Snap Election
A Snap Election lets the Mayor ignore the seating rotation and personally appoint the next Mayor: anyone still alive. It hands one player the keys to the next council, which is exactly why both teams covet it. This is Service Rat's version of the Secret Hitler power called Special Election.
What it does
When the prerogative fires, the current Mayor chooses any living player to be the next Mayor. That player runs the following Round: they nominate a Ratcatcher, the table votes, and a council is formed as usual. After that single special Round, normal rotation resumes from where it would have gone. The chair returns to the player who was next in line before the interruption.
When it unlocks
Snap Election is a larger-table prerogative. It fires at the 3rd Rat Law in 7–10 player games. It does not exist at 5–6 players, where the third Rat Law slot belongs to Peek at the Docket instead.
Interaction with term limits
The Snap Election only changes who becomes Mayor. It does not bend the term-limit rule. The hand-picked Mayor still can't nominate the previous Ratcatcher, and, while more than five players are alive, the previous Mayor either. (Once five or fewer players remain, only the previous Ratcatcher stays locked out.) So if you appoint someone hoping they'll re-nominate a specific trusted player, check first whether that player is currently term-limited. The full term-limit wording is in the How to Play guide.
Strategy
As a Cat Mayor
Use it to put a Cat you trust into power at a critical moment: someone who'll draw laws honestly and nominate a clean Ratcatcher. It's also a way to break a logjam: if the rotation was about to hand the chair to a player half the table suspects, you can skip them entirely. Just remember everyone watches who you pick, and putting a future traitor in the chair will be held against you.
As a Sellout or Rat Mayor
This is a power grab. Appoint a teammate to arrange a friendly council, or, late game, hand the chair to a Sellout who can nominate the Rat as Ratcatcher once 3+ Rat Laws are on the board, which is an instant win. Even appointing the Rat as Mayor can be cover: it lets them quarterback a Round while looking like a neutral pick. The risk is transparency; gift the chair to an obvious ally and the Cats learn your alignment for free.
Snap Election is the only prerogative that creates a double-round. A Sellout who lands it at the right moment can chain two friendly councils back to back, which is often enough to tip a close game.
Where it fits in the bigger picture
Snap Election is one of five mayoral prerogatives: see the full set and unlock grid on the prerogatives hub. Since it only appears at 7–10 players, it's most relevant to the larger player counts.
The app handles the off-schedule round and snaps rotation back afterward. Free on Android and iOS, no account.