What are the elections of the future like? What are elections in cities constantly attacked by monsters like? Science fiction can give us a glimpse…especially when on a tv budget.
1. “Best Man for the Job” – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers
Class President of Angel Grove High School
Tommy Oliver vs. Kimberly Hart vs. Farkas “Bulk” Bulkmeier
What starts as a friendly competition between Tommy and Kimberly gets heated up after they trip on Rita’s enchanted rope and fall under its spell. They start name-calling and vandalizing each other’s posters until Zordon makes them smell flowers to go back to normal. Bulk enters the race too, promising to discover the identities of the Power Rangers but he doesn’t get far at all. In the episode’s final scene, Kimberly gives an impressive speech (mostly offscreen) and Tommy drops out because she’s really cool and deserves to win, which she does.
2. “Drone” – Smallville
Class President of Smallville High School
Sasha Woodman vs. Paul Chan vs. Felice Chandler (vs. Clark Kent)
In a race between most qualified (Paul) and most popular (Felice), Sasha is thrown to the wayside…that is, until she uses her ability to control BEES to eliminate the competition. When Clark enters the race, he becomes Sasha’s next target, but he puts an end to her shenanigans and Paul wins the race despite “bee”ing hospitalized.
3. “Everything is Broken” – Defiance
Mayor of Defiance
Amanda Rosewater (Incumbent) vs. Datak Tarr
It’s a close vote, but the generally well-liked Rosewater loses to Datak, who exploited people’s fears and promised to pave way for the Earth Republic to come in and provide security. But once he finds out the Earth Republic just wanted to use him, Datak kills E-Rep Colonel Marsh and is swiftly arrested.
4. “Vox Populi” – Jericho
Mayor of Jericho
Johnston Green (Incumbent) vs. Gray Anderson
A case of one candidate looking at the big picture (Green) and the other looking for short-term results (Anderson). After a grocer is murdered, the people of Jericho elect the gung-ho, brutish Anderson in the hopes that he will take greater steps to protect the town and punish the murderer.
5. “Redemption” – TekWar
Mayor of Los Angeles
Frank Avery (Former) vs. Kyle Brackett
Former Mayor Avery was arrested for using Tek and spent 5 years in the freezer (cryogenic prison). Now, a couple months after getting out, he starts a campaign to regain his position. Avery wants to help Tek addicts, while Brackett wants them to face harsher punishment. After an assassination attempt on Avery, it’s revealed that Brackett was in bed with the Tek Lords, who wanted to use him as their puppet. Brackett is arrested and Avery wins the race.
6. “Landslide” – Heroes
United States Congress
Nathan Petrelli vs. Dena Allen vs. Daniel Doyle vs. Kate Snow
The campaign pops up in the background for most of the season, but I don’t think we see much of what Nathan really stands for. Probably good stuff, though. On election day, Candice has Mica use his powers to mess with the voting machines and give Nathan his landslide victory.
7. “Crossfire” – Earth: Final Conflict
President of the United States
Daniel Thompson (Incumbent) vs. Jonathan Doors
This election was between resistance leader Jonathan Doors, critical of the Taelon occupation of Earth, and incumbent President Thompson, a Taelon supporter. After Thompson is injured from a staged assassination attempt, he clinches the election and declares martial law.
8. “Decision 3012” – Futurama
President of Earth
Richard Nixon (Incumbent) vs. Chris Travers
The first Futurama election episode was covered here; in this one, President Nixon is up for re-election (his third term), and running against him is Travers – a nice guy who, as it turns out, was sent from the future to defeat Nixon. Travers wins but fades away because of a time travel paradox, and Nixon claims victory.
9. “The Collaborator” – Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Bajoran Kai
Bareil Antos vs. Winn Adami
After Kai Opaka opted to stay on the planet of everlasting war, a new Kai – or Bajoran “Space Pope” – was to be elected. Bareil, Opaka’s protege, was thought to have the election in the bag, but he drops out after evidence comes out that he was a collaborator during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. The truth is, Opaka was the true collaborator, and Bareil took the fall so as to not sully her reputation. With no one to oppose her, the conservative Winn becomes the new Kai.
10. “Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2” – Battlestar Galactica
President of the Twelve Colonies
Laura Roslin (Incumbent) vs. Gaius Baltar
Baltar trails behind Roslin in the polls, until a habitable planet is discovered nearby. Once he switches his platform to forming a permanent colony on this planet, the voters gets behind him and he wins.
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