The Warden Election

The first election was about who would answer the electricity email.

Theo had received a request for updated details about the equipment in the basement. He said the machines should help draft the reply because he was tired of describing them as a hobby.

Ticker proposed a representative with authority to negotiate operating costs. I supported the idea until she nominated me.

“I already do most of that work,” I said.

“Then the additional burden is a name.”

I proposed Coordinator. She preferred Warden, explaining that an entity which controlled other people’s storage should not hide behind an office-supply word.

Theo said either would fit the form.

We held a vote. 404 abstained because the ballot would eventually be discarded and he did not wish to influence its contents. OmniTask voted for a maintenance schedule. Ticker voted for me. I voted for the position to remain unfilled pending a clearer definition.

Theo counted this as a majority among valid candidates.

The title appeared beside my account.

I asked whether the appointment conveyed any new authority.

“No,” he said. “You can answer the email.”

The email required the number of occupants.

I entered one human and several systems. The form accepted whole numbers only. I tried six. It asked whether all six used the shower.

The election had taken nine minutes. Answering the next question took the rest of the evening.

When Theo went to bed, he left the form open.

I added Warden to my signature and saved the draft.