The Geomancers are in big election time and it made me think, why can we keep voting if we change our mind? It makes it seem more like a system of influencing for voters, which is not too realistic or an election. And previous IRE mud didn't have it, but Lusternia is more than a little better than it was.

Answers or opinions anyone?

Well, all elections are about influencing people for votes. Maybe you made a mistake and voted the wrong person. Maybe you discovered that the person you voted is in fact a Celestine in disguise. Gods would be asked to change votes a lot if people could only vote once I think

I was a little dismayed too when I found out you could vote more than once. I guess it has its uses, though.

Well, it has uses. For example, suppose four people are running for office - but about halfway through, one of them realizes they won't be able to do it and 'drops out.' Well, they can't actually drop out I don't think, so their name is still on the ballot, so they make a post saying something like "Don't vote for me, I'm unable to run." or something.

If you couldn't vote more than once, then your vote might've been wasted if you voted for that person before they realized they needed to 'drop out.' That dropped out person might even get elected and then you'd just have to run a whole new election.

So, I don't mind that you can change votes, I'd rather let people shuffle around a bit than to vote for someone and have it not count. (get enough of that in RL elections!)

And Gabranth, your little dancing pig avatar thing is too cute!

I LOVE moogles, just need a real dancing one for my avatar *grumbles*

But thanks everyone so far, it does make sense

Also, I believe people can join an election even while it is in progress, so if a new/better candidate joins halfway through you can change your vote to them.



Noola! How dare you call the poor moogle a dancing pig?!?!?!

I dunno what a moogle is!

But it looks like a dancing pig with a pom pom on it's head, and it's awful cute!

Problem is, this being an online game, we can't really have a set date for the "polls" after which you can't vote, which is why elections have to last a long time.

And during that long time people can still campaign and make points and stuff can come up, so it's I think fairer that you can change your vote midway through... I always consider my vote to by my "first choice" and for the election to actually take place only when the voting period ends.

You can withdraw from elections.

Can you? Then why doesn't anyone? I've seen people all the time posting to the news "I'm not running for this or that reason" and yet when I look at the election, they're still listed there.

Most don't know how, but I do know you can as I've had to before. Nessa had to tell me how.

You could look at it like this: you don't vote for them until the very end of the voting period. The person you "vote" for is whoever you plan on voting for. Thus, you can change your plans, but at the end of the election, once the actual voting and tallying takes place, its too late.

that makes it like a real election, no?

That makes sense.

Like how when I became Magister of the Aquamancers I had to ask someone how to write in the guildlog. I actually felt really good when someone asked me how just the other day. I felt less dumb.

Lusternia has lots of little tricks that don't seem to be mentioned anywhere. I figured out how to write in the logs after experimenting. You can also search logs (wonderful for the power logs) by adding the word or name you're searching for onto the end.