Meanwhile in Gambia ....

[Steph]

Another of my bored google searches for marbles turned up this bit of news from April.

Meanwhile in ... Gambia, voters will vote using glass marbles for the last time

"Gambia, voters will head to the polls this spring to elect local officials as expected, but it will be the last time they will vote using glass marbles. For the past 60 years, each Gambian has cast a vote by dropping a glass marble into a barrel painted in party colors. (Election officials listen to make sure each voter drops only one marble into the barrel.) When the barrels are full, the marbles are counted by pouring them into wooden trays with 200 or 500 holes. The system works well, discourages fraud, and allows illiterate voters to participate, Gambian officials have said in the past. But they will now be switching to paper ballots to meet international standards."

 

[Royal3]

We used to vote in some elections here with black and white ones. I can't imagine a whole country doing it though! I've got a couple of those black & whites around here somewhere...