The Democracy of Eralest

Eralest is Baltia's first, and only, true democracy. All issues are voted upon directly by the citizens, or a group that the citizen explicitly permits to vote on their behalf, and the nation is uniquely egalitarian as a result. Of course, such a nation has its own problems, as each individual having a say in the functioning of governments results in peculiarities and inefficiencies. Particularly in recent years, the system has faced manipulation by special interest groups, which have resulted in a more polarized population.

The universal democracy Eralest boasts is supported with permanent voting stations scattered throughout its settlements, to make voting as easy as possible. Each station holds at least one private room containing a magical scroll which, when touched by a registered voter, magically fills with any laws or legislation pending their vote. The voter then simply provides their answers, and the scroll becomes blank as their vote is collected anonymously.

As all citizens have the right to vote on every major issue, ample time must be provided for voting, and so Eralest takes particularly long to make decisions. Additionally, it is impossible for every citizen to research every issue appropriately, and so many either vote solely by instinct or allow a political group of their choice to vote on their behalf. Further, votes are passed by simple majority, and so close results often have dramatic aftermaths.

Eralest is predominantly human, though it has vibrant communities that include every other race in the world, and the majority of citizens strongly value the democratic tradition of their home. By their nature, most communities are composed of at least somewhat like-minded individuals, and each settlement tends to vote primarily one way or another as a result. Unfortunately, this fact results in strong reactions to votes that do not go as these communities hoped, and recent years have seen significant tension between communities.

Surrounded by a shared opinion in their local area, many voters have found it easy to overestimate the support their particular issues have, resulting in outrage when these issues are addressed in an unsatisfactory way. Often, the target of their anger will be nearby communities that they know to oppose their own views, with that anger manifesting as anything from petty disputes over shared resources to instigations of violence. Those that vote the “wrong way” within their communities are also targets of harassment, should they be found.

As this toxicity has spread among the population, so too have politics been influenced. Special interest groups, such as political parties and various enterprises, are happy to fan the flames of outrage amongst citizens in order to secure their support and votes. With the backing of sufficient voters, such groups are also able to manipulate the system to their advantage. A common tactic is to flood the ballot with nonsensical initiatives in order to drown out legislation that the group does not want passed, discouraging voters from casting their ballot due to the raw number of decisions to be made.

This further consolidates power in the hand of these groups, as voters recognizing such tricks increasingly rely on their chosen political party to vote on their behalf, and view the same tricks that infuriated them as just “getting even” when performed by their own parties. While some laws are still able to be passed in the nation, the hostility has made it exceedingly difficult for most to be made effective, even when many citizens actually support the measures.

The cities of Eralest are hubs of conflicting communities, and as of late, many have found that public order has been increasingly difficult to maintain.

The capital of Eralest, Tergaron is where one can see the political bickering of the nation at its worst. The streets are filled with various groups soliciting support and characterizing their opponents as anything from misguided fools to outright saboteurs. It is also one of the few locations in the country where many different opinions meet, as activists from all over the country flock here to propose legislation, and mob violence between opponents has become increasingly common.

On a separate island than the rest of Eralest's nations, Brerday is a city that has become increasingly discontent with the democracy of Eralest. Sitting atop a major source of Eralest's natural resources, the city has found the land surrounding it ravaged by the groups extracting these resources, with its residents suffering as a result. Of course, these extractions were allowed following a vote, where the citizens of Brerday found their universal condemnation of the plan drowned out by citizens on the other side of the country. While some citizens still hope for a peaceful resolution, more extreme groups in the city talk of secession.