelier, VT
Wood, metal, leather, fabric
Gift of Earl Templeton, 1983.10.11a-c
Vermont has long been proud of its democratic traditions, from Town Meeting Day debates to strong participation in local government. Much of our polling takes place in multi-use locations – school gymnasiums, church basements, grange halls, and other community gathering spaces. With this in mind, David Mayo’s design for a portable voting booth that could be folded up and stored flat when not in use made a lot of sense.
Each modular booth attaches to the next in line, forming a bank of booths to fit any space. The writing platform folds down and faces a wall, and a curtain hangs at the back to preserve privacy. This model was constructed at the scale of 1 ½ inches to 1 foot. A fully constructed voting booth in this style would stand just over 6 feet tall.
In 1911, Mayo developed this device specifically for use in Montpelier City Hall’s large auditorium, a multi-use space that required free-standing furniture without the use of floor or wall anchors. He used this small product model to demonstrate his system to Montpelier residents and City Council. On January 16, 1912, Montpelier City Council voted to acquire 66 panels of Mayo’s design, which would join to make 60 booths. The total cost for production was $287.75, or about $8,300 today. Unfortunately, none of the full-scale booths have survived to the present day.
David Mayo was born in Chazy, New York, and came to Montpelier in the 1870s to apprentice as a wheelwright. He worked as a wheelwright, carriage maker, and general handyman for 47 years and retired to live with his daughter in Newport, Vermont, in 1914. He passed away in 1934. He constructed a number of small scale models that are today in the collections of the Vermont Historical Society. He does not seem to have applied for patents for any of them.