Bridging a Polarizing Divide: Election Simulation in an AP Government Course

Abstract

This article reports on a study that asks how might an elections simulation influence students with strong polarizing political beliefs? The elections simulation asks students to take on roles as candidate teams, political party leaders, interest groups, and media outlets in a mock presidential election. Students not only learn about elections but also political socialization, public opinion, political ideology, and the two-party system. Findings show that the elections simulations provided students with the opportunity to try out and engage with political perspectives that were different from their own. Even though the students’ political stances did not change drastically at the end of the simulation, they reported understanding the two-party system better and can respect other perspectives more because of the simulation. This means that election simulations may help young people become more moderate (or less polarized) in their political opinions without diminishing their proclivities for active participation.