Dance, then return to vote (6)
I believe the answer is:
ballot
'vote' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'dance then return to' is the wordplay.
'dance' becomes 'ball' (ball is a kind of dance).
'then' says to put letters next to each other.
'return' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'to' in reverse letter order is 'ot'.
'ball'+'ot'='BALLOT'
(Other definitions for ballot that I've seen before include "Vote or suffrage" , "The process of voting" , "Election" , "Voting procedure" , "Document listing voting alternatives" .)