If return gets more votes, first the active player chooses which cards they'll return from their graveyard to their hand, then each other player in turn order does the same, knowing choices made before their choice. Then all those cards are returned from graveyards to hands simultaneously.

If embark gets more votes or the vote is tied, players decide and announce in turn order, starting with the active player, whether or not they want to discard their hand. Then, all players who chose to do so discard their hands and draw seven cards. Players later in the turn order will know if players before them are discarding, but they don't get to see what those players will discard to help them decide whether to discard themselves.

Each player must vote for one of the available options. They can't abstain.

The phrase "the vote is tied" refers only to when there is more than one choice that received the most votes. For example, if a 5-player vote from among three different choices ends 3 votes to 1 vote to 1 vote, the vote isn't tied.

Abilities that trigger "whenever players finish voting" trigger once all players have voted or once all secret votes are revealed, but they won't go on the stack until the current spell or ability finishes resolving.

No player votes until the spell or ability resolves. Any responses to that spell or ability must be made without knowing the outcome of the vote.

In the case of non-secret voting, votes are cast in turn order, and each player will know the votes of players who voted beforehand.