-- Written by “Irene Naridza”
IA PICS MADE BY HOTPOT
My twin
sister was selected to be a member of the polling reception board for these
elections. It’s a system that randomly selects citizens, who are then required
to undergo training and spend their ENTIRE day attending to voters arriving at
the polling stations.
It’s an
unfair system. The state doesn’t care if you had something very important to do.
You have to go, or you’ll be fined; $67.50. All because the state lacks
municipal staff for these processes. Although elections usually don’t fall on
workdays, and they give you $20 as compensation, that amount might not be
enough and feels like a joke compared to the fine, which is more than triple
that amount.
The problem
was that my sister had fallen behind on a university project since working and
studying is no easy task, especially when the distances between your home, your
job, and your university are two hours each.
That’s when
she came to me. “Please, take my place, or I
won’t be able to finish my project on time.” she said through tears.
“I can’t replace you. You were assigned to the
female table.” I replied without
taking my eyes off my faculty book and taking a sip of my coffee.
“You’re crazy! That’s identity fraud, a crime punishable by law with a
fine and up to 26 years in prison.” We had recently covered that topic in my law
class. She wouldn’t know. We go to the same university, but we’re in different
majors.
“IF I DON’T FINISH THIS PROJECT, I’LL HAVE TO RETAKE THE COURSE!” she shouted through tears, her voice
already breaking. That’s how I ended up agreeing. I haven’t even graduated as a
lawyer yet, and I’m already committing fraud. I have a bright future as one of
the candidates on the ballots.
This
Saturday, we stayed at her friend’s house, which is very close to the public
school where our polling station is located. There, she gave me a video she had
recorded of the training sessions. If you don’t attend the training, there’s a
$45 fine. It’s not too complicated, but expecting you to learn everything from
just one session is a bit absurd.
That night,
Viviana and Manuela spent their time putting in hair extensions and pouring
bottles of weird stuff on me. “It’s to make it look natural.” Manuela
said. She works part-time as a hairstylist.
“I still have to go vote too. How are we going to do this?” In Ecuador, you get a voting
certificate when you cast your vote. It has your photo, name, ID number, and a
few other details. Oh, and the most important part; it’s a document required
for many bureaucratic processes.
Punishing
citizens who don’t vote with a fine and restricting access to certain
procedures is incredibly low, but that’s how the laws work in this country.
“The school is literally
around the corner. We’ll dress you up and fix your hair. You’ll put on loose
clothing over it. You’ll go, vote, and come back running so we can do your
makeup.” Manuela explained after finishing the hair
extensions. They were black, straight, and fell past my shoulders. I still
didn’t look like her.
Viviana and
I are the same height, but we don’t have the same figure. They solved that by
putting me in a weird harness. It was made of silicone covered in latex with some
rods. They told me to put it on like underwear. From that moment, my little
friend down there felt constricted, but when they tightened some straps,
everything became very tight.
“Great, now you have my hips.” my sister said. “It doesn’t look bad.” Manuela
said with a chuckle. It had a feminine design in that area. I remember asking
why, my face still red. “You’ll be there from
7:30 AM to 9:00 PM. You’ll probably need to pee.” my sister
explained while handing me some jeans.
“But… was that vulva design necessary?” I asked as I felt a burning sensation down
there. “OF
COURSE.” They both answered before pulling out another
contraption. It was a torso piece with molded breasts, made of the same
materials as the first harness.
They both
helped put it on me, and when they tightened the straps on the back, I had
breasts, and it was hard to breathe. Seeing myself in the mirror felt strange. I
looked like a woman, a naked one. The cold night air seeping through the window
made me shiver. The harnesses didn’t retain heat. They were completely cold.
Viviana and
Manuela didn’t seem disturbed. They were glancing at me, examining the results.
“IT’S GOOD.” they
both said. Then came the clothes; leggings that weren’t too tight on the legs
but almost unbearable in the crotch. Then a white bra and a plaid shirt. It
didn’t take them long to examine me before giving their approval. I liked the
result too, as long as I ignored the fact that I was looking at myself.
