There have been plenty of complaints about the new voting machines used throughout Cayuga County during last Tuesday's general election, but the public needs to understand that these machines are not going away. The federal government has mandated replacement of the old lever-style machines, so counties throughout the state are going through this transition.

That said, it's important for elections officials to pay careful attention to the feedback they're receiving after this first year, and make plans to address concerns that have been raised.

And when they put together that list of concerns, we hope improving privacy is at the top.

Plenty of voters felt uncomfortable with the setup at polling places. After signing in, voters were handed a paper ballot and directed to a cubicle where they could mark their choices. The cubicles prevented a voter from being able to see what the voter to their left or right was doing, but unlike lever machines, the cubicles did not have curtains. As a result, voters could feel as if someone standing behind them waiting for a space to vote might be able to see them.

The bigger issue came with the paper ballot scanning machines. Voters had to take their ballots to the machine and insert them into a slot to be recorded. In some places, a folder allowed voters to conceal the ballots so no bystanders could see them while they were going into the scanner. But in many places, these folders were not used. In some places, election workers were taking the ballots from voters and putting them in the machines themselves.

The truth is these poll workers were just trying to be helpful, figuring a lot of people would be nervous about inserting their ballot properly. But unless assistance was requested, they should have kept a reasonable distance from the machines so voters did not feel like their ballots could be seen.

The Cayuga County Board of Elections has acknowledged that safeguarding privacy would be part of their evaluation as they determine how to improve upon this first year of voting. We urge the board to make it a high priority.

Secret-ballot elections are an essential component of democracy. Voters have the right to cast their ballots knowing they're personal choices will not be revealed, and when privacy is lacking, that right is compromised.