In this second respect, there is and never has been a secret ballot
in Britain, because the way in which individual citizens vote
can be traced from each ballot paper used. Every ballot paper
given to the citizen who is voting contains a serial number on
it, which is also printed on the counterfoil retained by electoral
officials. Before a ballot paper is handed to the citizen, he
is asked for his name and address (or preferably to show the clerk
his official poll card which shows his name, address and electoral
registration number on it). The polling clerk then traces the
person in the copy of the electoral register that he has on the
table in from of him, and ticks the voter's name off the list.
The clerk then tears one of the ballot papers out of the book
of papers printed for the purpose, hands it to the voter and directs
him or her to the private booth. And then the clerk writes the
electoral registration number of the voter on the counterfoil
to the ballot paper just issued.