Today, millions of Americans will vote in the 2026 midterm elections. Others have already voted early or by mail. But no matter how they cast their ballots, one important principle remains the same: their votes are secret. Election officials may keep records of who voted, but not which candidates or ballot measures each person supported.

Why do we protect the secrecy of the ballot? The logic is simple: to prevent bad actors from pressuring, intimidating, or retaliating against voters for their choices.

Voting in America wasn’t always private. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Americans often voted in public, using pre-printed ballots supplied by political parties or local newspapers. These ballots were sometimes color-coded, making it easy for onlookers to identify which party a person supported.

Election Day could be a dangerous affair in those days. Party operatives and mobs used intimidation and even violence to influence the outcome. It took until the late 19th century for states to begin embracing the secret ballot to protect voters and promote fairer elections.

Today, privacy in the voting booth is one of our most cherished civic traditions. Yet supporting a campaign in other ways can be a very different scenario. Unlike our votes, our donations to campaigns can become part of a permanent, searchable public record. These disclosures can result in the same harassment and intimidation we have rightfully banished from polling places.  

Under federal law, Americans who contribute more than $200 over an election cycle to any candidate for president, U.S. Senate, or the House of Representatives must have their name, address, occupation, and employer publicly disclosed. That information, along with the amounts and dates of their donations, can be accessed through the Federal Election Commission’s online database by anyone in the world.

Donations to political parties, political action committees (PACs), and super PACs also face public disclosure requirements, generally when contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. The rules for state elections vary, but many require disclosure at even lower amounts.

Even a $200 threshold does not necessarily protect small donors. Donors who give small amounts numerous times over a two-year election cycle may unwittingly exceed the $200 threshold in aggregate. And Americans who use popular online fundraising platforms like ActBlue or WinRed are disclosed at any level of giving. That’s right: even a $1 donation can result in a donor’s name and mailing address appearing in a public database.

These laws produce detailed records of Americans’ political activities and associations. In the era of computers, smartphones, and the internet, anyone can quickly look up – and track down – donors to particular candidates or causes, raising the risk of harassment, intimidation, or retaliation against people for their political beliefs.

For Americans who want to support political causes privately, nonprofit advocacy organizations offer an alternative. Organizations classified as 501(c)(4) nonprofits generally do not have to publicly disclose their donors. They can advocate on public policy issues and engage in some campaign activity, subject to legal limits. These organizations, sometimes derided as ‘dark money’ groups, include many familiar names like the NRA, AARP, and the League of Conservation Voters. Yet even this one, restricted avenue for private giving is under constant threat from new state and federal legislation.

The freedom to support causes we believe in without fear of harassment is essential to a healthy civil society. Americans have long recognized that principle when it comes to voting. But political participation doesn’t begin or end at the ballot box.

Voting and donating are both ways of supporting a candidate or cause, but they come with very different expectations of privacy. At the ballot box, your choice is secret. When you open your wallet, your name, address, and other personal details may become part of the public record.

Americans who value their privacy may be surprised to learn how much personal information becomes public when they contribute small amounts to a political campaign. Policymakers who wish to boost or protect civic participation should pay special attention to these laws and their chilling effect in the digital age.