Chapter 194
.
In the week leading up to election day there was increased violence. The Brotherhood had threatened to murder anyone in the state assembly who supported seccession. Radical Texas groups had threatened those who voted against seccession. Both groups fought. even killed each other in the street. One mob took Janice, who ran the adultery website, and stoned her to death. Janice remained defiant to the end. She accussed her attackers of fanatical devotion to illogical superstition, that she was giving her life for sexual liberty. Eve wasn't suprised that someone who profited from adultery would be a secular fundamentalist. Eve was actually relieved when Maggie had been found, in Massachussetts. An angry mob beat Maggie to death. Eve didn't usually like lynch mobs, but she wasn't sorry that Maggie was dead. She'd advocated abuse, rape, murder, she got what she deserved. Eve feared violent retaliation against innocents by Maggie's followers. Despite all of this election day seemed ready to go. The sample ballot had Douglas up for election. Eve hadn't heard much about the other candidates. Some were religious fundamentalists, others were radical marxists. These groups had tried to work together in Los Angelas, but so far that had proven dysfunctional. Douglas seemed like the moderate. Santos was up for re-election, against some pro-collective and other loyalist candidates. His opponents weren't organized enough to mount a united front. The issue of seccession was also on the ballot. The election might be imperfect, but it seemed to be better than the alternative.
Sunday November 5th marked 623 days until impact, two days until election day. The collective had a presidential debate, giving voters a final chance to decide. Douglas was here, along with five others. This group included two fundamentalist christian, one fundamentalist muslim, one radical marxist, and even one loyalist. He was apparently running for the collective presidency in order to surrender to the United States. These six debated how to run the economy, whether war with the United States was justified, the alliance with Israel, mercy clinics, crime, and whether states had the right to secceed from te CSA. Douglas remained calm, even when the other five erupted into shouting matches. It seemed fairly ironic that president Douglas was descended from Frederick Douglas, an abolitionist who served the Union during the first American civil war. What would he think of his descendant being president of the seccionists? Eve remembered seeing Mason debate Hellar two years ago, that had amounted to a joint press conference. When Mason won he made Hellar secretary of state. He said America should be united, but it led to accusations of corruption This CSA debate was democracy in all its dysfunctional glory.
When Eve was six her first grade class taught her something about the presidency during that election, but today she couldn't remember what she'd learned then. When she was ten her mother brought her into the voting booth to see her vote. At fourteen Eve was apparently too old to be let in for that. And now, at sixteen, she was voting for the first, and possibly the last, time. In a new country also having possibly it's only election. Despite her fears, Eve was actually excited to vote. She had some of the day off from work for this. There were guards to prevent fist-fights in lines, or terrorist bombings. Eve felt proud to vote. Rumor was Mason made it difficult for oppossition groups to even be on the ballot. He apparently bribed congressmen to support his agenda by helping them keep their seats. Eve voted for Douglas, for a pro-collective candidate for governor, and against Texas secceeding. Soon, she would know if it worked.
Lee, Amy, and Eve were watching the election results on the living room tv. Things had been awkward in this house since Miguel's execution. Even Lee felt somewhat bad about this. He still slept on the couch, it would've just been too dis-respectful to sleep in Miguel's room. These three waited anxiously. If seccession passed, the Brotherhood would have to follow through with its threats. Lee didn't like the idea of having to kill someone. But, in order to preserve the collective, he would do it. Eve knew she would have to make yet another difficult choice. Amy had at least sworn to stand by Eve, whatever she did. Douglas was officially elected as the first president of the Collective States of America. Santos was re-elected as the governor of Texas. Officially he was subordinate to Douglas, but the people voted in favor of becoming a seperate republic. Eve and her group were dissapointed, but not suprised.