The best thing about John Scalzi's "Election Story" is the humor. He plays the bizarre and unexpected for laughs, and largely it works.
That said, the sci-fi also feels too proud of itself. Scalzi presents it at first like a generic, everyday familiar Earth: a couple is discussing an upcoming election, one is considering running, when the non-running partner asks, "what do we know about the demographics of the third district?". The guy running responds, "It’s a human-minority district." Bam, there's the sci-fi. It feels inauthentic, contrived.
Equally unsubtle is the satire about elections in a diverse demographic environment, and worse, there's really no point to any of it. Like someone going through the motions of political satire to appear intelligent.
Oh well.
Happy voting today, Canada!
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