“Although the fact that a citizen voted or did not vote is a public record, how a person voted is not.”
I have my doubts about whether or not ballots are truly secret any more. When you vote, the precinct worker gives you an ID number to enter in to the voting machine. Everything is digital. Seems it would be super simple to connect the ID number to the exact votes cast on the machine.
No.
Not here in Alabama. The voting is by scantron (fill in bubble or complete the arrow with ink pen) and the machine scans and tabulates the vote to a paper print out. There is no number assigned to the physical ballot before or after you feed into the machine when you finish voting.
When you show up at the polling station, you present a valid photo ID, your name and address are cross referenced with the voter roll. The poll worker writes your name in a log book (line X, page X) where you sign next to your name. Now there are people who got there before you who may finish voting after you just like there are people who come in behind you who may finish before you. There is no way to track who votes for who.