Secret

It's because in the late 1900s, Americans gradually adopted the Australian system of secret ballots, much to the chagrin of the party bosses and political machines that used to be able to bribe or threaten their way to victory. - The Week

    I presume that by "the late 1900s", Peter means before 1910 and not before 2000. I mean, as far as I know, we have always been using secret ballots and I go back to the 1950s.
    So all through the last part of the 1700s and all through the 1800s, we weren't using secret ballots? I'm shocked. Who'd a thunk it?

Via Comrade Misfit