Next came
loose clothing over the first ones. Since I had to vote, I couldn’t already be disguised
as my sister, but we needed to save time with the harnesses. We checked to make
sure nothing looked strange, much to my sister’s dismay.
“I can’t see the breasts.” she said, confused. “Neither with you
when you wear loose clothes. You have small breasts.” I replied
before Manuela gave me a smack on the head.
Finally,
they gave me a strange honey candy that tickled my throat. “I ordered these online. They’re from Maglavir.” Viviana
said. “That country up north?” I immediately covered my mouth with both hands.
The candy
had made my voice higher. It still didn’t sound very feminine, but it had
changed. “THE RUMORS WERE TRUE. THESE CANDIES
RAISE YOUR VOICE.” Sis claimed,
jumping up. “Come on, say something else.” Manuela urged, shaking my
shoulders. “Stop shaking me.” I replied, feeling a bit dizzy. They were amazed.
Then we
went to sleep, though not before taking another candy. Sleeping was difficult
due to the pain and pressure in my crotch. Before closing my eyes, I kept
reminding myself that I was doing all this out of love for my dear sister.
They woke
me up at 6:00 AM. By that point, I couldn’t feel anything down there anymore.
My bladder told me I had to pee. I stood frozen in front of the toilet, not
knowing how to proceed in this form. Then Manuela arrived and pushed me down
onto the seat. “You have to sit down. Then wipe with toilet paper. Do it well to avoid
bad odors.” she explained before leaving.
Peeing
sitting down with this harness was the strangest and most uncomfortable thing I
had ever done. While cleaning myself, it felt like a second skin. “This will be
useful to you.” Manuela handed me some lemon-scented wet wipes once
I was out of the bathroom, which I put in the purse.
I left
wearing a hoodie and sweatpants over the leggings and plaid shirt. My long hair
was slicked back and hidden under the hoodie’s hood.
I felt a
cold sweat as I passed by the soldiers guarding the place. I felt all eyes on
me, glancing from the corner of my eyes just to make sure they’re weren’t. When
I reached board number 4, the classroom where I had to vote, my nerves
escalated.
The
secretary receiving the ID card glanced at me for a moment. I couldn’t say a
word, or everything would fall apart. Fortunately, he simply nodded, and the
other officials handed me the presidential candidate ballot and the assembly
member ballot. I marked the boxes, casting my vote for Luisa González and her
party before placing them in their respective ballot boxes.
I signed
the attendance sheet, and they returned my ID and voting certificate card. I
walked back quickly. I nearly had a heart attack when someone blocked my path. I
thought I had been discovered. But it was just one of those annoying
laminators.
“DO YOU WANT ME TO LAMINATE YOUR
ID?” he asked, staring into my eyes. I shook my head
and tried to move forward. “COME ON, LET ME LAMINATE IT.” he
blocked me again, this time stopping me with his arm, his hand almost touching
the fake breasts.
Since I was
in a hurry and offering your services through harassment is unacceptable, I
shoved him aside with all my strength. “RUDE ASS!” he said as I walked
away. The soldiers did nothing. Even they knew how annoying these people could
be.
As soon as
I arrived, my sister gave me another honey candy and dragged me to a chair
where she and Manuela started applying makeup. Foundation, plenty of eyeshadow,
eyeliner, and lipstick. Layer after layer across my face. It felt like an
eternity, but according to Manuela, it was only 15 minutes.
“Perfect. HE LOOKS EXACTLY
LIKE YOU.” Manuela said. Viviana also looked excited. When
I saw myself in the mirror, my jaw dropped. It was like seeing a copy of my
sister standing right next to her, only wearing different clothes.
I didn’t
have time to be amazed, as my sister hurried me. “It’s
7:25. Hurry, or I’ll get fined.” she said while handing me her
purse. “Here’s my ID card. You’ll have to vote
for me too. You already know, for Luisa González.” she explained while removing my baggy clothes,
revealing the feminine outfit and long hair.
Manuela
handed me a white sweatshirt with a romantic phrase embroidered in the center. “This one’s a
bit tighter… in case you get cold.” she said as she helped me
put it on. My breasts looked more noticeable, almost natural.
