ELECTION ENGINEERING
CALIFORNIA RANCHING COUPLE EMBRACES LIFE’S UNANTICIPATED CAREER JOURNEY by Managing Editor Stevie Ipsen
It goes without saying that farmers and ranchers across our great country are the salt of the earth. They are among some of the most patriotic, honest and humble of our nation’s citizens. For longtime Napa Valley ranchers John and Judy Ahmann, the cattle business wasn’t their initial career venture. But their love of country and their strong belief system was instrumental in the way their family businesses molded their lives. We live in a world where “manufacturing elections” means something completely different than it did to John in 1966, when he went to work for Silicon Valley-based tech giant IBM. At that time, the newlywed Ahmanns, who were also fresh college graduates, saw their move to San Jose’s IBM headquarters from Southern California as a terrific prospect. For John, who had been working in the autonautics division for North American Aviation, the job offer from IBM meant the direct opportunity to put his mechanical engineering degree and business experience to use. And working at IBM – the mecca of technology evolution – meant he would have access to the greatest technological projects available in the world. When first arriving at IBM, John was tasked with helping IBM produce ballots for punch card voting machines. This type of work may not have been the dream project John had in mind for his budding new career but having always been a hard-working person who never backed down from work he said, “You do the job that has to be done, whether you like it or not,” and that was a mantra that has served him well. Within about three months of John starting his Silicon Valley job, IMB bought the patents for
28 California Cattleman November 2023
the punch card voting system – the Votomatic – from its original developer, which meant IBM would also take on the responsibility of the voting systems that were already existing in precincts. According to IMB archives, “in the privacy of the voting booth, the IBM Votomatic was used to register selections on a specially designed punched card ballot. The voting device weighed approximately six pounds and sold for 185$ in 1965. The Votomatic's low cost meant that enough units could be placed in each polling place to reduce waiting time.” John subsequently had the idea for a similar voting booth that was contained within a suitcase. At that point in time, IBM moved the Ahmanns to Dayton, N.J., to further develop the voting system and fill voting needs across the country. During that transition, IBM sold the Votomatic to Los Angeles County. The Ahmanns were facing a family transition of their own as their first baby girl was on her way. Judy said it was a time in their life she will never forget. Partially because it was exciting and partially because it was terrifying. “I had very little experience with babies and here I was in the hospital with my first child,” she laughed. “John came to see the baby, kissed me on the forehead and said he needed to get to Los Angeles for work. I told the hospital they were going to need to keep me there for a week because I had no idea how I would manage on my own. But like in many of the unexpected twists and turns of our journey, we were always fortunate to be surrounded by good friends and neighbors who pitched in when our families could not.” With seven different Los Angeles area