Texas Scorecard by Erin Anderson August 14, 2025
Voters want courts to protect the privacy of the ballot box.A federal fight over protecting voters’ right to cast a secret ballot is underway in Harris County.
The fight began last year when Texas voters discovered that under certain circumstances, publicly available voting records could be used to match specific voters to their ballots, undermining the secrecy of their votes.
The Texas Secretary of State’s Office responded to voters’ privacy concerns by instructing local election officials to redact any information on publicly released documents that could connect a voter to their ballot choices.
But for some voters, that’s not enough to ensure confidence in the current system.
“One of the fundamental elements of trustworthiness is the confidentiality of the ballot box,” said Houston attorney Kenneth Zimmern, one of three Harris County voters suing local officials to ensure ballots remain secret.
Ballot privacy is essential in a democratic republic where certain political opinions may be unpopular and voters can face repercussions for their choices—including ostracism, extortion, bribery, or even losing their jobs.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/local/fight-to-safeguard-secret-ballot-continues-in-harris-county/
