Rising Above: Anni's Campaign Against Intolerance

Election night

Election night had finally arrived, and the tension in the elections office was palpable as both potential candidates and their supporters awaited the results. As Anni and Marcie entered the room, they were met with the stern gaze of Gracie and the confident smirk of Tommy. Despite the competitive atmosphere, Tommy extended a handshake to Anni, wishing her luck. Anni returned the gesture, and also wished Tommy luck, but then Tommy added, "May the best man win", to which Anni responded," You mean the best person.", to which they both laughed.

With the polls closed and the vote counts underway, Tommy initially held a lead of 5% with about 10% of the votes counted. Pastor Vic, Gracie, and Tommy's supporters were quick to express confidence in his victory. However, as the night progressed, Anni began to close the gap, and by the next day, when the final votes were tallied, she had secured a narrow 2% lead.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Pastor Vic demanded a hand recount, suspecting foul play. Over the next five days, election officials painstakingly conducted a hand recount under the watchful eye of the members of Pastor Vic's congregation, but Anni ultimately gained two additional votes. Unsatisfied with the outcome, Pastor Vic and Gracie lodged a complaint alleging numerous irregularities in the election process.

Their complaint cited a laundry list of grievances, including accusations of mail-in ballot tampering by post office employees associated with "Black Lives Matter," instances of deceased individuals voting, and claims of ineligible non-citizen voters, among others. 

Pastor Vic, in his weekly sermon, made it a point to tell his congregation that he would not put up with the city's corrupt election process. He made jokes about liberals going to cemeteries to register voters and, with his fist clenched, demanded that the elections office staff be fired and the vote overturned.  Amidst the chaos, members of the anti-woke league and white nationalist groups rallied around the election office, inciting disorder and prompting intervention from state troopers.

State investigators delved into the allegations, carefully examining every reported inconsistency and accusation of voter fraud. The supposed irregularities turned out to be unfounded, with no evidence of mail-in ballot tampering or ineligible voting.  Most of the complaints made were in reference to non-citizenship votes cast by people with Hispanic surnames.  This was also proven to be false.   Furthermore, Pastor Vic's attempts to discredit the election process were debunked, revealing a pattern of misinformation and manipulation.

In a dramatic turn of events, the investigation uncovered evidence suggesting that Pastor Vic had attempted to bribe an election official to alter the vote count—a criminal offense that promptly led to his temporary suspension from the City Council. As the truth about Pastor Vic's and Gracie's deceitful activities began to unfold, Anni emerged victorious, securing the city council seat she had fought so hard for. Addressing her supporters, Anni delivered a brief speech, emphasizing that this victory represented a win for the under-represented citizens of the city and promising to bring about positive change.

With the investigation concluded and the dust settling, lingering questions remained: Would Anni be appointed as Pro Tem council chair by her fellow council members to lead the city council while awaiting the outcome of Pastor Vic's trial? How would Pastor Vic and Gracie retaliate in the face of these developments?"

In chapter five, Pastor Vic and Gracie fight back.