Members of a City Barony or Masters of a Guild are to be respected. Needless to say, they will not have acquired their lofty position were it not for the respect that they command from their people. This is why Baronial posts and Guildmastery tends only to reach those mature enough to warrant such an honourable position. Ultimately, it is you who decides. The universal suffrage that abides in most cities and guilds means that each citizen has one vote to cast should an election arise.
You can review your city or guild's electorate and voting eligibility by typing ELECTORATE <city/guild>. This is available to all eligible ranked citizens or guildmembers. It shows all active mature citizens/guildfolk and informs you whether the person is eligible to vote or not; and if eligible to vote informs you if the citizen/member has voted or not IF he/she is online. If the citizen/member is offline, the electorate will list only vote eligibility.
The city government (which stems from Barons) have enormous power - they can declare war, instigate occupations of neighbouring cities and villages. They decide pricing and determine the success or failure of your local economy. They are also expected to defend their city from harm or mediate in the event of a dispute.
Each time you log in to Avalon you will be informed of whether any elections are in progress, and depending upon its type, you will have a certain number of days in which to cast your vote. Type ELECTIONS to view currently progressing elections in which you are entitled to vote, and then use the VOTE command to issue your vote. You can review candidates using the CANDIDATES <election number> command - and this will also inform you of a votes tally, a minimum number of eligible votes "possible" before the election's end.
See also: HELP ELECTIONS and HELP CHALLENGING.
