Plot Summary: In the year 2008, presidential elections in the United States are no longer conducted through popular vote. Instead, a supercomputer called Multivac selects one representative citizen to determine the outcome of all elections. That year, the chosen individual is Norman Muller, an ordinary man living in Bloomington, Indiana, with his family. After receiving an official visit from a government agent notifying him of his selection as Voter of the Year, Norman is placed under surveillance and taken to a facility connected to Multivac, where he answers a series of seemingly trivial questions while his physiological reactions are recorded. Once the process is complete, he is released without being informed of the election results. Though initially anxious and reluctant, by the end, he feels proud to have served as the means through which the national “vote” was exercised in a fully technologized democracy.
Warning
The following summary and analysis is only a semblance and one of the many possible readings of the text. It is not intended to replace the experience of reading the story.
Summary of Isaac Asimov’s Franchise
Initially published in If magazine in August 1955, Franchise is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov that envisions a future where American democracy has been fundamentally reshaped by technology. Set in 2008, the narrative presents a scenario in which presidential elections are no longer held through mass voting, but are instead determined by a supercomputer named Multivac, which selects a single individual to represent the entire national electorate. That year, the chosen person is Norman Muller, a timid and routine-driven citizen whose life takes an unexpected turn when he becomes the central figure of an electoral process that requires not millions of votes, but a single “representative response.”
Norman lives in Bloomington, Indiana, with his wife, Sarah, their daughter, Linda, and his father-in-law, Matthew. The story begins on Election Day, when Norman is awakened by the noise outside—police officers and official vehicles. His daughter alerts him to the unusual commotion. From the outset, Norman appears unsettled, and it soon becomes clear that Multivac has selected him to be the sole voter representing the entire nation.
The narrative then reconstructs, through several time shifts, how this moment came to pass. A month earlier, the media had begun speculating which state would be chosen that year, as Multivac’s selection process moves step by step: from state to county, city, and finally to the most “representative” individual. When rumors point to Indiana, Sarah grows excited at the thought that her husband might be the one. Norman, however, finds the idea absurd. He doesn’t see himself as special, nor is he politically engaged. But those around him—especially Sarah—start fantasizing about the fame and opportunities this role could bring.
The process reaches its climax when a government agent, Phil Handley, arrives at the Muller household to inform Norman of his selection officially. Norman is shocked. From that moment on, his life is turned upside down. He is confined to his home, monitored constantly, banned from receiving calls or watching TV, and forced to share his home with the government agent. Security measures increase as Election Day approaches. Meanwhile, Norman undergoes a psychological acclimatization process so that, when he finally faces Multivac, he will be in the most stable state of mind possible.
During a conversation with Handley, Norman expresses his distress and rejection of the role. Though the agent tries to reassure him by saying he is just a small part of a much larger process, Norman fears the consequences. He recalls the case of another voter, Humphrey MacComber, whose input led to the election of a demagogue and who became scapegoated for the administration’s failure. Norman does not want to be remembered that way, nor carry the burden of a national decision.
Sarah, on the other hand, insists that he seize the opportunity. She reminds him that being the Voter of the Year is a gateway to fame, career advancement, and financial gain. Sarah sees it as a chance to improve their lives. Norman, overwhelmed and resigned, ultimately agrees.
On November 4, 2008, Norman is escorted in an armored vehicle to a local hospital housing a secret terminal connected to Multivac. Though he expected to see the machine itself, he is told it is located elsewhere in a highly classified location. The facility, however, is directly linked to it.
Norman is welcomed by a technical team led by John Paulson, who explains the procedure. It is not a simple interview: Norman must answer a series of seemingly unrelated questions—such as his opinion on garbage collection or egg prices—while his physiological responses are recorded. Through his reactions, Multivac will assess his attitudes and project the outcome of all elections nationwide.
The process is long and exhausting, lasting three hours. Norman feels disoriented and drained. When it ends, he is told his role is complete and that he will be taken home. He is required to sign a confidentiality agreement, forbidding him from revealing any information about the procedure or the questions asked. Though he tries to find out who was elected president, Paulson explains that even he is not authorized to know.
In the final scene, Norman sits alone in a rest area, reflecting on what he has just experienced. Slowly, his initial anxiety gives way to a sense of pride. He begins imagining the consequences of his participation: public recognition, interviews, and the historical memory of the “Muller Election.” Although he initially resisted the role, he now feels identified with it. He sees himself as a symbol of electronic democracy, a genuine representative of the American people.
Characters in Franchise by Isaac Asimov
Norman Muller is the protagonist. An ordinary man working in a department store in Bloomington, Indiana, he lives a quiet, uneventful life. His personality is passive: he is reserved, insecure, and seeks only to maintain his family’s stability. The news that he has been chosen as the sole national voter throws him into deep anxiety. His initial reaction is not pride, but fear and denial. He feels unqualified for the role, and the pressure overwhelms him. However, by the end of the story, after fulfilling his duty, Norman experiences a sudden surge of pride. He feels honored, even heroic, for having been “the people” for a day.
Sarah Muller, his wife, is the emotional and pragmatic counterpoint to Norman’s passivity. She is energetic, ambitious, and full of expectations regarding the impact the election will have on their lives. From the beginning, when there are only rumors about Indiana being the chosen state, Sarah hopes her husband will be selected. Once it happens, she becomes the one who encourages Norman to stay calm and take advantage of the opportunity. For her, this represents an opportunity for social mobility, increased visibility, and financial security.
Matthew Hortenweiler, Norman’s father-in-law, provides a critical perspective on the Multivac system. An elderly, grumpy, and nostalgic man, he represents a generation that knew a different kind of democracy—one in which every citizen had the right to vote. His story to young Linda about the past emphasizes the loss of civic participation. He rejects the idea that a machine should decide for everyone, though he admits the system has changed irreversibly.
