Hello penguins! TheCarterFitz here. If you follow me on Twitter @TheCarterFitz, you should know I like to ramble on and on about the current state of Club Penguin and my feelings around the game. So in collaboration with Club Penguin Space, I decided to run for this year's Club Penguin Elections 2016 presidential election under the Construction party, and low and behold, I made it in as one of the three competitors alongside two other penguins. Much like Democrats and Republicans in this year's Presidential Debates, the two parties in the CP Elections are Construction and Sharks. Basically, the ideology of each party is unique. It's up to you to decide which party you would like to campaign with, and to pick a reliable candidate that is reliable and mainly sticks to what you believe in. After all, this election is to give the community a voice in a fun event, and is not meant to be strictly a popularity contest.

The electoral process was very simple. Each candidate had to submit an application, meet the age requirement of over 13, and have a relatively long history with Club Penguin. Literally hundreds of applications were submitted, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the chosen few for the Construction Party.

My Campaign Statement:

This is not only an election for Club Penguin. It’ll be hard to get Club Penguin to take notice even. But this is one chance for the community to prove that they are worthy and willing to vote for the right candidates and reinforce the belief that this community knows how to make the right choices, not just vote for who’s the most popular candidate. Club Penguin is in trouble, and it won’t ever get back to how it was originally- a thriving and outstanding virtual world- unless the right people take charge and get their opinions heard. I’m not here to say the common belief. I’m not here for popularity or money or prizes. I’m very passionate about Club Penguin and want to see it succeed. I believe that each one of us can make a difference if we try. I want to make my voice heard so change can be made. I want to help make Club Penguin a better place. That’s why I’m running for the Club Penguin Election 2016.

• Update the Chat Filter

The chat filter on Club Penguin after October 2011 is horrible. It’s so bad, in fact, that I must go on to separate chat rooms just to communicate properly with friends I only know on Club Penguin. I do not remember that happening before October 2011 and I see plenty of pictures on Club Penguin Wikia of old parties with penguins saying things that would definitely not pass in the filter today. Club Penguin needs to improve the chat filter quickly, it can no longer live up to it’s motto “Waddle around and meet new friends” because it’s impossible to talk without cutting up your sentences.

• Put more time and effort into everything that goes on in Club Penguin.

If a party is mediocre, don’t release it until it’s great. Instead, re-release a fun returning party like the Summer Jam, and release the new party when it’s fully developed. We don’t always need new ideas. Also, add some new features and mini-games into Club Penguin. We haven’t had a web mini-game since 2012, and we’ve only had a few features added since then! There has been so many scrapped mini-game ideas (Fluffy the Fish, Yum Yum Yuck Yuck) that would fit in so perfectly nowadays with the randomness of Club Penguin. Let’s see those resurface!

• Have a backup plan for Project: Super Secret.

If Project: Super Secret is mobile only, that is a huge problem because a lot of the current Club Penguin players are on web. Added on to the fact mobile Club Penguin isn’t the most “optimal” application, and already I imagine Project: Super Secret riddled with bugs. Most of the 2D art team has moved on to this project, but I don’t think that’s a great thing… This means in Project: Super Secret fails, we’re basically done for. That means there would be no CP community. That’s why web Club Penguin needs to have more development so Project: Super Secret will not be their only plan. After all, as shown with the Disney Infinity cancellation, Disney is not afraid to shut a project down if it does not pass the corporation's expectations.

• Put more time into puffles (especially creatures)! 

While I agree there are not many colors to choose from anymore after Gold, I think there is some possibility left for the regular puffles, like the hot pink puffle, suggested in the Puffle Party 2009 logo. The reason puffle creatures get so much hate is because the Club Penguin team doesn’t bother to add an interface to them. As unique as the puffle creatures are, without an entry in the Puffle Handbook and no interface, they are stripped of a personality with few exceptions. In my opinion, puffle creatures should have the most personality because they are very different! Club Penguin just has to put a little more time and effort into these creatures. With how many creatures were introduced in 2014 with no interface, it’s a case of “too little, too late”... but with hard work and determination Club Penguin can get it done.