Voting is one way to make your feelings known. There are many different ways to vote. You can vote by raising your hand. You can vote by writing your choice on a slip of paper. You can vote by using a voting machine.
Voting can take place in the open with everyone watching.
In a case like this, people usually discuss something first and then vote. A secret ballot means that voting is done in private. No one knows how you voted because your name is not put on the ballot. The only thing that gets counted is whom you voted for. In Michigan, voting is done by secret ballot.