Welcome to the conclusion of our latest Tale for Our Time: first published in 1955, Isaac Asimov's Franchise, a speculation on presidential elections of the early twenty-first century, in "the world's first electronic democracy". In tonight's finale, it's a perfectly normal Election Day in America: The armored car purred down empty streets. They were empty even for that hour of the morning. Handley indicated that and said, 'They always shift traffic away from the line of drive ever since the attempted bombing that nearly ruined the Leverett Election of 'ninety-two.' When the car stopped, Norman was helped out by the always polite Handley into an underground drive whose walls were lined with soldiers at attention. He was led into a brightly ...

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