uma. (whatsmyname) wrote in auradonisle, @ 2020-08-04 15:24:00 |
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For over twenty years, the Isle of the Lost was the place of the forgotten (or at least the willfully not thought about), where every day was about survival. Survival, not living. The struggles and abuses the children of villains and sidekicks experienced through no fault of their own will always be with them, just as the mark of being the place where Auradonian things were discarded will always be with the Isle of the Lost. Though the children of the Isle of the Lost have been "found" in many ways, their identity as the Lost is still as viciously guarded and defended by the continued residents as the state of the Isle itself so often is by them, so on Unity Day they did not become the kingdom of the Isle. They are the Isle Kingdom of the Lost, for they will never forget, and they also want Auradon to always remember who they are, where they come from, and why.
Independence under the umbrella of the United States of Auradon was granted, but today, Election Day, that independence will be exercised for all the kingdoms to see.
In the past month, posters, signs, street art, and other expressions of support for the candidates of choice have appeared all over the Isle, to the point that the Isle is an absolute riot of color. The Isle, though bleak and dark in so many ways, was never without color, but in the last year those scavenged creations and constructions have been transformed with new purpose, so the election paraphernalia joins all of the street art that's been given new life with better paint and supplies, as well as homes and stalls and communal spaces now being full of color from items that are new and fresh. There is still a long way to go, but change can be found in both the likeliest and unlikeliest places, and that change is the children of the Isle getting to live at long last.
ELECTION BOARD: Uma, Hadie, Harry, Harriet, Tony, Pepper, Natasha, Gil, a couple of trusted NPC Isle kids, Dizzy (as of election day).
VILLAIN VOTING RIGHTS COMMITTEE: Assorted Isle kids that include both the Election Board Isle kids and those Isle kids voted upon by the Election Board, with rotating abstentions based on if the petitioner is their immediate family.
TECH COMMITTEE: Tony, Carlos, a couple of trusted NPC Isle kids & trusted NPC Auradon kids.
ELECTION DAY COMMITTEE: Hadie, Dizzy, Tony, Pepper.
That is candidates, plural, as this is the Isle and there will always be old grudges or seeking power for power's sake or trolling the system or just plain boredom. Kids under sixteen weren't eligible to run, but they COULD nominate candidates. Originally-sentenced villains weren't eligible to run and they weren't eligible to nominate candidates. All nominations, of oneself or another individual, were given to Pepper Potts at designated times during the month, up until July 31st. Those names were added to a display in the middle of what's become the "Isle center," near the community center and future major changes, and anyone who was nominated but didn't accept could have their name removed upon speaking with Pepper Potts.
The Villain Voting Rights committee was formed early on, first to discuss the issue of villain parents/family being allowed to have a say in this election, then to design, accept, and discuss petitions from the villains. There were many villains who couldn't be bothered with even filling out the petition or objected to having to prove themselves to anyone, but there were indeed parents, grandparents, and other family members of sidekick and even central villain distinction who chose to petition the committee and accept their decision pertaining to this specific election. Even if the petition for this election was rejected, those applicants could set their sights on future elections to petition again, and improve upon themselves in the meantime.
By the end of the month, the ballot includes far more names than just Uma, the de facto leader of the Isle for almost a year, and the elections themselves draw a perhaps surprising number of Isle inhabitants to the polls. All individuals (regardless of race) who identify the Isle as their residence (this DOES include those children being educated, apprenticed, etc in Auradon, and any Isle-born resident now in the other kingdoms of the United States of Auradon who consider themselves to have dual kingdom citizenship) are currently eligible to vote, provided they're old enough to attend school and they aren't in an active position of power in another kingdom. (Active positions of power, such as rulers, advisors, etc, versus passive positions of power, like family of rulers, advisors, etc. who aren't themselves running a kingdom).
There are multiple voting stations inside the ever-improving community center, divided into two sections in the building. Thanks to Tony Stark, Carlos, and other tech-minded individuals who Uma and Hadie deemed trustworthy, the voting stations are easy to use, entirely automated, and feed live information to a select group on election day. That group, functioning as a sub-committee of the de facto election board, is Hadie, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark, and Dizzy Tremaine, who was chosen by Isle kids, aka VKs, (via "undercover" surveyors asking around throughout the month) as the most trustworthy kid on the Isle.
There are TWO ballots being used in this first election, based on whether the voter is Generation II - who are the villain kids born prior to the dissolution of the barrier, or Generation I - the adults who were sentenced as villains. (Generation III can't vote yet, obviously.) To streamline this process, Isle adults/villains will be directed to the Gen 1 section to vote and Isle kids will be directed to the Gen II section to vote. In addition to the vote for the individual to be titled "Queen/King So-and-So, Leader of the Isle Kingdom of the Lost," there is a ballot measure to be voted upon that day. Ballot measure #1 is Term Limit, predicated on elections being held every ten years, and it's multiple choice: a) only one term (10 years), b) up to four (40 years).
Voting opens after the community center's lunchtime hours and it closes in the evening, at which point there will be the "official" start to the elections-turned-coronation party on the Isle. In reality, the party started hours ago, somewhere around lunchtime or earlier. The alleys and "streets" of the Isle are lined with bright lighting, talent demonstrations (fire eating and magic tricks, anyone?), Isle-based food vendors (the ones with the good food now) and plentiful food and drinks (think foods that will be eaten fast or will be sustainable leftovers) in addition to the regular community center dinnertime hours, and plenty of Isle children and children-adults and villain-adults, whether they are smiling and dancing, quietly reveling in this new sense of control and purpose, or really grouchy and displeased. Not all who lose the vote will take it well, so while a skirmish or two may break out when results are announced, they'll be quickly diverted or quelled by other Isle residents.