Campaign Trail: Flyers

[Claudia Holland]

Claudia couldn't believe how fast time was going. It only seemed like yesterday when she decided to run for Minister of Magic, and now the elections were getting close. So far, she felt confident about her campaign. During the debates she had been able to talk about her vision, and she felt like she had been clear and firm in her beliefs. But she also knew she couldn't rely on the debates alone. Since the start of the election campaign, she hadn't taken the time to talk to the people and spread information. Now seemed like a good time. Since it was the holidays, she knew she would be able to talk to students of Hogwarts as well, some of which would be old enough to vote. Young wizards and witches were the future, so she found it important to speak to them as well.

It had been a little harder to leave for work today because her daughters were all home from school. But she knew she would spend Christmas with them, and today James was looking out for them now. When she had left, the five of them had been playing a board game at the kitchen table. She was glad James was there for their daughters when she was busy, and had no doubt they would have a good time. Claudia had set up a table with a stack of flyers, putting up a few posters as well to indicate this was part of her campaign. Together with some of her volunteers she handed out flyers with her viewpoints on them, glad to be able to spread them like this. Sometimes in the debates the focus seemed to move to one subject in particular, so hopefully her flyers would give some people a more broad overview of what she believed in.

Spoiler: Poster

Spoiler: Text for readability

- Education -
Education is one of the most important aspects of our society. Every witch, wizard, or squib in our community will need the best education we can provide so they can thrive and help our society grow. While Hogwarts is the main institution for education in this country, we want to create more options for those members of our society that cannot attend the wizarding school. Pre-Hogwarts education is a must, as not all parents are able to homeschool their magical children. We also need more programs for squibs that want to remain in the magical society they were born in.

- Discrimination -
Even in the year 2046, discrimination and prejudice are alive and well in our society. We want to put more focus on the remaining injustices, focusing on possible discrimination in the work field or even as early as school. Our children will need to be educated that these are not acceptable opinions to hold, and we want to put consequences in place for those who continue to spread a hateful, bigoted message.

- Progress -
It is important for our society to keep changing and progressing to a better future. My opinion is that wizarding culture needs to become more open-minded. We need to open our eyes to the other part of our world and allow ourselves to learn from muggles. There is a lot we can learn from them. They are adaptable and inventive, changing along with our modern world.
We also want to en sure that wizarding businesses are given the support and communication of the ministry to continue to thrive and develop our economy.

Out of Character:

Please feel free to grab a flyer or rp Claudia's team handing one to you. You can also react to the points and talk to her. This is set during the holidays, so students are welcome (and encouraged!) to reply.

& Thanks to Rowan for helping me with the wording of the flyer

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire had finished work for the day and had decided to spend the time helping Claudia. She walked to where the woman said she would be. The woman had thoroughly enjoyed the little pockets of campaigning that Victoire was doing in her spare time. It was something to do, a way to make the world improve because she truly believed in the candidate. The ministry worker smiled at the candidate as she took the leaflets, "Thanks," Victoire knew that all of this would help her when she eventually had her own campaign. She held out the leaflets and attempted to hand them to the people as they passed, encouraging them to vote Holland as they did so.
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[Colin Michaels]

Colin, ever ready to help in Claudia's campaign, had decided to forgo another day at home to spend his time handing out flyers. Winnie had returned for the holidays and as a result Colin had volunteered a little less recently compared to the amount of time he usually spent helping his friend with her campaign, but that day after catching up with his daughter he decided it would be alright to leave home for a few hours. With Winnie's mother ever persistent about their daughter's grades and appearance in school it was a relief to have some form of a distraction and focus on something else for a little while. Smiling politely at the people that walked past, Colin handed out flyers to anyone who was willing to accept them. Aside from the debates, Colin believed talking to potential voters in person and handing out flyers was imperative to getting Claudia's message across, and he was happy to help with that for as long as it was needed.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Traveling with an almost two year old was no easy feat. Eris wanted to get into everything, and even after an hour in the park, she was still a ball of energy, managing to swipe a flyer from the table when Alana walked too near it. She had been trying to avoid the people out in front of the table, but of course, Eris had managed to grab it. Alana only managed to get it out of her grip right before she succeeded in eating it. As her daughter began shrieking at the loss of her new 'toy,' Alana stepped backwards, attempting to put the now crumpled paper back on the table. "I'm so sorry" the young woman stated, clearly embarrassed.

