PLAYER ROLES

Early in the fall term, participants will be assigned specific roles to play for the entire Mock
Presidential Election. The roles include: a) Campaign Managers, b) Field Workers, c) Newspaper
Editors and Reporters, d) Broadcast Journalists, e) Caucus Goers, f) Primary Voters, g) Convention
Delegates, h) Third Party Delegates, i) General Election Voters and Electors, j) United States
Representatives and Senators, k) Volunteers, l) Election Officials and m) Logistical Personnel. Here
are brief descriptions of these roles.
Campaign Managers. Every candidate in the Mock Election will have a student Campaign Manager.
The Campaign Managers are the field generals for the respective camps. They develop strategy,
conduct research, study issues, create campaign posters, marshal forces, maintain webpage
information, introduce their respective candidates and/or speak on behalf of the candidates
throughout the entire process. Campaign Managers may be drawn from the Student Government
Association, Centennial Honors College, the College Republicans, College Democrats, Campus
Greens, Campus Libertarians, honor societies, residence halls, Greek sororities and fraternities, or
other campus organizations. To help distribute the workload, Campaign Managers are encouraged
to appoint Assistant Campaign Managers, Deputy Campaign Managers, Volunteer Coordinators,
Communication Directors, to suggest just a few. Campaign personnel will also be assigned color
coded badges and identification numbers that will enable them to participate in their partys events.
Field Workers. Every presidential camp must have Field Workers to promote their respective
candidates. Field Workers will be drawn from undergraduate and graduate student volunteers from
the various campuses. They will be responsible for learning the candidates positions and promoting
their candidate throughout the simulation. They will also hand out literature, cajole convention
delegates, hold signs, cheer for their candidates and seek votes. Ideally, the simulation will require
about 10 to 20 Field Workers per presidential candidate. Each camp should display prominently its
candidate (e.g., sporting campaign buttons, wearing the same color t-shirts, sashes or hats).
Campaign personnel will also be assigned color-coded badges and identification numbers that will
enable them to participate in their partys events.
Print and Electronic Editors and Reporters. No presidential simulation would be complete without
the fourth branch of government. The Mock Presidential Election will publish at least one
newspaper under the auspices of the WIU Department of Journalism. The newspaper will have
Editors to oversee the content, Editorial Writers, and many Reporters will write stories about events
as they unfold. Most of these participants will be drawn from journalism classes. Every newspaper
will produce approximately four issues running about four pages (single-spaced, double column)
each. The paper will be produced electronically on the Mock Webpage and, budget permitting, via
hard copy with the assistance of the DPS (university printing). Students will also be permitted to
publish their own mock newspapers (print or electronic) under guidelines established by MPE
directors. Each Newspaper Editor and Reporter will be given a special identification badge or pass
that must be displayed throughout the session.
Broadcast Journalists. In addition to print journalism, we plan to have mock Broadcast Journalists
as well, under the direction of the WIU Broadcasting Department. We will need several news
anchors and roving reporters to broadcast events live on monitors set up in the Mock Conventions.

Students. Each Broadcast Journalist will be given a special identification badge or pass that must be
displayed throughout the session.
Caucus Goers. As the name implies, Caucus Goers are the citizens who attend their respective
partys caucuses. Caucus Goers will be played primarily students in Sessions 2R and 2D. Well
before the beginning of the simulation, students will be asked to divide into Republicans and
Democrats. The simulation works best if Republicans play Republicans and Democrats play
Democrats. If a student does not identify with either major party, he or she should pick one of the
two major parties he or she leans to. (There will be opportunity to participate in minor party
politics later in the simulation). Each Caucus Goer will be assigned a special identification number
(either by a participating professor or by contacting the simulation organizers) and a color-coded
identification (Red for Republican, Blue for Democrat) badge that must be worn throughout the
caucus.
Primary Voters. Students who are assigned to a state with a primary election in Sessions 2R and 2D
will be Primary Voters. Each primary voter will report to his or her assigned state primary, listen to
speeches, question Field Workers, study issues, discuss the issues, complete surveys, and vote for
the candidate of choice. Each Primary Voter will be assigned a special identification number (either
by a participating professor or by contacting the simulation organizers) and a color-coded
identification badge (Red for Republican and Blue for Democrat) that must be worn throughout the
presidential primary.
Convention Delegates. Sessions 3R and 3D will simulate the political party conventions. Students
attending these sessions will be termed Convention Delegates. Each participant will be assigned to
represent a particular state delegating by his or her professor (or simulation staff). State delegations
vary by size, depending on the state population and the apportionment formula devised by each state.
In Sessions 3R and 3D, Convention Delegates will listen to keynote speeches, debate and approve
their partys platform (positions on issues), make nominating speeches, then vote for their partys
nominees for President and Vice President. Again, students must display their assigned color-coded
badge (Red for Republican and Blue for Democrat) to participate.
Third Party Delegates. All students will be afforded an opportunity to attend and participate in a
Third or Minor Party convention in Session 4. Students may choose to attend the Green Party
Convention (4G) or Libertarian Party Convention. The purpose of these conventions is to hear
keynote speeches, approve a party platform and nominate the third partys presidential and vice
presidential standard bearer. Any color-coded badge will be acceptable for admission and
participation, but we have special badges for those who only attend a third party convention (Green
for Green Party and Yellow for Libertarian).
General Election Voters and Presidential Electors. In the final stage, Session 5, all participants
Republicans, Democrats, Greens, Libertarians and Tea Partieswill gather in Western Hall to select
the President of the United States. The vast majority of students will be voters. Again, each student
will be assigned to a particular state by his or her professor (or by a simulation official). Note that
all University 100 students will be participating that night and will be issued a Purple badge. States
voters will be apportioned according the number of states each state is entitled to have in the
Electoral College. Voters will have the opportunity to hear speeches from the respective party

nominees, compare and contrast the four party platforms, chat with campaigners, confer with fellow
voters, then cast a secret vote. The ticket wins the most popular votes in your assigned state will
win that states electoral votes.
United States Senators and Representatives. To become President of the United States, a candidate
must receive a majority of the Electoral College votes. Under the U.S. Constitution, if no candidate
receives a majority of the Electoral College votes (now 270 of 538 votes), the election is thrown into
Congress. The U.S. House of Representatives, with each state getting one vote, will choose the
President among the top three vote getters, and the U.S. Senate, with each state getting but one vote,
will select the next Vice President. In our simulation, elected members of the WIU Student
Government Association will serve as the U.S. House of Representatives and members of the WIU
Senate Faculty will serve as the U.S. Senate.
Volunteers. We will rely upon volunteers throughout the process. Volunteers will be drawn from
local political parties, graduate students, concerned citizens, faculty and staff. Volunteers will be
need to direct students to their assigned seats, check badge identification, distribute attendance
sheets, pass out schedules, and assist in voting. Volunteers will wear a special badge and will wear
patriotic skimmer hats.
Election Officials. To ensure fairness and add legitimacy, members of the McDonough County
League of Women Voters will be responsible for distributing ballots, monitoring the ballot boxes,
and counting the votes. Election Officials will be provided color-coded identification badges and
red hats.
Logistic Personnel. Logistic personnel will be needed for all sessions. Logistic personnel are
essential for event scheduling, seating arrangements, sound and lighting, electronic displays, traffic
flow, graphic designs, live music, presentation of colors, badge distribution, taking attendance,
public relations, and public safety. Western Illinois University is fortunate to have many highly
skilled and dedicated professionals that will be working on our Mock Presidential Election.