Elihu Burritt Hayes (April 26, 1848 – April 1, 1903) was an American shoe manufacturer,[3] newspaperman,[3] and politician, who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 18th Essex District,[3] and as the 25th Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts.

[3] Hayes was born in West Lebanon, Maine on April 26, 1848,[3] and moved to Lynn, Massachusetts in 1865.

[3] In 1873 Hayes married Amy A. Farnum of Lynn, They had one child, Eugene.

[3] After he left the shoe industry, Hayes went into the newspaper business.

[3] In 1888, while in the Massachusetts Legislature, Hayes introduced the first bill in the United States to adopt the Australian style ballot system,[5] initiating the successful movement for the adoption of the Secret ballot in the United States.