Secret Ballots for the Union, but not for Citizens

"Voting is to be free from any coercive or disruptive circumstances. A secret ballot process must be provided," says union boss Tom Buffenbarger regarding the Boeing vote.

The Washington State Constitution secures the right of all electors to "absolute secrecy in preparing and depositing" their ballot. But the state's system of mail voting completely undermines this. It's unconstitutional, and it allows for the very coercion Buffenbarger rightly wants to protect the union from. The point of the secret ballot, as Buffenbarger knows, is not only to allow a voter "to vote without any other person knowing for whom he votes, but to compel him to vote secretly, and thus prevent bribery, coercion, and other evils."

That's why I floated a proposal to restore the secret ballot to Washington State a couple of years ago.