Artistic License – History: Laura is part of the Town Council, even though women weren't allowed to run for the position (unless there were precedents for Walnut Grove). Likewise, when the schoolchildren drive through the town to give elders who want to vote a lift to the polling place, Jess Moffett declines and Jenny Wilder invites his daughter to go vote and she accepts it, even though women weren't allowed to vote in Minnesota before the 19th Amendment in 1919.
Call-Back: Although it's never mentioned, this episode has a parallel to a line from season 1's "The Voice of Tinker Jones", when Mr. Kennedy speculated that Mrs. Oleson might one day try changing the town's name to "Olesonville". Guess what her third demand from the town is...
Cool Old Guy: Lem McCary is a cheerful, jovial older citizen who was around when Walnut Grove was first founded by Lars Hanson and, as the people would see, a much more reasonable choice for Mayor.
Death by Despair: Mr. McCary asks Almanzo to drop by his old friend George Maddox's house, only to find him there dead for days, and concludes that he died of loneliness, after being abandoned by his friends for too long.
Deus ex Machina: After refusing to even get off his rocking chair, Jess Moffett decides to attend the election and, just as Mrs. Oleson was about to retaliate with her bond for Nels' defeat, he winds up revealing that the bond Harriet owned was actually #2, and that he owned the #1, meaning that the debt was his and she had no power over the town. Then he generously agrees to receive a dollar a year from the debt, so that the town's economy won't be affected by it.
Election Day Episode: The episode is about the preparations for the first election for Mayor of Walnut Grove, which a power-hungry Mrs. Oleson suggests so she can have her husband run because she obtained the town's bond and will use it to force everyone to vote for him.
Foreshadowing: Although probably unintentional, McCary's speech against the idea of a town belonging to a single person rather than its whole community lampshades exactly the final threat to Walnut Grove in the events of "The Last Farewell", where a tycoon takes possession of the town's land and tries to use it to make Walnut Grove a company town.
Oh, Crap!: Reverend Alden's reaction when Mrs. Oleson cites that she wants her daughter Nancy to be the soloist in the church, knowing far too well about Nancy's "singing skills".
Plot Hole and Series Continuity Error: What kickstarts the plot is that the Olesons purchased Lars Hanson's old house and found a bearer bond making them creditors to U$$14000 from the town treasury. However, Hanson's house was previously donated to become a school for blind and subsequently burned down in "May We Make them Proud", and it's unlikely that he had another house.
Puppet King: What the townspeople rightfully deduce that Nels will be if he gets elected for Mayor, as all of his decisions will be determined by his wife.
Remember the New Guy?: Lem McCary is said to be a long-time friend to the late Lars Hanson, but he and his fellow elder citizens were never mentioned before.
Sore Loser: After Nels loses the election, Harriet gets ready to claim the debt the town owes her family in retaliation, willing to either ruin or damage their economy for the crime of denying her a mayor husband.
Status Quo Is God: Did anyone believe Walnut Grove would continue to be named Olesonville or that Mrs. Oleson would still have her power over the town? At the end, Nels is defeated in the election, Jess Moffet reveals he's the one who owns the debt and Harriet loses her power, and the only change is that the town now has a mayor.
This Is Gonna Suck: The Town Council's reaction to Mrs. Oleson's requests in exchange for not claiming the U$$14000 debt which the town owes her family thanks to her owning the bearer bond, up to and including renaming the town Olesonville, and then Nels' reaction when Harriet starts talking about having a mayor for the town, and him running so they can hold even greater power (a distressed Nels covers his face with a pillow in despair).
What Happened to the Mouse?: Although Lem McCary is elected the first Mayor of Walnut Grove, he's never seen or mentioned again, and is misteriously absent in town-wise events such as when a railroad threatens to displace several families in "The Empire Builders", as well as during the fateful events of "The Last Farewell" when the town is purchased by a tycoon and the townspeople decide to blow it all up, and the mayor position is never brought upon.