She easily recognized one of the candidates and even recognized one other, Victoire Fontaine, who'd been Head Girl a couple of years ahead of her. She didn't think anyone would recognize her as Ioan Finch's daughter, but she didn't want the woman thinking that had been done on purpose. Her father didn't need to resort to such tactics to best anyone else's campaign. As her daughter continued to shriek, Alana rummaged in her bag for a toy to pacify the child.

 

[Bethany Zanders]

It was times like this that Bee was so glad she lived in New Zealand, because now she could dedicate her break time to helping Mrs. Holland with her campaign. Truthfully Bee felt the woman had the competition in the bag, but she supposed it was still too early to tell so they couldn't get complacent just yet. Bee showed up at the designated meeting spot with the rest of the campaign party and smiled at them all in greeting before taking a few flyers of her own and passing them out. She was clearly the youngest on the team but she liked that because she hoped her helping out and backing Claudia would convince others her age that she was the right person to vote for. The young voters were the ones who were the most vulnerable because they didn't have much experience in voting so they still had a chance in forming and changing opinions while they were still pliable. While they were passing out fliers, Bee decided to take a less passive approach to the campaign and cleared her throat to speak up. "Don't pass up this opportunity to ask a Ministry candidate any questions you want answered in person! Don't wait until the next debate!" Bee said boldly. Truthfully she didn't know if Claudia would be okay with what she just did, but she thought it might be a good way to get others to at the very least stop by and talk policies. As Bee turned back around she saw one of the former head girl's with a toddler that looked to be hers? and Bee couldn't help but smile at the woman. Though she was mostly smiling because Victoire was also part of the campaign party and now that made it three head girls in the vicinity, though Bee didn't know how to bring that up so she didn't mention it just yet.
​

 

[Claudia Holland]

Claudia looked over at the people helping her. She smiled at Victoire as she passed out leaflets and felt her smile widen at the sight of Colin helping her too. He really was one of her closest friends, and she was lucky to have him here. But she was also glad all of the young volunteers in her campaign were young women, feeling proud of they way they were supporting her. She hoped she was a good role model for them, and that her campaign was helpful to their future careers. Bethany's words made her chuckle, though she truly wouldn't mind if anyone talked to her. She only hoped any interaction wouldn't be too negative.

A young woman approached with a young girl who appeared to be her daughter, though she didn't seem interested in the campaign. Apparently the little girl had a different idea, and grabbed a flyer off the table. She could tell the young woman was embarrassed about this, and Claudia chuckled as she approached. This situation was all too familiar. Shaking her head, she took a flyer from the stack. "You can give her one, I have plenty." She told the woman as she held it out to her. "I think perhaps she likes looking at the moving photo? One of my daughters used to do that when she was around this age. I'd find her staring at old photo albums, just staring at the movements in the pictures." She said, remembering fondly. It really didn't seem so long ago, but Phoebe was fourteen now and definitely no longer fascinated by a simple photo. "Please don't worry about it."

 

[Sara Moon]

Boring wasn't the word. Sara was constantly aware, and watching while on duty with Claudia. Luckily, there hadn't been any trouble, but the work was somewhat repetitive. She certainly felt very informed about the campaign, about each candidate, but wasn't exactly enjoying the democratic process. There were always parts of a job that weren't the peak of excitement. Sara felt a huge responsibility toward Mrs. Holland's family. She had young kids, girls of Hogwarts age, and she wanted to make sure their mother was safe. They'd already dealt with some foul play during the course of the election. Sara wanted to make sure that none touched the sunshine-filled woman she shadowed. That didn't mean she enjoyed the task.

