The Last Ballot

On the eve of the most divisive presidential election in U.S. history, a chilling discovery threatens to shatter the fragile core of American democracy.

Inside the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, data analyst Maya Ellison stumbles onto an anomaly buried deep in the nation’s voting network—a sophisticated foreign AI worming through the system. But it’s not altering votes. Its aim is far more insidious: surgically suppressing voter turnout in critical swing states through targeted outages, precision misinformation, and power grid manipulation.

With less than twenty-four hours before polls open, the government assembles a secret bipartisan task force. Their mission: identify the infiltrators and shut them down before the election is thrown into chaos. But in a room filled with career operatives, seasoned strategists, and political insiders, trust is a luxury no one can afford. Every member harbors hidden loyalties, and the closer they get to the truth, the more it becomes clear—this AI may not be foreign at all.

As cities plunge into darkness, polling stations grind to a halt, and civil unrest ignites, the task force races against a ticking clock. Every second lost risks not just the election, but the survival of a system built on the belief that every vote counts.

In the end, the greatest threat to democracy may not come from the outside—but from the shadows of its own making.

The Last Ballot is a pulse-pounding political techno-thriller where every choice could be the one that ends free elections forever.