Election Day on nursing homes, long-term care facilities and even short-term care facilities can provide opportunities for political discussions and exchange of ideas. Its a time when residents can be registered to vote, taken to polling sites, and express their political voice. For those residents that can't go out to vote, absentee ballots should be obtained. Here's a game that can be played prior to or on election day.

The POLL TAKING

Pass out a mock BALLOT to each of the residents. Here's an example:

Presidential Race:  Bush, Clinton, Brown, Perot
Governor's Race:    Caperton, Pritt, Palombo
Issues:
  1) Gun Control:
    Should there be stricter laws      YES    NO    DON'T CARE
    to control purchase of guns?

  2) Abortion:                      ProLife    ProCare   Don't care   

  3) Police Action:
    Should police be given less     MORE   LESS    SAME   DON'T CARE  
    or more power?       

(Select several other question relevant to this year).

Give the ballot to the residents. Volunteers can go room to room talking with residents and obtaining responses or residents can go to a "polling booth" in your activity room. Residents should be provided as much confidentiality as to their responses. Do not place names on the ballots and instruct volunteers to maintain confidentiality. You may want to remove some issues off the ballot that are controversial (abortion, etc.).

Now the you have all the ballots, have your "poll takers" determine the winners. Indicate winners through percentage points (Example, Bush 35%, Clinton 45%).

THE GAME

Gather the participants and divide them into two "parties." Have them come up with their own unique "party" name.

ROUND ONE

a. Ask the first party the 1st question.... "What % of the residents voted for Bush?"

b. The 1st party responds as a team or through a captain.

c. The second party then chooses "Higher" or "Lower" in response to the 1st party's answer. (The game is reminiscent of the TV game show "Card Sharks."

d. The party with the correct response earns 5 points.

e. Continue until all the ballot questions are completed

ROUND TWO

Each team should pick the most verbose "candidate" from their team. Each candidate has 1 minute to give a speech as to why her or she is the best candidate for the President of the United States.

Give all residents a ballot. All residents will now vote for the candidate they would choose for the President.

The winning "candidate" earns 25 points for their party. (Lets see how many cross-party votes there may be!).

That's it. The party with the most points wins the Election Game.