>I agree absolutely Tamar. It should never be possible for *anyone* to determine how you voted. It is a basic principle of democracy. If it was possible then it is then possible for you to be influenced by threat or reward. You may no longer be "free" to choose.

Remember, we are not a true democracy. Most of our government decision-making is done by elected federal, state, and local Congresses (or equivalent), and their votes are matters of public record (and of course subject to influences, as you say). Until that is cleaned up, I fail to see much difference of an individual's secret vote and their congressional, state, and local representatives' public votes on matters.