Ever since I was a little girl, when election day rolled around every fourth year, I would bring home a United States map and color each state either red or blue once the returns came in. It was always a great excuse to stay up way past my bedtime. My mom still continues the tradition with a fresh map and a new box of crayons each election year.
But if you’re looking to take election night festivities to a new level, the red state-blue state coloring game may not cut it. Never fear; there are plenty of creative ways to have fun with friends and family as you wait for the outcome.
1. Presidential Trivia
Do you know which five Presidents served in the Civil War? How about the only President injured in that war? In what year did the President’s salary increase from $25,000 a year to $50,000? If these sorts of questions intrigue you, check out Potus to find out more about every United States President.
If you’re hosting a party, come up with a set of questions before the guests arrive. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you could even make a patriotic game board for the evening! Bonus points if you create a ballot to keep score.
2. Election Night Catch Phrases
Before the party begins, write down as many election night catch phrases as you can think of. Things like “100 percent of the precincts reporting,” or “too close to call,” or the infamous “we are now projecting …”
Once your guests arrive, give everyone a set of red, white, or blue poker chips and assign them each a catch phrase. Every time their phrase is uttered, the owner of that phrase throws his/her colored chip into an appropriately American-themed hat. The person with the most chips in the hat at the end of the night wins a fun prize.
If you’ve got more than three people in attendance, you can add some other chip colors into the mix, or make Bingo cards with a random mix of the phrases, à la Palin Bingo.
