Early Vote Is No Secret Vote? They Can Track My Vote!!

[BeFree]

Went to vote early and what do you know.....

They put a number next to my name on the sign-in. Then they put the same number on my paper ballot.

They can trace me and see who I voted for.

And all this time I thought it was supposed to be a secret ballot.

[AndreaCG]

1. What state is this?

[BeFree]

Doesn't matter

It could happen in any state. What matters is that my ballot is not secret. First time I ever voted early, and I don't like it.

[CreekDog]

34. Tell us your state (edited to say: c'mon now!)

do you want this problem checked out or not?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

35. In North Carolina, all early votes are "absentee in person" votes and are retrievable

that is how they can prevent people from voting twice.

Right now many of our counties do not use electronic poll books, and with
early voting going on for 2 1/2 weeks, this is how we keep people from voting
multiple times.

If someone does cast two votes, the early vote will get pulled.

Your vote isn't looked at unless you vote twice somehow.

You can read more about it here. http://www.ncvoter.net/earlyvoting.html

[AndyTiedye]

2. Same Thing for Absentee Ballots

[Vincardog]

3. In what state did this happen?

[POAS]

4. 2 questions

1. Did you record the number?
2. What state are you in, is it a red area?

channeling Douglas Adams:

3. Did you report it to Obama voter protection or any other voter protection organization?

[BeFree]

12. Yes the number is:

I ain't gonna tell. Nor what state I vote in. Too many folks would love to know that item.

No Obama report, just here, on DU!

[votetastic]

5. It is a secret ballot in the sense that your vote isn't published

If they didn't have this numbering system, we would see a lot more vote fraud happening. I believe every state probably does this.. It doesn't mean that anyone is reading your vote, or exposing who you voted for.

[BeFree]

8. OK

Since an anonymous poster on DU says so, I shouldn't worry? Right.

Thing is that they CAN read MY vote.

[votetastic]

20. Yes, THEY can

but what does that really mean? Are you afraid you will you be exposed as an Obama-voter?

Even when you don't vote absentee, they write the number from your ballot next to your signature on the registry. To date, I have never heard of anyone whose personal ballot was published.

[WillyT]

6. Have You Seen THIS ???

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7506962&mesg_id=7506962

:shrug:

[abbiehoff]

7. On the other hand

If the election is stolen, you can go back and demand to see your ballot to be sure it was correctly counted.

[BeFree]

10. You wish, so do I

You think I can tell if the machine counted my vote correctly? And you think they're gonna let me see my ballot ever again? I wish.

Nope, its all in the black-box now. But to those with connections, its no secret ballot. F' that!

[abbiehoff]

14. But it's an actual paper ballot associated with your name

On some level, I'd like the voting to be public so that the closet racists would have to identify themselves.

[BeFree]

16. On some level.... NOT!!

A promise of a secret ballot, is paramount!

[shraby]

9. They've always done this numbering

when I vote, and I've been voting a long time.

[BeFree]

11. Not me

I've voted for 40 years and never before have I been numbered. Only once at this early vote. Something is F'ed up!

[1corona4u]

32. Well, then just sit here and BITCH about it to people who can't

change that fact. Good god, you come on here to make an announcement, insinuating that your ballot is exposed, and might possibly be thrown out, because there's a corresponding number to your name, YET, when people tell you what to do about it, you continue your pity party instead of reporting it or checking out if it should have been done.

What the fuck is the point of your post?? We get it. You're suspicious, but apparently not enough so to check into it further, with the right people. :eyes:

[notaboutus]

13. Have always done this in my state

they write ballot number next to your signature. This is why Obama is pushing early voting harder for them to steal and manipulate. They can only steal in large numbers. Which is why every one needs to GOTV.

[BeFree]

15. And you're OK with that?

Screw that, I want my ballot to be a secret. Just like I was alwys told it was.

