Voting Early
I'm going out of town this weekend, and I'm not sure I'll be back in time to vote on Tuesday. So today, I went to vote early.
Unlike my usual polling place, where you have to sneak in a back door near the gym and there's no close handicapped parking, the Malden Senior Center lets you in through one of two front doors, one of which has three handicapped spots right on the sidewalk. The array of voting booths was just as big as at my usual spot, and at 4 PM a week before voting day about a third of them were in use. Check-in was done by a poll worker using an electronic system, which made me a bit concerned, but that concern was allayed by the rest of the process.
After marking my pre-folded ballot, I slid it into an envelope that had forms on both sides. The forms indicated that everyone who touched the envelope after me was going to have to sign it. This included whoever took it out of the early-voting box, whoever delivered it to my ward and precinct, whoever received it at my ward and precinct, and whoever finally opened it. The envelope also included a label, applied by the poll worker, that showed my name, the date and time I picked up my ballot, and a few other signifiers that made it (apparently) unique.
Finally, when I turned in the open envelope, I was instructed to seal it with a water sponge gizmo and sign and date it in the presence of another poll worker who did not touch it.I put it in the box myself. As I left, about six more people were coming in.
Assuming that no one hacks that voter database, and assuming that the printed label is really unique, I can't think of anything more secure.