Election Night BINGO

Posted by Caleb White and Sarah M. White 

Caleb: Election blues (or reds) got you down? Have some fun with election night by turning it into a family BINGO event. There's enough tension in the air that some laughter and good competition will do us all some good. 

Sarah: This could be the most interesting and entertaining election night you've ever seen, punctuated with interruptions of "BINGO!" So, Caleb, how do you play?

Caleb: Basically, each player fills in a BINGO board with words that are likely to be used in election coverage. Then, when a word from their board is used, the player announces the word that she is marking off on her board. 

Sarah: Ohhh, that sounds fun. What are the stakes? 

Caleb: In our family, there will be a $25 Amazon giftcard for whoever gets the first BINGO. 

Sarah: Great. I'm going to win. 

Caleb: I haven't told you about the twists yet. 

Sarah: Oh? What twists? 

Caleb: You can only pick words that are at least six characters long. And you cannot pick a candidate's name or the name of a party. 

Sarah: Ok. Sounds simple enough. 

Caleb: And, after you fill out your board, you will rotate boards in your family, and a family member will pick two words that must be said five times in order to mark the box as complete. Write a "5" in the top right corner of the box. Then, pass your boards around again, and another family member will pick three words that must each be said twice to be counted as complete. Write a "2" in the top right corner of these boxes. 

Sarah: I see. So, it won't be over in five minutes. Can we play multiple rounds, blackout or four corners? 

Caleb: That's up to you, but there's only one giftcard. 

Sarah: Ok. What about a free space? 

Caleb: Yes, the center space is free. 

Sarah: The one thing I got for free in 2020. Well, where can I find a board to fill in? 

Caleb: I'm sending you the link now. Click here for your BINGO board. 

Sarah: I have another question. What about phrases like "electoral college," should that be one box or two?

Caleb: That's up to you, if it were me, I'd put them in two separate boxes to increase my chances of winning. 

Sarah: Any parting thoughts? 

Caleb: Let the games begin! May the odds be ever in your favor.