La democrazia e il segreto del voto, tra Italia e Stati Uniti. Considerazioni a partire da un recente volume di Mimma Rospi

The paper aims to analyse the importance of secret ballot in our present democracies, moving from the reflections offered by a recent volume written by Mimma Rospi, that focuses on the relationships between secret ballot, democratic participation and transparency in Italy and the United States of America. Even if different historical and political backgrounds have produced different conceptions of secret ballot (in Italy it is considered a constitutional principle and it have to be protected; in the United States it has no constitutional rank and States are not obliged to guarantee it), the practice of elections has suggested that secret vote can be a good way to protect freedom in voting. Recent relevant evolutions in democratic systems – mainly related to the crisis of political parties, the role of technology and the quest for direct relations between people and leaders – have increased the importance of participation and transparency: in this context, the role of secret ballot in maintaining the stability of democracy has to be assessed.