Electing A Good Story

Mid-term election day is November 3, and rare is the country where elections are free to all citizens. While I will not discuss a word of American politics, local or national, I do urge you to get out and vote. Your vote DOES matter, even though it doesn’t always seem it. A vote against the eventual winner is still a vote of dissent. Vote as an example for the countries where the general population is not allowed to vote, or there is only one candidate to vote for (North Korea, Haiti, Ethiopia, and Russia), even if you believe your vote won’t win. In Australia, it is mandatory to cast your vote in a national election, and you will be fined for not using your right to vote. They also hold elections on Sundays, when fewer people are working and thus able to vote in person. Most other countries hold weekend elections, and in places like India, voting goes on for several days. In other countries, election day is often a holiday, so everyone is free to get out and vote.

Not sure where to vote? Check out the map here: https://www.cheshirect.gov/DocumentCenter/View/255/Polling-Places-PDF

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, elections are stressful, even if it’s just having to listen to the endless campaign ads every three and a half minutes.

If you’re still vaguely interested in politics, but are feeling stressed over it, here’s a list of books about fictional elections of all sorts, no current politics included, and a couple of politically-oriented classical fiction stories that you should have read in school. If not, now is the perfect time, and no annoying ads included!

All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Conclave by Robert Harris

A God in Ruins by Leon Uris

Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

Reluctant Fundamentalist by Hamid Mohsin

1984 by George Orwell

Brave New World by Aldous Harding

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Unfolding by A. M. Homes