"Article II, South Carolina Constitution, Section 1: Elections To Be By Secret Ballot; Protection of Rights and Suffrage:

"All elections by the people shall be by secret ballot, but the ballots shall not be counted in secret ... "

Just wondering how we can watch our ballots be counted. Might be fun to count them up on screens (one red, one blue?) with two people verifying each vote. We'd have to go back to paper ballots, but we could watch on local TV stations and root for our teams. This could increase voter participation, too.

Although perhaps my idea is a little silly, it certainly seems reasonable and wise to forbid ballots being counted in secret. (By the way, at least six other states have similar wording: Virginia, Louisiana, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts.)

What do you think?

Robin Welch

Hilton Head Island