ELECTION DAY

[npc-excolo.livejournal.com]

Monday, 21 September, from the morning and ongoing until 5pm

Phil Marshall's boys have finished putting up the voting booth next to the town noticeboard at the bottom of Main Street. It's a simple affair - just a curtain on a rail - but I'm glad I insisted on it. Last time we had elections, people had to write their ballots in plain view and drop them in the box. No surprises about who got elected that time...

I sit down at the table I've put next to the booth. On it there's a stack of voting slips, some pens, and my list of registered taxpayers. When someone comes to vote, I tick their name off and hand them a slip with the two choices on it: CASSANDRA O'LEARY and EDMUND WHITE. Simple enough, although I know by the end of the day I'll have dealt with a dozen people who find the procedure too complex to grasp, or who have spoiled their ballots and need another... I shiver as a cold wind comes down the street, and I button up my coat. I really hope it doesn't rain today, or this is going to be miserable. This is why we need a town hall. It's all very well having the mayor and council have an office, but if we had a town hall, the town could actually meet. Of course, there are a few people on the council who aren't actually that keen to give the town a say, and I frown. I really hope Edmund gets in. He's a good friend, but that's not the main reason. Cassandra's a great woman - a good mother, great businesswoman, and it has to be said, she's pretty - but she's pretty conservative... And if she gets in, I think Robert Reaves will have a shoe-in, and that is not something I relish.

Bang on 9am Cassandra comes along, looking very neat in a powder blue suit, and cast her own vote. I know that people have been talking a lot about blue being a good colour since that weird dream went round, so I'm sure she didn't wear the colour accidentally. I'm also sure it wasn't an accident that Cassandra was overheard in town saying how she was sure Edmund was a nice man, but he must get lonely without a partner or child, and so no doubt that was why he'd spent so much time at the brothel. She followed that up, so I hear, with the remark that of course she was busy in the evenings looking after her daughter, so she was impressed he had time to socialise. Oh, well. Politics is a dirty business. I just hope it hasn't put too many people off. Now Cassandra's hanging about, talking to people and giving out - oh, good lord, homemade cookies. Isn't that bribery? Unfortunately, we don't have any rules about giving out baked goods. I've told her at any rate she can't stand more than 10ft close to the ballot box in case she's seen to be trying to intimidate voters. So she's standing pretty much exactly 10ft away from me with a basket. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. What a day. And it's only just started. Now a little queue has started forming, and so I start dishing out the ballots. I really hope Concetta will remember to come out and give me a break at lunchtime...

[Open to townsfolk to cast their ballots, meet and talk. You can't expect interaction from Toby, but of course feel free to say hello and take your ballot from him!]

ELECTION DAY

[npc-excolo.livejournal.com]

Monday, 21 September, from the morning and ongoing until 5pm

Phil Marshall's boys have finished putting up the voting booth next to the town noticeboard at the bottom of Main Street. It's a simple affair - just a curtain on a rail - but I'm glad I insisted on it. Last time we had elections, people had to write their ballots in plain view and drop them in the box. No surprises about who got elected that time...

I sit down at the table I've put next to the booth. On it there's a stack of voting slips, some pens, and my list of registered taxpayers. When someone comes to vote, I tick their name off and hand them a slip with the two choices on it: CASSANDRA O'LEARY and EDMUND WHITE. Simple enough, although I know by the end of the day I'll have dealt with a dozen people who find the procedure too complex to grasp, or who have spoiled their ballots and need another... I shiver as a cold wind comes down the street, and I button up my coat. I really hope it doesn't rain today, or this is going to be miserable. This is why we need a town hall. It's all very well having the mayor and council have an office, but if we had a town hall, the town could actually meet. Of course, there are a few people on the council who aren't actually that keen to give the town a say, and I frown. I really hope Edmund gets in. He's a good friend, but that's not the main reason. Cassandra's a great woman - a good mother, great businesswoman, and it has to be said, she's pretty - but she's pretty conservative... And if she gets in, I think Robert Reaves will have a shoe-in, and that is not something I relish.

Bang on 9am Cassandra comes along, looking very neat in a powder blue suit, and cast her own vote. I know that people have been talking a lot about blue being a good colour since that weird dream went round, so I'm sure she didn't wear the colour accidentally. I'm also sure it wasn't an accident that Cassandra was overheard in town saying how she was sure Edmund was a nice man, but he must get lonely without a partner or child, and so no doubt that was why he'd spent so much time at the brothel. She followed that up, so I hear, with the remark that of course she was busy in the evenings looking after her daughter, so she was impressed he had time to socialise. Oh, well. Politics is a dirty business. I just hope it hasn't put too many people off. Now Cassandra's hanging about, talking to people and giving out - oh, good lord, homemade cookies. Isn't that bribery? Unfortunately, we don't have any rules about giving out baked goods. I've told her at any rate she can't stand more than 10ft close to the ballot box in case she's seen to be trying to intimidate voters. So she's standing pretty much exactly 10ft away from me with a basket. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. What a day. And it's only just started. Now a little queue has started forming, and so I start dishing out the ballots. I really hope Concetta will remember to come out and give me a break at lunchtime...

[Open to townsfolk to cast their ballots, meet and talk. You can't expect interaction from Toby, but of course feel free to say hello and take your ballot from him!]