Describe the election and what each candidate offers the group?

Well, let's see:

Ralph

-good looking

-Well built/reminds them of adult

-mild manner, rational

-blows conch/reminds kids of a megaphone

-listens to opinions

Jack

-ugly and not in a funny way

-skinny bony pointy finger

-erratic, irrational, immature, crazy dictator complex

-doesn't blow conch until ch. 10 or something

-hates listening to opinions other than his own

-likes stabbing his knife into trees and crying when nobody is looking.

Ralph does win the initial election. Initially the boys are drawn to Ralph, "he had a mildness about him that proclaimed no devil". The choir vote for Jack; this is out of both fear and habit. As most of the boys turn into violent little sociopaths, Jack starts to look better.