# Are electoral votes done by secret ballot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2000, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452 "2000-11-16T15:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/1 "2000-11-16T15:06:11Z")
Are electoral votes done by secret ballot? Does anybody know? I know that the ballots get “opened” on the senate floor. Does this mean that they are unknown before then? With all the talk about an electoral college member switching their vote, I just wondered when we would actually KNOW how they voted and not just who was going to vote. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/2 "2000-11-16T16:04:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Freedom2 \* > \*\*Are electoral votes done by secret ballot? Does anybody know? I know that the ballots get “opened” on the senate floor. Does this mean that they are unknown before then? > > With all the talk about an electoral college member switching their vote, I just wondered when we would actually KNOW how they voted and not just who was going to vote. > \*\* At the time of balloting, an elector can choose to declare whom s/he voted for. However, his/her name is attached to the ballot, so that when it is opened on the Senate floor in January, it will be known which electors voted for which candidates. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/3 "2000-11-16T16:23:06Z")
Ok…So does this mean that… There could be a push to get someone to change their vote between now and Dec 12th (is that when they vote?), but we won’t know 100% who voted for who until the senate opens up the ballots in January? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/4 "2000-11-16T17:25:17Z")
Worried, **Freedom2**? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/5 "2000-11-16T18:11:33Z")
The Electoral College is scheduled to meet December 18th and the balloting is open to the public and copies of the certificates remain on file with your local state archives for at least one year. Go ask to see them if you’re concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/6 "2000-11-16T23:24:11Z")
Of course I’m worried.🙂 I’m not worried that Gore is going to try and sneak a pencil into the Senate floor and change some of the votes as he opens them (though the visual image is funny). I guess this is a simple version of my question: If one of the members of the Electoral college does decide to change their vote and stays quiet about it, what day will we **KNOW** how they voted? Do we know the day they vote in December? Or do we find out for sure when the votes get opened in January? I’m not pursuing some conspiracy theory about someone sneaking in and switching the votes, I just want to know when the public gets to know how the electoral college members voted. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/7 "2000-11-16T23:48:25Z")
If an elector changes his/her mind, you will know about it on December 18. They make seven copies of the votes and they are delivered to different places, some to the state capital, some to the President of the Senate (i.e. VP Gore), some to a federal court. ---
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/8 "2000-11-17T17:05:23Z")
Thank you. I just wanted to know how long this thing was going to stress me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electoral-votes-done-by-secret-ballot/41452/9 "2000-11-17T18:16:43Z")
Even more reassuring, the National Archives will post images of the certificates on its website once they are received. Check here [http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/elctcoll/index.html](http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/elctcoll/index.html)