Can someone find out who I voted for?

Every voter in the U.S. is guaranteed the right to a secret ballot in general elections. A secret ballot means no one can find out how a person voted unless the voter chooses to share that information.

An eligible citizen must provide identifying information to register to vote and receive a ballot, but the ballot itself does not contain personally identifiable information. Because ballots are designed this way, no one—including election workers who count votes—can see how a specific voter voted.

Voters who cast ballots in person fill out their ballots privately, typically in a polling booth or behind a screen. After voters make their selections, they drop their anonymous ballot into a sealed container or scan it directly into a vote-counting machine. In either case, the ballot becomes mixed with others, further ensuring the anonymity of each voter’s ballot.

Voters who cast mail ballots are required to fill out identifying information on the mail ballot security envelope, but the ballot itself does not contain this information. When election workers process mail ballots, they verify the information on the security envelope without being able to see the ballot. Then election workers remove the ballot from the rest of the package. Once the anonymous ballot is separated from any identifying information, it is placed in a sealed container or directly into a vote-counting machine. In either case, the ballot becomes mixed with others, further ensuring the anonymity of each voter’s ballot.

In some states, records of whether someone voted is publicly available information. However, this vote history can only show whether a person voted or not. Voter history does not show which candidates a person selected on their ballot.  

For additional information:

• Center for Election Innovation & Research, “How a Ballot Becomes a Vote”
• Campaign Legal Center, “Voters Have the Right to a Secret Ballot”
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, “Election Security Rumor vs. Reality”
• NPR, “Can someone find out who you voted for?”