ANTRIM COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In an age where transparency is the buzzword, the Antrim County Democratic Party seems to have taken an unexpected detour in their recent voter outreach asking electorate to vote for the Democratic Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket in secret.

In a newspaper ad in the Elk Rapids News, they encourage Michiganders in Antrim County to register to vote online and request absentee ballots to “Secure Harris/Walz” who are working to “protect” voting rights. However, they also add, “Vote Democratic. No one will know!”

A wink and a nod to anti-Trump voters?

MORE NEWS: Crews Clean Up Styrofoam Along Lake Superior

Their assurance that a voter’s choice for president will be a well-kept secret is a bit odd since it’s fair to assume that everyone already knows that who a voter chooses on their ballot is private. So why the secretive maneuver advertised in the newspaper?

It appears that the party might be reaching out to independents or Republicans who are anti-Trump who haven’t registered to vote yet or who haven’t asked for an absentee ballot. Or maybe they want to assure people in the county that it’s okay to vote for Harris even though a majority of the county has historically supported Trump.

In 2020, Trump got 9,748 votes in Antrim County (61%) to Joe Biden’s 5,940 votes (37%). And in 2016, Trump got 8,469 votes (62.4%) to Hillary Clinton’s 4,448 votes (32.8%).

No one will know…

The idea of keeping voting private is as old as the secret ballot itself, but there’s something about this ad’s phrasing that has many in the county scratching their heads. Usually, we hear things like “your vote is private” or “your personal data is secure.” But this? It’s a bit more cloak-and-dagger, like someone in a trench coat might be delivering you the absentee ballot in a dark alley.

Are voters really worried that their information won’t be kept secret anymore? Is the Democratic Party in panic mode, fearing that backing Harris could invite social or political backlash, making voters want to cast their ballots without anyone around them knowing? Or maybe the Antrim County Democrats think voters aren’t aware that their voting information is already confidential?

From safeguard to spycraft.

The ad seems to want voters to feel safe, protected, and assured that their private information won’t end up on the evening news but with the added promise of total secrecy, it starts to feel less like voter protection and more like encouraging secret voting in a covert operation.

MORE NEWS: Train Crash Kills One in Kalamazoo

Michigan News Source reached out the Antrim County Democratic Party to clarify why they used the phrase “No one will know” but they did not return our request for comment.