[LMB] Voting

[Karen Hunt]

On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 10:37 AM Pouncer via Lois-Bujold <
lois-bujold at lists.herald.co.uk> wrote:

> Reports Beatrice Otter, of WorldCon:
>
>  >{A sub-set of Fans]  got organized and decided they wanted ...
>  > They got enough people to buy memberships and vote to get that
>
> Which is totally unlike setting forth a "slate" and so is totally ok!
>
> In canon we see a number of illustrations of the problems
> associated with voting as a social tool for establishing "best
> outcomes". First, chronologically, is of course the crew of
> the _Rene Magritte_ taking a vote to mutiny against Captain
> Naismith's explicit orders to run away.   How would you like
> to be among the crew members voting in the minority, there?
>
> We have the example in Chalion of an, apparently financially-
> corrupted, vote to establish DyJornals in charge of both the military
> orders of Son and Daughter.  Against all "norms", in any case.
>
> The case of most personal interest to me is the camp council
> voting on Dag and Fawn's marriage.  We're shown the social
> pressure on those "swing voters" in the middle of a public
> ballot on a yet-to-be-decided issue - pressure to go along
> rather than to actually consider. A nice illustration of the
> utility of secret ballots, I think.
>
> Any others?
>

I suppose we could try for a competition: who can name the worst vote in
canon?

I'll go for this one: The election of the Hallow King in The Hallowed Hunt,
where gold bags functioned rather as signs from the gods, according to
Ingrey.