This tiny pencil is one of the tools of the House. In 2013, a House Tally Clerk compiled the votes for the Speaker of the House with this old-fashioned instrument. Tally clerks have traditionally sat to the left of the Clerk’s lectern. While pencils have been the mainstay of tally clerks since the 1800s, tally clerks began operating the electronic voting system as well in 1973.