[notaboutus]

22. It is a way to keep my vote from being stolen

Nothing is a secret in the U.S. anymore not our e-mails, online activity, or telephone conversations.
Do I like it? No but it a way to prevent my vote from being stolen because it is tracked.

[sandnsea]

21. We have two envelopes

The ballot goes inside the secrecy envelope, which goes inside the signed envelope. The signed envelope is validated and recorded. The secrecy envelope is removed and placed in a tabulation pile. It should be that way everywhere.

[Retrograde]

17. the absentee procedure for my state (CA)

source: a poll worker who helped process the absentee ballots in Santa Clara county the last election

When you request a mail-in ballot, that ballot has a number on the top which the voter is supposed to tear off and keep. After filling it out, it goes in the envelope, which has the ballot number, your name, and your address printed on it. To be accepted, you have to sign your name and print your address on the envelope.

On or after election day, whenever they get around to counting the mailed ballots, election workers take each envelope, check the address, and manually verify that the signature has some resemblance to the one you have on record. It's only after that that they're opened, and the ballots fed into the scanner. I suppose some motivated election worker could take the time to see how a particular person voted, but there are a lot of ballots and the workers are under pressure to get the results in quickly (quickly can mean up to a month after the media calls the election, depending on the number of absentee ballots or number of recounts.)

When I voted in person, the workers always noted the number of the ballot they gave me. And I got a receipt for it, for some reason. The ballot itself went into a box that was supposed to be secure, but a motivated person can always find a way around such things.

[progressiveforever]

18. We have no guarantee of either, but I'd rather be counted than secret

I am in Ohio and my ballot number was recorded by my name. I took note of my number should something ever come up.
Of course I'm concerned about the secrecy issue, but I am sure it has been violated by most in the past.

[mr1956]

19. I've always seen the number recorded

The ballot number is written next to my name on the rolls. I haven't had a problem with this and have never known it to lead to any abuse. I agree with the poster who said not having this would leave our system open to actual fraud and people being able to cast multiple ballots.

Even when I've voted on election day, there are control numbers written next to your name. I think they record which machine you use and the number you are to use it. If you don't feel secure using absentee balloting you should follow your heart and vote on Election Day in the future.

[Motown_Johnny]

23. I thought that was always done, other wise you could stuff ballot boxes.

I believe it is illegal to disclose what your ballot says

[yourguide]

24. weirder that you wont tell us what state you're in

if you're concerned about your vote being used against you or your rights violated you should be shouting DETAILS from the rooftops. not vagueries.

[1corona4u]

33. Yeah.....really weird...like someone will track him down or something...

:eyes:

[vanbean]

25. In NM I voted early today and our ballots were numbered.

Then after filling in the scan sheet I, myself, placed the sheet into the scanner. As instructed I looked at the number before I placed the sheet into the scanner and it was 76. I waited until it went in and processed. Once the number showed up as 77 I was done. Should I be worried it won't be counted?

[progressiveforever]

26. I will announce my votes to the WORLD!!!!

I don't give a damn who knows how I vote

[gal]

27. This don't sound right..

Your ballot should be put into a sealed envelope then put into box that is locked. The voters in Ohio put that ballot in the locked box themselves if they vote on paper. Your results are not read until election day.

Obamas team has a great voter protection team. If you have doubts about the process you went through and your not willing to report it to the proper people than there must not be to much doubt.

[burrowowl]

28. The number is is the ballot number and does not correspond to

your vote. The number is to keep track of the tally not a correspondence of your number on the precinct listing of your # and the ballot. The ballot #just keeps track of the number of ballots cast. At least this so in NM where I am a presiding judge.

[vanbean]

30. Thanks! Makes me feel better

:-)

[RagAss]

29. I'd tattoo this vote on my forearm if I was sure they'd count it here in Florida !!!!!!

[No Passaran]

31. They do that in VA too

They assign a number and then you hand it back to them with your name on the envelope. I don't really care. Voted straight Dem on all three President/Senate/House