Why Trump's Removal Is As High As 25% Likely

#260: Impeached and Removed
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My #256 post, "The Exit Trump Scenario" lays out what I believe to be the 1-in-4 or lower odds that the Senate will vote to convict our current president.  The reason the odds are that high is that a secret ballot, if used, could free Republican senators from the retaliation of their deep Red constituents, and would thus allow true opinion to prevail.

I note, though, in my post, that a secret ballot is "iffy".  This is because the US Constitution specifically says that 'aye' and 'nay' votes must be recorded, should at least 1-in-5 senators wish.  This would seem to doom any chance of a secret ballot.  Except..., what if there was, indeed, an 'aye' and 'nay' vote as part of a secret ballot vote.

So, given a spike in pro-conviction sentiment (perhaps brought on by testimony from former National Security Advisor John Bolton), a group of half-a-dozen or so Republicans could join with most Democrats in demanding a secret ballot (each senator receives two pieces of paper ('convict' and 'exonerate', folds them, and places one in the 'active vote' bowl, and the other in the 'discard vote' bowl) after verbally recording his/her vote (verbal, probably 45-55--failing to convict), paper (perhaps 68-32--to conviction).