Back in the 19th century, at least in the U.S. South, there was no concept of a secret ballot when voting. Voters stood in line, had their names checked off the rolls, and handed in a colored ballot supplied by the party whom the voter allied with. Everyone in town, or at least in line, knew who everyone else was voting for.
Welcome to the 2010 voting experience in Hartsdale. Voting with the new machines used for the first time this year involved the following steps: 1. Check in at the desk and sign next to the name listed on the rolls; 2. A nice older lady hands over a paper ballot that must have been 8.5"x 24"; 3. go over to a rickety tall bistro size table divided into four triangles about 12"x12"x12" which included a 6"x8" piece of plastic (a magnifying lens?); 4. use the black felt type pen provided to fill in the circles next to the chosen candidate; 5. hand the ballot over to the officials minding the machine as she tries to roll the ballot into the slot at the top.
I remember from ancient times (i.e., last year) that voters had a moment of privacy behind a curtain where we could contemplate the ballot, flick down the switches next to the selected candidates' names and pull triumphantly on the lever as the curtain flew open and the switches reset. This system gave the voter the sense of complete privacy and the impression (maybe deluded) that the vote was confidential. Under the current system all such privacy is lost. Anyone can walk by the rickety table and observe the circles each voter is filling in as they awkwardly try to manipulate the long rectangular ballot on the small triangular workspace. Furthermore, nothing prevents the machine attendant from observing the voter's choices.
Was it intentional or just negligence that the County (or is it town?) Board of Elections to choose a system that sacrifices the secret ballot?
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