She watched as the young woman approached, feeling she didn't particularly want to be caught in this situation. Due to her employment, Sara had become something of an amateur enthusiast in the study of body language. She watched people, sometimes unconsciously, registering their mannerisms and tell-tale signs of their feelings. This woman seemed to feel awkward.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana had just found a small toy in her bag. It wasn't her favorite but it would have sufficed had Claudia Holland not come along holding out a flyer again. Eris quickly held her hands out wanting the picture, likely for the reason the woman had mentioned. Alana was a young parent and quite sensitive to that, and any suggestions for her parenting were met with that sensitivity. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on what she and Chaos should do as parents, never fully believing they were capable of figuring things out as parents or allowing them space to parent. Alana looked at the woman, her red eyes narrowing of their own accord as she worked, trying to hold her tongue. The embarrassment wasnt gone, but it had helped to fuel the annoyance she was now feeling. She reached and took the flyer rather roughly, seeing no choice now that her daughter had seen the flyer being offered once again and she would seem like a jerk to refuse in front of all the others. She passed it to Eris who was quiet once more. Alana looked up at the woman once again. "I wasn't worried about it, but I'd already decided I didn't want her to have it. " She was not going to thank the woman so she moved her hands back to the handles of the stroller. "Have a nice day, Mrs. Holland" she said in a monotone as she made to move away.

 

[Pia Morales]

Pia's opinion on who she wanted to vote for had changed dramatically over the course of the election campaigns. At first, she wholeheartedly wanted to support Dymetris, believing a fellow healer would have the best interests of helping St Mungo's and the wider wizarding world at heart. However as the campaign unfolded and the man's answers during the two debates thus far caused her to feel concerned of the legitimacy to what he promised, she began to think of him as inadequate in favor of Claudia Holland, another one of the candidates. She was, first of all, experienced more in life and the way the ministry worked than Dymetris, or so Pia believed, and her core value was focused around making the wizarding world a better place for everyone.

It was by mere coincidence that Pia spotted none other than Claudia Holland herself, and what appeared to be the team of people aiding her passing out flyers in brightstone one day. But it was convenient she did see the group when she left the three broomsticks after catching up with Ignacio, and she didn't hesitate to head over to them. Approaching Claudia specifically, Pia smiled politely as she picked up a flyer. She looked over it once, admiring the words 'Equality, Family, and Education' in large writing, then looked back to the older woman. "Mrs Holland, I admire your campaign so far, but I do have one question for you, if you do not mind me asking so." Pia said, deciding it was better to ask outright afterwards instead of waiting for permission. "Do you have any plans to help St Mungo's if you are elected?"​

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[Claudia Holland]

Claudia was glad Sara had accompanied her during this event, she always felt safer with the auror around. Now that one of her fellow candidates had been arrested for being part of the Scitorari, she knew she had to be careful. She was surprised when the young woman she had been trying to help snapped at her, wondering if she had overstepped. She hadn't intended to, but she could see how handing out a flyer without the person seemingly wanting it had appeared to irritate her. She decided to let it go, as the woman clearly wanted to go. "Thank you, you have a nice day as well." She said instead, turning away from her so she wouldn't bother her any longer.

Another young woman approached, and Claudia gave her a smile. This woman actually looked like she was interested in the campaign, so Claudia hoped she would have a more positive interaction with her. As the woman addressed her, she gave her her full attention. "Thank you, I'm happy to hear that." She said, feeling a sense of pride. "That's a very good question. I don't have any direct plans, because I don't know what they need exactly. But I think it's important to keep lines open between the Ministry and St Mungo's, as both are cornerstones of our society. It's important for us at the Ministry to see St Mungo's as more than simply a hospital we go to when we're ill. It's a source of information, of research into magical ailments. I think it would be good for our society as a whole to communicate openly and extend help to one another. People from the department of Education and Experimentation should be in contact with Healers, so our knowledge about magic and its effect on humans can be accessed by everyone needed." She took a deep breath, letting out a small laugh at her lengthy answer. "Sorry if that's a little too long. I hope I answered your question, though." Unlike Dymetris, Claudia hadn't included the magical hospital in her core standpoints. But that didn't mean she didn't think it was important. It was one of the many pieces of the Wizarding community that helped keep everything in place the way it should be.