Linda, the daughter of Norman and Sarah, represents innocence and childlike curiosity. Her naive questions spark conversations among the adults, who often avoid answering her directly. She represents a generation being raised to accept this new version of democracy as natural.
Agent Phil Handley, sent by the government to oversee and prepare Norman for his encounter with Multivac, plays a crucial but technical role. He represents the silent, omnipresent authority that organizes, regulates, and monitors the entire process. Although he tries to appear friendly and understanding, he is fundamentally an enforcer. Through him, the story reveals the rigidity of protocol, the control over individuals, and the suppression of spontaneity.
Finally, John Paulson and the Multivac technicians reinforce the technical dimension of the system. Their treatment of Norman is polite and professional, but their interest lies in the efficiency of the procedure rather than the human experience of the voter. Paulson, in particular, embodies the technocrat who holds knowledge inaccessible to others and who doesn’t need the citizen’s consent—only their compliance. His explanations underscore the depersonalization of politics and the subordination of human will to data.
Analysis of Franchise by Isaac Asimov
Franchise, written by Isaac Asimov and published in 1955, presents an electoral dystopia where technology has nearly replaced direct democratic participation. Set in 2008, the story envisions a society where mass voting no longer exists. Instead, a supercomputer called Multivac determines the outcome of all elections by analyzing the responses of a single citizen, selected as the “most representative” of the American population. The story takes place mainly in Bloomington, Indiana—a domestic, suburban environment that sharply contrasts with the national scope of the election. The main settings—the Muller household and a hospital facility—highlight the contrast between the private sphere and the institutional apparatus, emphasizing the disconnect between the individual and the anonymous structures of power.
Told in third person, the narrative centers almost exclusively on Norman Muller’s perspective, allowing the reader to experience his anxiety, confusion, and eventual transformation. This narrative choice not only humanizes the story but also underscores the protagonist’s passivity. Norman does not volunteer for this role; he is chosen, isolated, questioned, and ultimately discarded with the same bureaucratic indifference with which he was selected. His role is paradoxically essential and meaningless, exposing a form of citizenship that is symbolic, controlled, and stripped of true agency.
The story falls within the realm of social science fiction, with strong elements of political dystopia. Asimov doesn’t depict a world of war or disaster, but a seemingly rational and efficient evolution of the democratic system taken to its extreme through technology. The tone is sober, restrained, almost clinical, avoiding the dramatic flair typical of dystopian narratives. The tension does not arise from external threats but from the cold, relentless process embodied by Multivac. The pacing is deliberate and progressive, moving from speculation and rumor to the final imposition of an unquestionable reality that most people silently accept.
A notable strength of the story lies in Asimov’s ability to construct a futuristic world without relying on heavy technical jargon or visual spectacle. Multivac is not described in detail, nor is its function fully explained. Instead, it is portrayed as a distant, omniscient, almost sacred entity whose authority is never challenged. This reinforces the central idea of the story: technology has assumed an unquestionable position of power, and its decisions are accepted with a mix of faith, resignation, and convenience. The mystery surrounding Multivac is not due to its technical complexity but to the secrecy with which it is managed. Even the voter is denied any understanding of how or why he was chosen.
Asimov also offers a subtle critique of political and media discourse. Throughout the story, we see how the press speculates endlessly, pundits offer baseless opinions, and citizens cling to rumors in search of meaning. But all this fervor is revealed to be a farce, because the outcome no longer depends on collective opinion, but on an algorithmic calculation. Politics becomes a spectacle and, at the same time, loses its participatory essence. The Voter of the Year, far from being a sovereign act, is a hollow ceremony that serves only to legitimize a fully automated system.
Narratively, the story uses everyday dialogue—sometimes banal—to explore more profound questions. Through family conversations, we witness how democracy has changed. The characters function as generational voices that express different relationships to power: the grandfather’s nostalgia, the wife’s ambition, the daughter’s confusion, and the protagonist’s passivity. Yet all share a sense of powerlessness before a system that no longer belongs to them. The story eschews grand proclamations, opting instead for the domestic and mundane as a means to reveal how major political processes impact ordinary lives.
Thematically, the story explores the tension between representation and participation. Can we speak of democracy when only one person decides—or rather, is used to decide—on behalf of everyone else? The story poses a disturbing paradox: the system reaches its highest efficiency when collective action disappears. Instead of empowering the citizen, the system turns him into a statistical variable. Voting is no longer a right exercised, but a simulation of the general will through a single subject. Thus, Franchise questions not just the future of elections, but the very meaning of political representation.
The ending is especially telling. After completing his role, Norman shifts from feeling overwhelmed to experiencing a strange euphoria. He imagines his name in history books, the fame awaiting him, and the opportunities that will come his way. This sudden transformation is not a liberation, but a sign that the system has succeeded: it has shaped the individual’s perception until he believes he has participated, when in truth he was merely used. Norman’s final pride is not an expression of freedom, but the resigned acceptance of his role within a machinery that surpasses him.
Ultimately, Franchise offers a sharp critique of democracy’s potential future in a world governed by algorithmic logic. Through a restrained, unadorned narrative, Asimov reveals how civic participation can be reduced to a carefully organized fiction, where the individual is selected, processed, and discarded with ruthless efficiency. Far from celebrating technology, the story warns of its effects when it becomes the sole legitimate authority. There is no rebellion in this story, no dramatic conflict—only resignation, routine, and a subtle transformation of consciousness. And perhaps its most unsettling power lies in showing how easily people can accept the loss of power while believing they are still exercising it.
