(Untitled)

[legendarymadman]

The coming of elections on the island is what they have instead of the turning of the seasons, a way of marking time and watching the island change half-year by half-year. And so Geoffrey finds himself on the stage again, not to start up a new play (but soon, very soon) but to announce the semiannual candidate speeches

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[polly_okeefe]

It hurt, to see Coraline so angry. The fact that I suspected that it wasn't about me didn't help. And whatever Coraline's motivations, I was still the one behind the podium, taking this.

"Maybe there should be a test for everybody before they get to vote," I said, with a brief smile. "But that system's been abused in the past. People have used 'literacy tests' in order to keep people from voting, and keeping them blocked from mainstream society.

"We have a system where everybody gets to vote once they turn sixteen," I went on. "It's a long time to wait, but everybody still does get to vote, and that's the ideal democratic goal, in my opinion. We've set that age, after a fair amount of discussion, as the best time when young people have grown enough to make their own decisions, and we've made exceptions for those who are younger, but ready to take care of themselves, through the test, because of the realities of the Island here. Is it a perfect system? No, of course not. But I think it's better than the alternatives."

"If you want a place to go, where children can be safe, and enjoy themselves, design it," I added. "Put together plans, and show them around. If it looks good to me, I'll help build it."