How could it have been the front-runner if the ballots are secret?
Uhh, it's the 'frontrunner' BECAUSE the ballots are secret. If they weren't, it wouldn't be a 'frontrunner' or an 'underdog', it would be a 'winner' or a 'loser'.
They had done polling. Sort of the like the exit polls from election 2004. :)
Don't know about front-runner. Maybe more like back-sider!