Eric Ross:
There are many great card effects on the market some that are hard hitting but not practical in the real world, and some that are practical but not hard hitting, This is where Election comes in, this effect is both very practical and very hard hitting.
Election

Method:
Like all Papercrane products the method is fantastic. You technically end clean on this effect as the spectator can spread through the deck themselves, they will not find anything funky.

Gimmick:
This really is not a gimmick but it is a good one if you want to call it that.

Set-up:
I performed this effect a few times tonight and the set-up takes about 20 seconds, no problem here.

Teaching:
The teaching is fantastic Eric goes through everything and anything you need to know.

Quality:
The quality of the video is great, nothing wrong here.

Bonus:
This effect comes with 3 bonus effects all of which are fantastic I am not going to review these but here is a description of those effects:

Twisted-
A great routine by itself but a better closer. Instead of a standard effect where a finger ring disappears, you make your finger disappear. It gets better... in a flash your vanished finger visually penetrates a solid finger ring

Sucker- Visual, visual, visual. Bitten and restored sucker. You'll love the method to this one. It will be your favorite part of the effect.

Distorted- Eric's take on the card through bill illusion. This one is visual and impromptu.

Quick review:
Each one of these 3 effects is very practical, Twisted and sucker involve a gimmick, but distorted is 100% ungimmicked and set-up free. I like distorted the best.

Overall Rating:
I believe this effect must get a rating of 9/10 because of how hard hitting and practical all the effects are.

At the time of this review, this trick is rated #1 in Best Sellers, here at Penguin Magic. I bought this DVD because of the fair price, especially considering the great reviews since 2010 (it's October, 2013, at writing). Since you've heard lots of good things, I am going to give a critical review.

The opening line of the description (presumably the one provided by Penguin Magic) says:

> "Grab any 2 decks and any 2 friends and you're ready to make some SERIOUS magic happen."

This is not a true statement. Other reviews have pointed out that there is some (relatively minor) setup required.

Another reviewer ("Donald from Florida on April 4th, 2010") says this trick is "very practical and hard hitting". It is definitely hard hitting, but to continue my critical theme: it loses a couple "practicality" points, for the setup required.

The quality of video is perfectly acceptable in 2013, and was probably top notch in 2010. However, the teaching doesn't cover much beyond mechanics. Given, this DVD may not be aimed at beginners, *and that's okay*. But it's worth noting that the DVD/teaching doesn't cover much to do with potential issues, proper audience management/selection (a requirement for this method), clean-up/reset, or how to work this into a set.

Now to be very critical: I completely understand that not all people are outgoing, but to be honest, Eric seems like he's coming down from (or in the middle of) being stoned. There were some obvious mistakes that could have been handled by recording another take. He also seems like he just doesn't care a lot about what he's explaining, or like he's simply reading cue cards rather than telling you about something he knows. If that's his style or personality, fine. But it's worth mentioning, before you pop it in the DVD player.

OVERALL: While the content is a bit disappointing, if you're creative and want to learn the method, it's worth the money. For approximately (cost at time of writing), if you can't already determine your own method for this effect, it's definitely worth the money... Because if you are careful, and you put in the necessary practice, this will pay off huge. And I think (whether you do table hopping or street magic) that seeing this pay off just a couple times is worth the money paid to learn the mechanics.

Eric Ross has created a gem of a card trick

A new, crushing enhancement to the 'You do as I do' routine, Election is clean, hands-off and IMPOSSIBLE.

Effect: Listen up... Two spectators are each given a deck of cards and instructed to pick a card behind their backs.

When revealed the spectators have chosen the same card with a special twist at the end that will leave your audience speechless.

Notes: A new, crushing enhancement to the 'You do as I do' routine
or a shocking stand-alone effect with any deck
Spectators freely choose thier own cards while holding the deck behind their back
Completely examinable

Cost: 14.95

Genre: Card/Mentalism Magic

Video and Quality:

Video- The video is also very well edited, put together, and produced.

Quality- The quality of this video is pretty good. There were definitely no problems hearing or seeing what was being said or done. The audio is good; everything is clear and easy to watch.

Teaching: Eric's teaching was good. The teaching was neither too complicated or any overkill, since it is a simple effect. It’s very easy to follow along and very easy to learn from. No confusion, problems or questions when the video was over.

Method: The method is so simple and ingenious. Simply without a doubt this is a fooler, you'll fool yourself when performing and setting it up.

