Candidate Filing Simulator 

It sounds easy.

You announce your campaign.
You tell everyone the establishment is terrified of you.
You explain that you're running whether the party likes it or not.
You promise to save Delaware County.

Then someone hands you a form.

And suddenly the entire democratic experiment is hanging by a thread.

You are a fearless outsider running for Delaware County Council.

• Strong opinions

• A Facebook account

• Ten questions

• A campaign slogan

• Several enemies

• Enormous confidence

Unfortunately, you also have: PAPERWORK.

Your objective is simple: Complete every required candidate filing and turn it in whenver you want, because deadlines arent real

Before doing anything administrative, immediately announce that you are running.

Preferably loudly.

SELECT YOUR OPENING MESSAGE:

A. “I am respectfully seeking the nomination for Delaware County Council.”

B. “Both parties have failed you. Only the people can save Delco.”

C. “I don't need the Republican Party, but I would also like the Republican Party's endorsement.”

D. “The establishment is terrified.”

CORRECT ANSWER:

Obviously D.

Why waste valuable time learning filing requirements when you can begin identifying enemies?

Confidence Level: +20

Paperwork Completed: 0%

Congratulations.

You have now received several forms containing phrases such as:

• “Statement of Financial Interests”

• “Candidate Affidavit”

• “Nomination Petition”

• “Filing Deadline”

• “Required”

• “Must Be Filed”

What do you do?

A. Read every instruction carefully.

B. Contact election officials to confirm filing requirements.

C. Ask an attorney or experienced campaign treasurer to review everything.

D. Assume you basically understand it and get back to posting.

CHUCKLES MODE SELECTED:

D

Outrage Level: 14%

Campaign Confidence: 96%

Administrative Preparedness: 22%

A wild government form appears.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL INTERESTS

The instructions indicate that the document must be filed properly and on time.

This creates an immediate strategic dilemma.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OPTION 1

File the document correctly.

Difficulty: Easy
Political Drama Generated: None

OPTION 2

Double-check the filing location and deadline.

Difficulty: Moderate
Facebook Content Generated: Minimal

OPTION 3

Wait until everything becomes extremely complicated.

Difficulty: Legendary
Potential Content: Unlimited

TIME REMAINING: 24 HOURS

Your campaign dashboard now displays:

Signs Designed: ✓
Political Enemies Identified: ✓
Facebook Posts Written: ✓✓✓✓✓✓
Government Waste Located: Allegedly
Ten Questions Prepared: ✓
Required Filing Confirmed: ???

A responsible campaign would immediately verify the paperwork.

WHAT'S YOUR MOVE?

A. FILE THE PAPERWORK

B. POST SOMETHING

🚨 WARNING

A required filing may not have been properly completed by the statutory deadline.

A. Acknowledge the mistake.

B. Take responsibility and learn from it.

C. Consult counsel and calmly explain the issue.

D. Begin investigating who did this to you.

D SELECTED

OUTRAGE INDEX:

87 → 96

STATUS: THE ESTABLISHMENT MAY BE INVOLVED

Congratulations!

You have unlocked: PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION LAW

Until approximately twelve minutes ago, this subject may have seemed boring.

It is now the most important issue in American democracy.

You begin encountering exotic concepts such as:

Deadlines

Statutory Requirements

Candidate Obligations

Filing Locations

Judicial Review

Consequences

These concepts seem suspicious.

Your candidate filing has become a problem.

What happened?

A. “I made an administrative mistake.”

Outrage Points: 0

B. “I misunderstood the filing requirement.”

Outrage Points: 4

C. “This was an unfortunate procedural issue.”

Outrage Points: 7

D. “PEOPLE CONSPIRED TO KEEP ME OFF THE BALLOT.”

Outrage Points: +75

CHUCKLES MODE RECOMMENDS D