[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.

[lm01]

I agree I often thought this practice was wrong. But maybe they can't read English and than we are safe.

[beady]

Jan, I wholeheartedly agree with you. No one, I mean no one , should ever see your ballot.
In New Hampshire ,where they are still using paper ballots in many towns, you place the ballot face down when putting it in the ballot box.
Seems it would be simple enough for Florida to do the same!!!!! :dontknow: :dontknow:

[Dutchman]

But then again, FL isn't known for modern election processes!

[captain1202]

We early voted in Belleview on the electronic machines.

[zcaveman]

I voted in Mrion county. They handed me the ballot. I colored in the circles and then I fed it into the machine face down.

No problem here!!

I agree with Jan. Forty years of voting in NY state where you are far away from everyone and surrounded by a curtain I was shocked at how your vote here is so public. In early voting in Sumter at the library, you stand in one small room with open touch screens connected to each other. You listen to poll workers label people outloud on whether they are Democrat or Republican . (different screens for different parties) You stand next to voters and poll workers who read the choices and leave you a candy and a sticker when you are done. I accidentally saw another's vote when I was leaving because the screens are so open and so close together. I hope it is in the works to change this way of voting.

[Talk Host]

The election office told me on Tuesday that an official of the office would be calling me the next day. Today is Thursday evening, and you guessed it. No Call.

They don't seem to care.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by mcelheny

Forty years of voting in NY state where you are far away from everyone and surrounded by a curtain I was shocked at how your vote here is so public.

When I voted in rural NJ it was the same booths as down here - except they had a stylus to poke a hole in the choices. After that they graduated to a hole punch mechanism. You then put the card in a box.

[Muncle]

It's my understanding (I could be wrong :dontknow that the really nice, easy to understand, and very efficient touch screen machines that we've used in Sumter for a few years are all being replaced for the next election. I believe the entire state is going to the rather old technology like that used by our Host the other day. It seems we senile old coots can't handle new technology to vote, unlike our ATM use, and the scanners will provide the mystical paper trail which will stop all cheating. 040 :hot: 040