By Denise Ross

Early voting has been a great convenience for voters (in many cases) and thus, an advancement for our democracy. However, Rapid City Weekly News columnist John Tsitrian gave voice to the dread I felt when I signed my name to my ballot after I had cast my votes.

In his Nov. 13 column - no longer available online - (yeah, I’m a bit behind in my reading; what else is new?) - Tsitrian put it this way:

The mini-euphoric environment was tampered a bit, though, when I was handed the ballot and envelope in which it was to be stuffed, because that envelope required my name, address and signature.

Somehow, I’d gotten it drummed into my head since I was a kid that one of the strengths of our democracy is the secret ballot. …

Forcing me to put my name on my votes … denied me the secrecy that I’ve always regarded as the essence of our way of political life.

Tsitrian goes on to explain that his subsequent research debunked his belief that secret ballots are or have ever been in any way required in the United States. (Gulp.)

I’ll go a step further and observe (Chris Nelson, Kea et al - correct me if I’m wrong) that the early-voting process at the courthouse is remarkably similar, if not identical, to what happens when one votes at a polling place on Election Day. A clerk checks your ID (in most cases these days), finds your name on a list, crosses your name off and hands you a ballot. The difference at the courthouse is they also hand you an envelope and require you to fill out your personal information and sign the thing.

Then (at least in Pennington County) the signed, sealed envelope goes into a ballot box. Who opens those signed envelopes? What happens to the envelopes once they’ve been opened? I try not to think about it.

Instead, let me ask what is the need for the filling out of information and the signing? What purpose does that serve when a courthouse employee has already crossed your name off in the book? If a redundant record is needed, does it really need to be attached to the ballot itself?

Hoghouse Blog is almost always suspicious of secrecy when it comes to our democratic government. But individual ballots are one case where secrecy seems vital. Anything else seems a recipe for bungling, mischief or worse.

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