“Come on, say something.” my sister ordered. “I hope this works.” The
voice that came out was a girly one. I couldn’t believe it—I still can’t.
Manuela and Viviana jumped and high-fived. They had done it; they had turned me
into my sister’s double.
Almost
trembling, I walked with Manuela to the voting place. She only had to vote and
leave, but I had to stay as the secretary of the voting table. The morning cold
only made me feel more exposed, and the slightest glances made me tremble. The
only thing keeping me secure was Manuela’s hand holding mine.
We crossed
the gate without drawing attention from the soldiers. When we reached the
women’s voting table number five, I showed a copy of the notification
appointing my sister, I mean, me as the voting table secretary. One of the
girls sighed in relief. “YOU’RE LATE! I HAD TO DO YOUR JOB!” another
one said, sounding a bit annoyed.
I
immediately sat down without saying a word. My table was the first one by the
entrance. My job was to collect the voters’ ID cards, verify that they were
registered, confirm their details, have them sign the attendance sheet, and
return their documents after they voted.
The girl
next to me was the ‘table president’; she signed and handed out the voting
certificates, which were slightly smaller than a card and made of a paper-like
material. Even if my sister had this role, it wouldn’t have been a problem. I
have good handwriting and drawing skills, so forging my sister’s signature was
easy.
The second
member was responsible for handing out the ballots and instructing voters where
to place them, and the third member was an extra helper, assisting when
necessary. She was the girl annoyed at me when I arrived. I understand this is
frustrating, but in the end, it’s her job.
The first
person I assisted was Manuela. I searched for her name in the electoral
registry and found it. “Here she is.” I said, feeling relieved that my feminine voice
remained. The second member gave her the ballots. “The
white box is for the presidential ballot, the brown one for the assembly
members.”
It didn’t
take her long to vote and place the ballots in the boxes. When she returned, I
handed her the certificate along with her ID card. “Good luck, Viviana.” she
said with a smile.
As soon as
she left, another older woman arrived. The routine was the same: take her ID card,
find her name in the registry, have her sign the attendance sheet after voting,
and return her ID along with her voting certificate. And so it went, over and
over. For those who couldn’t sign, I had to assist them by inking their thumb
to make a fingerprint.
My nerves
gradually faded as the day went on. Women arrived to vote and I assisted them. Faces,
names, ID numbers, and signatures. That was all I saw for hours. The other
girls at my table chatted among themselves and barely paid attention to me.
No one
noticed anything unusual. That was a relief. Forget about social ridicule. Legal
consequences for identity fraud would ruin my chances of becoming a lawyer.
Now I’m on
my break. I have 30 minutes. The first thing I did was vote for my sister. She
was assigned to another table. There, the woman didn’t even look up to check if
I resembled the girl in the ID. She was too absorbed in her phone.
I checked
my phone because I had received a message. My sister even gave me her panda
bear phone case. “Manuela will bring you
something for lunch.” Viviana’s
message read. I sat at one of the cafeteria tables, crossing my legs. It’s the
only way to be comfortable with the harness.
Fortunately,
this is going easier than I imagined. My only concern now is that the best
candidate wins: Luisa González. Daniel Noboa has already proven to be terrible
by invading the Mexican embassy, mismanaging hydroelectric plants leading to
power outages of up to 14 hours daily, and being completely indifferent to the
deaths and violence against women and children. This country will be doomed if
he’s reelected.
But I think
it’s too soon to worry about that. With 16 candidates and only two major
political forces, a president is rarely decided in a single electoral round.
It’s most likely that everything will be determined in the second round in
April.
If this was
a mistake, it doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no turning back. My sister
couldn’t come because of that damned university’s project. The fine for
abandoning electoral duties ranges from nearly 5,000 to 9,000 dollars.
9,000 DAMN
DOLLARS. In a country where the basic monthly salary is 460 dollars. It’s
outright abuse, but it’s nothing new. The state loves taking advantage of
ordinary citizens.
The good
thing is that Viviana will be available to handle the voting table herself in
April. But who knows. Maybe something will happen, and I’ll have to become my
dear sister’s double once again.
To Be Continued someday…
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