My reasons for considering that an open ballot is appropriate for voting in the 'Best Fiction Book of 1901-1910'.
This vote is about identifying a book that I want to vote as my 'best' book for a given period. Prior to voting I will have determined what 'best' means to me.
This vote is a bit of fluff, a bit of fun. It is not a serious issue, it's about voting for a book.
I have already offered 10 books, one for each of the 10 voting periods, as my nominations. They are not posted without my avatar name, anyone can see that I nominated them. I may even have posted comments on one or more of the books that I mentioned or someone else mentioned.
Elsewhere on MR I post my views on all sundry issues, my views are openly posted. As are the views of the majority (?) of posters in the Best Books threads.
The reasons why a 'secret' poll might be necessary is if the subject matter was a particularly divisive issue, or required a conscience vote. This best book vote is neither divisive nor is a conscience vote required. It's about voting for a book.
It beats me why a person would be concerned why someone would be worried about anyone else knowing about a book they voted on, unless of course they took this whole bit of fun out of context and decided it was far more serious than it is.