Possible Breach in Ballot Secrecy Discovered in Michigan

Election officials in Michigan have revealed that the government, and anyone else, can know whom a person voted for in certain circumstances involving both federal and state elections. The simple process—described by the state Bureau of Elections (BOE) in a July legal proceeding—involves cross-checking the “Type of Voting” column on the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF) with a statutorily required posting of election results by county clerks. The “Type of Voting” column, also called the “Type of Voter” column, specifies an individual’s mode of voting. The three designations are EV for early voting, A for absentee ballot, and ED for Election Day in-person voting....