How secret is your vote in Florida? What the law says about election privacy

ORLANDO, Fla. – The question has popped up on social media and Google searches over the last couple of months: Can people find out who you voted for?

The secrecy of your vote does not come from the U.S. Constitution. States implemented secret ballot voting gradually over the course of decades, between 1888 and 1950.

But the conversation online is tied to the idea that some people may be coerced by their spouses or partners to vote for particular candidates.

[RESULTS 2024: Complete Coverage | Voter Guide for the Nov. 5 election]

Back in August, Olivia Dreizen Howell went viral when she posted a thread explaining voter privacy on X.com. It began with the question, “Can my husband find out who I am voting for in the Presidential Election?”

“There are many stories of domestic voter intimidation or coercive control that we have heard and seen in response to our initial Twitter post, as well as many subsequent posts on our and others’ feeds,” Howell said.

It’s what led Howell, the co-founder of the Fresh Starts Registry, to start the “Vote Without Fear” initiative to help people find voter privacy information for where they live.

“This is the only campaign specifically focused on educating people—especially women—about their voter privacy rights, aiming to eliminate confusion and provide reassurance and information,” Howell said.

Howell and her sister Jenny Dreizen created the Fresh Starts Registry after Howell’s divorce to help people figure out how to begin their lives again after a major life-changing event. “Vote Without Fear” is in the same vein, and it’s meant to be nonpartisan initiative.

Among the resources available is a “Quick Exit” button, in case someone in an abusive situation needs to hide what they’re looking at from a partner or family member.

People can also call the “It’s Your Vote” hotline to get reminders and resources at 1-888-291-3027.

The law in Florida

In Florida, no one knows how you vote, not even election workers. Your vote is counted in the tabulation machine but no one can tie your vote to you. All anyone knows is whether you voted in an election at all.

Florida law even has a section called “Secret voting.”

“In all elections held on any subject which may be submitted to a vote, and for all or any state, county, district, or municipal officers, the voting shall be by secret, official ballot as provided by this code, and no vote shall be received or counted in any election, except as prescribed by this code.”

Also, adults are only allowed to join you in the voting booth if they are providing help because you have a disability, or you can’t read or write.

In that situation, both the voter and the helper must sign affidavits affirming the reason the assistance is needed. Those affidavits are also spelled out in Florida law.

This is not the case in every state. In North Carolina, for example, Howell notes that spouses can share a voting booth if they both consent. Howell says this can be a problem for spouses who are being coerced to vote a certain way by their partners.

Coercive control

How prevalent are situations where a spouse tries to control the way their partner votes? It’s tough to say because it really hasn’t been studied.

Laura Lucy, a spokesperson for Harbor House of Central Florida, says intimidating a spouse or family member to vote a certain way is a domestic abuse tactic known as “coercive control.”

“Coercive control involves using emotional and psychological abuse to gain power over someone else,” Lucy said. “These forms of abuse are strategic and ongoing, designed to instill fear.”

Abusers use these tactics to isolate a victim from their friends, family or coworkers so they have to depend on the abuser.

“They might monitor their whereabouts by either stalking in-person or through electronic devices,” Lucy said. “Financial abuse is another form of control. If the victim is unable to work outside the home or have access to family funds, they often believe there is no way out.”

Howell says only 50% of domestic abuse incidents in the country are reported to police, and about 48% of the adult population has experienced psychological or coercive control at one time or another.

Here are some examples of psychological or coercive control to watch for:

• Threatening physical harm to the victim, their children, their pets, or their property. They sometimes threaten public humiliation, such as publicizing intimate photos or details.
• Limiting or completely denying time with friends and family.
• Gaining access to the partner’s computer, cell phone, or email account. The abuser may say that they want to check up on them because they love them.
• Gaslighting their partner to believe there really is no abuse or that it is the victim’s fault.
• Controlling everyday details such as what you where, if and where you can work, what you can eat, etc.

If you or someone you know needs help to get out of an abusive situation, calling or texting Harbor House of Central Florida at 407-886-2856.

We have links and phone numbers to other Central Florida groups that help domestic violence victims. You can find that list HERE.

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