Needed Material: You probably have the needed materials already at home, if not they are very common and easy to come by. The material can last you a pretty long time.

Gimmick and Impromptu:

Gimmick- This effect doesn’t require a gimmick, but it’s more of a set-up.

Impromptu- Once set-up, the effect is pretty much” impromptu”.

Set-Up: Takes no more than a minute, and that's if you're slow.

Dirtiness and Clean-Up:

Dirtiness- You do not really end that dirty.

Clean-Up- You also really don’t have to clean-up since the effect doesn’t cause any suspicion at all.

Reset: Reset can be accomplished only taking a few seconds.

Difficulty: On a scale of 1-10 (Ten being the hardest), I say it’s about a
2. This effect is ingeniously simple and practical. And the spectator is the one doing all the work and it's basically self-working.

Overall: A very spectatular and simple effect that you can add into your routine. It is something that I will use and perform. For the price and effect you get in this effect is a great deal, I suggest you pick it up and try it out. I like the aspect of it being a prediction/mentalism trick and the kicker ending. Plus you receive three bonus tricks that are simple; not only in the methodology but also in the way they are perceived by your spectators. Great magic should posses certain qualities; something a spectator can connect with, something that is visual and something that is completely impossible. The 4 effects you will learn on Election are just that, simple, beautiful and powerful.

Twisted- A great routine by itself but a better closer. Instead of a standard effect where a finger ring disappears, you make your finger disappear. It gets better... in a flash your vanished finger visually penetrates a solid finger ring.

This works great as a closer to any effect involving a ring. This effect is also very visual, there is a gimmicked involved as well, but the end result is just very nice and super visual.

Sucker- Visual, visual, visual. Bitten and restored sucker. You'll love the method to this one. It will be your favorite part of the effect.

This is such a visual piece. This is my favorite of the bonus effects included. There is a sleight gimmick involved, but it should take no longer than 5 minutes and should last a few good performances.

Distorted- Eric's take on the card through bill illusion. This one is visual and impromptu.

What can I say, another visual piece by Eric. A signed card goes through a borrowed bill. This one will take practice, but it's highly visual and it's impromptu. The spectator sees the card in the bill, yet the magician saws through the bill with the signed selection. Very simple.

Ok so the actual main trick is very powerful! smart method, a little risky, but if you choose your volunteers wisely you will be in the clear. Great trick, but a little short for the money, especially when the bonus tricks are very dissapointing and the one trick (the ring thing) involves a gaffed ring that i doubt you have.

The set-up disappointed me because I knew of another method, but the method I messed around with is a hit or miss. The election set-up is very devious but it can be a major downfall if not careful. When the trick goes as planned it's just amazing.I recommend you getting it from Penguin Magic, I got mine from Ellusionist and didn't get the bonus tricks.

Let me begin by saying the Election effect is great! In fact I did it last night to a few dinner guests for the first time and it really got a great reaction. I did them with two Monarch decks and it gave it a great feel.

WARNING WARNING WARNING!
THE DVD IS THE MOST BORING TEACHING I HAVE EVER SEEN. It has lots of skateboarding and it's as if someone woke him out of bed and told him to start talking about the trick. Very poor production value (vs. Ace by Sanders for example) The dvd will put you to sleep. I don't believe this is spiteful or unuduly harsh. The teacher just does not have much interest in what he is talking about and does not do a good job to get me excited about the trick.

The three other effects do not appear to be useful to me.

This DVD was surprising; only 15 dollars but comes with 4 REALLY amazing, original effects? All filmed in HD with live performances? Crazy.

But it is all true.

I love all of the effects, but more in depth...

Election:

Fantastic, practical and SO easy. Going straight into my repitoire.

Ring Effect:

Really easy and great ring trick. Amazingly clever; only bad part is it will cost about 50 bucks to do it.

Lollipop:

This is a GREAT gimmick, and very smart. He teaches a different way of doing it that looks SO much better than the one on the demo (no switches, you can hand out immediately afterwards).

Card Thru Bill:

This is an AMAZING idea, very easy and TOTALLY impromptu. Great thinking. :)

All in all, TOTALLY worth 15 bucks. Hands down.

I love do as I do effects and this one is a good one. You will need to learn some audience control but thats a good thing. Worth checking out.

This is a really good trick, especially for the price. Easy to do. The hardest part of the trick is being able to control your audience. I had some great reactions with this trick.

A cool illusions with simple tools that makes a big impact.
And there are more tricks on the DVD: Awesome Fun