12th Grade Learning Journal

3/24/26 - Government 

I completed the "Win the White House" game by iCivics. I learned about modalities of campaigning and the effect of electoral votes on elections. 

Reflection: 

I believe candidates spend most of their time conducting campaign activities in states like Texas, Georgia, and Florida. They have far more electoral votes, which can really sway voting. Gaining Florida is what allowed me to win in the simulation. A candidate might not choose to campaign in states with lower populations. For example, I chose not to poll and campaign in Montana because the electoral votes are far lower than other states. Lower electoral votes means less overall impact in the election.

  Momentum is the estimated amount of support for candidates from each state. When campaigning in a state, the candidate may gain more support, giving the candidate momentum in that particular state. 

Personal appearances are considered more effective in the game because the presence of a candidate has a far greater effect on voter support. This trend can most certainly be seen in real life, as a speech gives the candidate an opportunity to truly speak their mind and answer specific questions from residents of that state, rather than ads with address issues a particular state may not care about. 

I believe some modalities of campaigning allow for information about the candidate to reach majority Americans. Some residents of states with smaller populations may not have the access of major states due to less physical appearances. Access to overall media and literature is the determining factor of whether or not the message reaches Americans, rather than the campaigning of the candidate. Political parties play a role in the advocacy and campaigning of nominated candidates. However, I also feel the political parties are responsible for the degree of division throughout America.