secretballot

The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices are confidential, preventing others from knowing how they voted. It aims to protect voter autonomy and reduce coercion, vote buying, and intimidation.

Core features include private voting facilities, standardized ballots, and procedures that do not reveal the voter's selections. Voters receive ballots that are marked in private and are cast without identification linking them to the vote. Ballots are typically counted by impartial officials to preserve anonymity.

The secret ballot emerged in the mid-19th century in several countries as part of electoral reform. The United Kingdom adopted a government-controlled secret ballot with the Ballot Act of 1872. The concept became widely known in the English-speaking world as the "Australian ballot," referencing reforms in the Australian colonies in the 1850s and 1860s. The term Australia ballot refers to the use of state-issued ballots, printed with the official candidate list, and cast in private. Over the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many countries adopted similar systems.

Modern usage: Most democracies use some form of secret ballot, whether in person at polling stations with private booths, or via mail-in or electronic voting systems designed to preserve privacy. Legal frameworks often enshrine the right to a secret ballot and establish procedures to protect voter anonymity during collection and counting.

Criticism and challenges: While widely supported for protecting freedom of choice, secret ballots may raise concerns about accessibility and administration costs, and there are ongoing debates over ballot design, verification, and the integrity of private ballots in the digital age.