Wow. You need to calm down and think about what you are saying. So many times above in this thread people have said exactly what you just did about voting. It's like what has been said about apathy in a democracy: you get the government you deserve. Not particularly profound but true nonetheless. The valid (IMO) complaint here is the 'doctoring' of the voting by the obvious vote trading behavior some people do. It's a bit like special interest groups taking advantage of average voter turnouts and hijacking an election. You seem to be saying, "well that's the way it works so stop complaining." And I would say back to you, "well that's not what an art society should be about." If you want to let off steam then go kick a fence post. Don't scold people who are only getting involved in a valid discussion. That is indeed the only appalling behavior here. Tim