[Talk Host]

You have the absolute right to privacy when you vote. Nobody....that's nobody is allowed to see your ballot. EVER!!!!! Right?

Today, when I voted at Mulberry, I checked in and they handed me a ballot in a manila folder. I walked to the three sided voting booth. I recorded my votes on the ballot with a black pen.

Then, I put my ballot back in the manila folder and walked across the room to a machine that sucks your ballot into it. Standing right next to the machine is an election worker. When I take my ballot out of the manila folder, it is right directly in front of his face. He has only to glance down to see how I voted.

Now, why would the worker look, you might ask. If I were somebody of some importance, lots of outsiders would be interested in knowing how I voted.

That is beside the point. Our voting process is secret. Whoever thought up the idea that we should expose our ballots to the eyes of a second party needs to rethink the process.

I'm sure there are those of you who think this is no big deal. I do! It is an invitation for abuse. Relaxation of the sanctity of the secrecy is dangerous. What will be the next relaxation?

I called the election office. They didn't seem to care too much. They said they would "call down there and tell him not to look." It was a childish response to a very serious issue.