Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Rogatores

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

ROGATO'RES. Officers who acted at the Roman Comitia in a capacity somewhat similar to that of our poll clerks, their duty being to stand at the nearest end of the bridge (pons suffragiorum), which each citizen ascended to record his vote as he came out from the inclosure (ovile) in which they were first mustered, and to present the balloting tokens (tabellae) to each individual in turn, which he took and threw into the box (cista) placed at the opposite extremity of the bridge. The illustration (Rogatores/1.1), from a coin, explains the process, showing at the bottom the railing which enclosed the ovile, a voter ascending the bridge and receiving his ballot from the rogator, whilst another one at the opposite end is engaged in depositing his in the box. The term, however, originated before the practice of secret voting had obtained, when the poll clerk had only to ask (rogare) the citizens how they intended to vote, and to register the result upon a waxed tablet containing a list of the candidates, by making a mark or point (punctum) against the name of each one as a suffrage was recorded in his favour. Cic. N. D. ii. 4. Id. Div. ii. 35. Ib. i. 17. Id. in Sen. 11. Id. Pis. 15.

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  Rogatores/1.1