Merritt addressed everyone. "Now that the candidates have their time to expose their plans, the temple members will have 10 minutes to consider their options. At the end of that time, you must cast your votes."
Everyone looked at the box in the center of the large table that was used to record votes on issues discussed at the meeting so as not to reveal who each person was voting for.
Thus, the next few minutes would be even more tense than the factions' moment of deliberation, as the members of each faction would vote first, while the neutrals would think more about their choices.
Each faction member would obviously vote for their own group, which didn't require much thought.
