Are the poll workers allowed to look at your ballot?

[Champion Jack]

I just voted, and when I handed my punch card (in the envelope) to the elderly woman at the table she pulled it out and checked to see if I had voted on the first section. The recall -yes or no section.
Is that legal?

[jiacinto]

1. I don't know

But you should be grateful, lest your vote not be counted.

[slackmaster]

2. It's not illegal unless they announce your vote

Nothing wrong with them checking for loose chads, but they cannot disclose to anyone else how you voted or did not vote.

[Champion Jack]

4. another senior ambled over

and she turned to him and said "yeah he did it OK"
I asked her what she was talking about and she said she was checking to see if I voted on the first section.

[slackmaster]

7. That sounds inappropriate

I can't say about legality, but it was certainly tacky.

[sallyseven]

8. Poll workers

They can check to make sure that you pushed the chad thru and or that you voted the proper way. Meaning that you voted for or against the recall. also voted for a canditate

[Brian Sweat]

3. I don't know about california, but I am pretty sure that here

in Florida that is illegal.

[Maple]

5. What is the point then

of a 'secret' ballot??

[bluestateguy]

6. Every state is different

In Texas, pollworkers are not allowed to touch the ballots (well, back when we had paper ballots anyway). Once a ballot is touched by a pollworker it may not be used.

[haymaker]

9. Right wing hate radio is screaming about people forgetting

to vote for the recall and just voting for Ahhhnnnuuuuld. They have been repeatedly saying "Don't forget the first part" on the radio. I guess a few wingers called in and said that they were so excited to vote for Arny that they forgot to vote to recall Davis. What a shame.

So, they are probably reminding the wingers in case they forgot.

Doesn't sound too ethical to me, but that's par for the course.

[DemVet]

10. You must remember...

...that if you don't do it correctly, by either punching too many spots or not enough, you misvoted and your vote doesn't count.

Sounds like they were just verifying that you had a viable ballot card. It sounds OK to me.

[karlschneider]

17. Sounds OK to me too, I'd rather be advised if I'd screwed up than have it

not count. And I'm sure as hell not ashamed for anybody to know how I voted...after all my car & yard are full of Dem signs.........I think the "secret ballot" is a little silly anyway.

[Nobody]

11. I was a poll worker in last year's election

We don't have punch cards, here we fill in a black line. You get your ballot and a privacy folder that hides it while you put it in the tabulator.

No one should look at it while it's going in. That's what the privacy sleeve is for.

Is it illegal? I doubt it, especially since at my polling place we had two instances where someone needed help with the ballot. In that instance, two workers who don't represent the same party assist the voter.

But it is tacky to talk about it in front of the voters.

And we did have to look at all the write ins. Some were rather amusing.

[The Sushi Bandit]

12. NO

NO NO NO

[Padraig18]

13. It would be illegal in IL...

The judge of election may only deposit your ballot/envelope combo in the ballot box--- they may NOT open the privacy envelope containing the ballot.

[Champion Jack]

15. well, they did, slid it right out of it's little paper condom...

[arcos]

14. I don't know if it is illegal...

but democracy mandates TOTALLY SECRET BALLOTS, IMHO. NO ONE should know how you voted, it is YOUR right as a citizen to keep your decision private.

Again, I don't know if it is allowed or not...

[haymaker]

16. ATTN: They are checking to see if you forgot to vote

in first section, whether or not to recall Davis. It is being reported that some Repukes have admitted that they forgot and now they are checking to make sure.

More of the same. I'd have to say that it is illegal.

[karlschneider]

18. I dont' know whether it's illegal, but wouldn't it work the other way too?

Someone might have forgotten to vote "NO" on the recall.....
Nothing wrong with a little paranoia but I don't see anything to get exercised about here...