An emailed “get out the vote” message from Sen. Donna Kim’s congressional campaign, via MailChimp, urges her supporters to vote early. Nothing surprising there.
But then it goes on to ask that they take a photo of their ballot, and then post the picture on social media. Here’s the relevant section of the request:
Does this signal the end of the secret ballot and sanctity of the voting booth!
Kim’s suggestion brought this comment from an astute election observer:
Am I the only one who thinks this is creepy? When does voluntarily offering proof of your vote become coercive?
Show photographic evidence to the campaign, to friends and neighbors? Maybe to your employer? To a union rep?
Is this a issue to be concerned about, or just a campaign push gone slightly over the line?
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This is a modern version of the old GOTV poll watchers reporting which identified voters have voted so phone bankers can call in the afternoon and coax them or offer rides to the polls if they haven’t voted yet. (Many don’t realize that poll watchers can look at the lists of who has an has not voted throughout election day.)
Nowadays when the GOTV extends for weeks with mail in absentee ballots it’s a way to ascertain that an identified supporter has filled out their ballot (and presumably mailed it in) Show what you can do with big bucks.
It is a bit pushy. But what bothers me most is that so many voters are assumed to be so easily manipulated…sheep. Our voters, having little or no actual civic education in school, are easily swayed by this or that ad, by this or that appeal, by an email with a WOW in it asking for $$…. critical thinking is soooo yesterday.
Because of health issues I discovered this belatedly and understand they have ceased their call for making ballots public.
The whole phrase is “secret ballot.” The attempt to abbreviate it disgusts me.
Bring back high school civics!