‘The Voter’ highlights what kind of people become peoples leaders, how politics bestows wealth and power on them, and because of such people how elections become farcical. The two main characters in the story are Marcus and Roof, and the voters are the people of Umuofia. The whole focus of the plot is to ridicule greedy and selfish politicians and to show how they manage to corrupt the society also.

Marcus was a not-too-successful mission school teacher. When he was almost on the verge of dismissal on the basis of a female teacher’s complaint, he joined politics, got elected as a representative of Umuofìa and was made Minister of Culture. In about five years, people see a great many changes in Marcus’ life. Their elected representative becomes wealthy, is awarded chieftaincy titles and doctorate degrees besides many other honours. He also builds a huge mansion in his native village.

In a satirical tone, the writer says that Marcus had christened his new house ‘Umuofla Mansions’ in honour of his village and had slaughtered five bulls and countless goats to entertain the people on the day it was opened by the Archbishop. Marcus believed that, by entertaining people thus, people would respect him and would hold him in high esteem. But the people are not naive and ignorant. They know where his ‘power’ and money come from.

The people know that he had acquired all this only after they had elected him their representative giving their votes free of charge five years ago. Even after five years, the people and their village remained the same as before but Marcus had changed completely.

When Roof tells Marcus that a radical change had come into the thinking of Umuofia since the last election, like any other corrupt politician Marcus prepares himself to bribe the people. The people come prepared to demand their share in his wealth. Instead of demanding developmental work for their village, the people tell Roof that two shillings is too shameful and settle the deal for four shillings each. It is Marcus and Roof who blatantly offer money, tacitly admitting that they have used the public money selfishly for their own development, that the voter ridicules them by demanding more money for their vote, sending the message that real power to change the face of a village, town or country is in the hands of the voter and not selfish politicians like Marcus.