Future Vote Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Jan 13 2024

Location: 

China

This project is a participatory art action initiated by the Action Office in 2024.

Action Office called up Chinese citizens in mainland China to transfer their voting rights for what they believe will be their first participation in the election of the highest leader in the mainland area. The votes become futures, and the Action Office will oversee their effectiveness. The right to transfer is designed as a trading card, entering the market to be collected. This project is an artistic and gamified attempt at political practice. Citizens of mainland China barely have the opportunity to contemplate when they can participate in elections for the first time in their lives, and hardly anyone has ever seen a ballot with their own eyes. When participants write down the anticipated year, it is a solemn reflection. However, these reflections and expectations for the future are then turned into commodities and traded as commercial and gaming activities in the present.

The first batch of voting rights consists of a total of 9 cards, auctioned on January 13, 2024, the day of the Taiwan presidential election, with 3 cards being collected. This project is a long-term initiative, aiming to be joined by more future voters and Action Office will facilitate their transfer.

External sources: 

http://www.futurevote.xyz
Posted by xingdongoperation on Feb 18 2024

Staff rating: 

0

Effectiveness

How does this project help?

Activates (people)Energizes and organizes people into action. Can include emotion work
Amplifies (issue or campaign)Brings public and political attention to an issue or campaign.  Can include prefigurative action, making the invisible visible.
Shifts (culture)Shifts the cultural landscape in order to imagine and enable change.
Strengthens (community)Strengthens, builds and celebrates community through ritual and/or symbol.

Timeframe For change

This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear long-term goal. Long-term goals tend to be things like: end racism; end homophobia; make the sun stand still in the sky. A campaign with a long-term goal also needs to have some kind of theory of change.
This project is an artistic and gamified attempt at political practice. Citizens of mainland China barely have the opportunity to contemplate when they can participate in elections for the first time in their lives, and hardly anyone has ever seen a ballot with their own eyes. When participants write down the anticipated year, it is a solemn reflection. With such a project, participants might get a chance to discuss what we expect for democracy in China.

Notes

Right now it is very hard since the communication and work spreading is not smooth in China. Media in mainland China cannot post these kind of activities, so are reaching media abroads for help. But it is still hard to reach enough people to join.