@TheEdVerse Hail, Goodman Greenwood!
'Tis Election Tuesday (no, not a holiday) here in the USA, and I think we'd all love to learn something about popular electoral systems of the Realms. What are some offices elected 'by the people'? How does the system work?
Cheers!
— Brian Johnson (tooting @johbri@zirk.us) (@JohBri) November 9, 2022
Hi! Really busy with design work tonight, but let me say a few words about local elections for “village lord” (mayor) and harbormasters (in ports) in Amn and Tethyr. In the smaller places where they are elected, as opposed to appointed (in the larger places, it’s… 2)
…often a “reward posting” for investors handed out by local nobles or wealthy and powerful locals).
Voters in such elections are stakeholders: property owners in a settlement, or owners of docks and warehouses and shipyards in ports. They go before a local…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 9, 2022
3)
…herald (with a local priest as a witness, if there’s a shrine, temple, or monastic community locally; if more than one deity is locally represented, each will have a representative) to vote verbally (out of earshot of others) for their chosen candidate (any…4)
…local resident can stand), and for each vote, a pebble is put into a jar labeled for that candidate, and all jars are safeguarded by the herald and the clergy (often in a secure structure to minimize tampering). When the election time is deemed over (it may…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 9, 2022
5)
…be as long as a tenday, but by local custom is usually three or four days, dawn to dusk), the pebbles are counted by the herald and all clergy in unison, and the high total wins. If there’s any dispute or anomaly (more pebbles than local voters, for… 6)
…example), a new election is held, but any incumbent running again does NOT stay in office until it’s done; rather, clergy step in to serve.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 9, 2022