Drama: IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls General Election Flops; Flawed Voting System Sparks "1 vs 169" Upset

As a seasoned producer (the term used for players in this franchise), I have to address the massive drama unfolding in the 11th General Election of The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. Historically, this election determines which idols get "voiced" (receive a VA). This year, developers implemented a new format involving group stages, a revival round, and a final. Surprisingly, Eve Santaclaus—a character without a voice who only made it through the revival round—defeated numerous fan favorites to secure first place.

Behind this "inspiring" victory lies a broken system. In the finals, 20 out of the 21 candidates already had voices; only Eve was silent. This created a massive "sympathy vote" surge, where casual players cast ballots solely to help her get voiced. Because the system switched to a "one vote per person" format, the heavy spenders (known as "Whale Ps") who usually carry these events were completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of casual traffic—a scenario now famously dubbed "1 vs 169."

This has caused immense backlash. Players are furious that their investment has been devalued, and some joked that even Valve wouldn't dream up such a disastrous voting structure. A user summarized the situation perfectly in the comments:

Furthermore, the community noted the absurdity of characters receiving limited-time gacha SSR cards without even having a voice actor—an issue highlighting the developers' questionable management. Between the cumbersome voting UI and the alienation of their biggest spenders, it is clear that this election failed to please both the hardcore fans and the casual base, leaving the future of the franchise in doubt.