Meet the Characters
Dawn Taylor
Dawn Taylor needs to pick up something for work.
Dawn is unwillingly thrust into the job of paying for her family as her feckless husband refuses to take much responsibility. She used to work for Airtran Airlines in food service but since Airtran went out of business some years ago, she has not worked in the industry. She is not a classic beauty but has always been good at capturing men’s attention. Recently she discovered an online app that helps generate some extra income. With her husband contributing little, she has become the primary earner and been working hard to bring in the dollars for her family.
What she's up to on Election Day: Dawn is on her way to get an illegal injection of silicone downtown.
John Wu
He has misplaced his medicine.
John Wu is clumsy and a bit nervous. He has difficulty with some tasks, and has had a hard time keeping a job. Usually he is lucid. Sometimes neighbors who don’t know him call the police. But overall John Wu is a gentle soul who does no one any harm. He spends most of the day walking around aimlessly.
What he's up to on Election Day: applying for a job as a security guard downtown.
June Wu
Needs to find a plumber.
June Wu is very industrious. She always takes care of her neighbors and picks up after people. She is selfless and hardworking. She is the only caregiver for her schizophrenic son who is a huge burden. She never complains. She has money to pay her mortgage from renting the illegal apartment in her house to college students Dave and Logan.
What she's up to on Election Day: Alice has a plumbing problem which is expensive to fix. June has offered to try to find a Chinese plumber to help Alice. Over the course of the day, June often appears carrying a p-trap for a sink asking various people if they can help.
Fred Taylor
Has to watch his kids today.
Fred is an irresponsible father. Sometimes paranoid from smoking pot. Sometimes aloof. Often unaware of his surroundings. Fred used to work as a programmer of bank software. He was really good at it and enjoyed the work. When he was laid off, Fred wanted to take a break from programming but then never really got started again. His wife pressured him to go back to work but his efforts backfired as he ended up insulting his friends– professionals, lawyers and other programmers. They don’t talk so much any more.
What he's up to on Election Day: taking his kids to play in the park.
Rob and Bill
They are sightseeing this week.
Rob and Bill are a young gay couple from out of town and staying in an AirBNB. Bill is very well paid because he works in a hospital as an RN. Rob comes from a wealthy family and doesn’t work. Rob and Bill already voted in the election absentee. They are happy because they are on vacation, have time, money and no real problems.
Rob can be jealous of Bill. But Bill really loves Rob and dotes on him so Rob gets over it. Bill likes talking to people, including strangers, charming them. But once a while, Bill gets frustrated because he ends up doing all the work. Not only at the hospital but also all the work at home like dishes and taking care of the dogs. Even on vacation, Bill is the one organizing and planning, figuring out where to go and what to see and what to buy, while Rob is more distracted and carefree.
What they're up to on Election Day: Rob and Bill are heading downtown to take pictures of historic buildings including the capital building.
Alice
Has an appointment at the beauty salon.
Alice is an elderly spinster. Genuine but a bit frivolous. She spends a lot of time looking in the mirror at herself, inspecting. She does everything she can to take care of her looks. And it shows. Alice is especially proud of her legs, which look as good as ever. She keeps extra stockings in her purse in case there is a run. Some years ago after her husband died, Alice took on a woman to clean the house. It's the biggest house on the block but she lives alone so there isn’t much to clean. Alice really likes the company and so her cleaning woman, Teresa, has become a home help aid.
What she's up to on Election Day: Alice is heading downtown to visit a beauty salon. She is also going to a cemetery to place flowers on a grave of a lost pet.
Teresa
Helps Alice get around.
Teresa is a caregiver, she has cats and is single. She has a few friends but generally her work is her life. She would like to go out more and would like to be in a relationship with a guy. She thinks often of leaving Alice’s service but is attached to Alice in spite of herself. And she knows that she is the only one who could possibly put up with the old lady and has come to find some of her quirks amusing.
What she's up to on Election Day: helping Alice downtown. Meeting with a friend who sells vegetables.
Tanijah
She's late to her job.
Tanijah is usually behind with everything, for three reasons: First, because everyone puts everything on her. She has so much to do and just doesn’t have the resources to get ahead of things. Like taking buses with three transfers instead of a simple taxi. Second, because enjoying life is endemic to her. She really loves people and will spend an hour with a stranger in a conversation when she really should be wrapping up a cleaning job. Third, she is a bit scattered. Tanijah is a truly joyous person. Her sister has six kids she loves. She really wants to see the kids but is often overwhelmed by events and just can’t seem to get time.
What she's up to on Election Day: She's headed home.
Dale
He's worried about the national debt.
Dale believes in self-determination and independence. He raises dogs for money. He has a gun collection. He takes politics very seriously and is worried about the government. Neighbors know not to step on his grass because he has been known to report this to the neighborhood organizations. Once some teenagers sat on his carefully cleaned car and he sat out on his porch every night for a month with a loaded shotgun. Now all the kids are afraid of him.
What he's up to on Election Day: Dale intended to be an official poll worker downtown but was suspiciously was denied the job. Nevertheless, he is watching to make sure there is no foul play. He also has a few complaints about the way things are run.
Nancy
Nancy has to be at a very important meeting.
Nancy is extremely positive but sometimes people wonder if it can be genuine as she is always smiling, as if posing for a camera. She is Catholic and has strong religious values. Nancy believes these values are shared by most Americans and is on a patriotic mission to see that they are implemented into policy and law. She is a rising star in the local Republican party.
What she's up to on Election Day: Nancy is meeting up with the group “Moms for Liberty” a right wing organization working to influence the election
Caleb, Madison and Brittany
They're making a music video. duh!
The kids have unique personalities but usually do things together. Caleb enjoys showing off. Madison and Brittany are phone obsessed. They are always on social media or doing things only to have them captured on camera and posted to tiktok. They live online and will often huddle around the one phone they share. They are sometimes oblivious to anything going on around them in the real world. They admire internet memes like “planking,” or death defying dares.
What they're up to on Election Day: They are going downtown for frozen yogurt.
Dave and Logan
Have the "day off" from classes.
Dave and Logan have different personalities but generally do things together. They are both college students who don’t take college work very seriously. They pay for college by a combination of parents’ money and personal loans which they do not believe they will ever pay back so they are a bit nihilistic and fatalistic. They are also skeptical of the US and the electoral process because they believe that the US is falling apart. All money has already been made, all land taken. There isn’t a lot they can do about it, so they are vaguely resentful. They aspire to have girlfriends but sometimes are too lazy to go out.
What they're up to on Election Day: They just follow the crowds with no real plan. They are looking for something but aren’t really sure what.