http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/voting/colloq/
Jones Talk, Slide 2

A Brief History of Voting Technology

• Oral Voting (Pre-technological)
  -- Used from ancient Greece to 19th Century
  -- Still used in New England Town Meetings
  
  -- Weakness: No privacy
  -- Strength: Observers may verify count

• Ballots
  -- From ballota, little ball.
  
  -- Weakness: Everyone can stuff the ballot box
  -- Strength: Privacy
  -- Strength: Objective count

• Paper Ballots
  -- First known use, Rome 139 BCE.
  -- First use in Americas, Salem 1629.
  -- 12th Ammendment mandates use by Electoral College, 1804.
  -- Paper typically provided by voter or political party.
  
  -- Weakness: Everyone can stuff the ballot box
  -- Weakness: Weak privacy
  -- Strength: Objective count