The Shoup Voting Machine Corporation was an American manufacturer of voting machines, founded in New Jersey[1] in 1905 by Samuel R. Shoup.[2] It changed names and locations over the years,[3] before going out of business as Advanced Voting Solutions, Inc. of Frisco, Texas in 2015.[4]
History
Safemaker Jacob H. Meyers created the Automatic Voting Machine in 1888 and established the Automatic Voting Machine Corporation (AVM) in 1898.[5] Samuel R. Shoup followed his example, built his own lever voting machine and founded the Shoup Voting Machine Corporation in 1905.[2] It "operated on a limited scale", until "the development and sale of the model 2.5 in the mid 1930s turned the corporation into a successful and profitable operation."[6] The two rivals grew to dominate the American market.[7] By 1928, one of six citizens registered their votes on an AVM or Shoup machine.[2] In all, Shoup sold 100,000 lever-operated voting machines, half of which were still working and in use for the 2000 presidential election.[8] In the 1950s, the company was renamed the R. F. Shoup Corporation.
Criminal cases
In July 1971, United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell announced that the Shoup Voting Machine Corp. of Philadelphia, its subsidiary Southern Municipal Sales, Inc., Shoup president Irving H. Myers, company executive vice president Martin V. Schott, several other Shoup employees, and other individuals had been indicted by a Philadelphia grand jury for a total of four indictments for bribery, mail fraud, and conspiracy.[15][16] According to one indictment, "Shoup officials conspired to sell 200 machines to Hillsborough County", Florida, for $530,700 using bribery, then bought 180 back as scrap for $5,400.[15] Another indictment charged that Shoup officials then bribed an official of Harris County, Texas, to buy 100 of them.[15][16] On March 1, 1972, the
Memorabilia
A Shoup voting booth was purchased by pawnbroker Jimmy DeRamus for $800 in the reality television show Cajun Pawn Stars episode "Pawn 'n Chain".
References
- https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2302375/international-election-systems-corp-v-shoup/? April 24, 1978, retrieved February 27, 2018^
- Ed Arnold. History of Voting Systems in California josephhall.org, June 1999, retrieved January 27, 2012^
- Advanced Voting Solutions, Inc. (FKA: R.F. Shoup Corporation)