So Shes Really Not Choosing Anything - Tumblr Posts
Sara and Shin are foils in many areas, but also in their influence on participants' deaths.
One could say that Shin was indirectly responsible for each chapter 1 death (sans those perished in their first trials). He almost certainly majority voted Mishima, he very likely gave sacrifice card to Joe, he outed Kai's ties to kidnappers. Even his first trial involves voting for someone, result being fatal (if they were real people). All in all, he caused deaths while Sara had no control whatsoever.
While in chapter 2 tables have turned: she decides fates of everyone. Sara can potentially kill everyone sans Nao or doom even herself by giving Q-taro tokens. And Shin doesn't exactly influence anything (well, he gives reasons to vote for Kanna, which are later used by Kanna, but otherwise not really. Oh, and he asks to vote for him, which may persuade Sara, but the decision is all hers).
What is also interesting, Sara's ability to choose who lives and who does not was a bit spontaneous, almost a pure coincidence. Who knew that she would be the last to vote in the end of second main game? True, she consciously wanted to help Gin, but before that everyone just voted for the person they chose on their own, with no regard for future votes. And they fully understood the severity of situation only when Nao spoke up. Or fake Reko decision, Sara ended up in impression room for reasons unrelated with desire to control Reko's fate (not in that way at least). And Alice's death was even more unpredictable. It looks as if fate itself gave her this gift of choice.
Meanwhile, look at Shin. This guy was told he was going to perish, as well as some inside knowledge. What should he do? Use that knowledge to the fullest, even if not in a good way. He had to control situation, so when he made impact on someone's life, he probably knew what could happen (except for killing Miss Red/Mister Blue). He wasn't particularly surprised with discovery of that possibility of a draw. Shin had reasons to suspect Sara with her "allies" Joe and Kai, and he could predict that if he proved Kai's connections or if he gave deadly card to Joe they were at much greater risk. (Why was sacrifice in his possession in the first place? Maybe it was "luck", or maybe it was planned by Asunaro to futher drive him to wreck chaos). Shin's entire thing is fighting against the odds, so you could say his ability to choose "whose turn to die it is" was another manifestation of this protest. Maybe even protest against fate. But considering he was given additional information from Asunaro, his type of control is... artificial no matter how hard he was plotting to keep it. Maybe that's why it failed.
And which is why it is replaced with Sara's divine power of choice, which happens all on its own. No floormasters needed. She naturally and inevitably becomes their goddess of victory or angel of death. She didn't ask for it, she didn't strive for it. It was simply meant to be