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Credits and licenses

The people, projects and historical sources behind the game.

Map

State outlines are adapted from U.S. Census boundaries distributed through us-atlas 3.0.1, by Michael Bostock. The game uses an Albers USA projection with Alaska and Hawaii insets.

Read the map copyright and permission notice.

Historical election data

On a year’s map the game makes the election a race between two sides; a real election has its own candidates, three or four in some years. The earliest starting maps are estimated from electoral returns, because popular-vote percentages were not recorded then. The historical results are the real ones. What happens in your campaign is the game’s own.

County maps on Election Night

When the state that decides the race is called, its counties fill in as they report. They are the counties of that Election Day, from the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, The Newberry Library, dedicated to the public domain (CC0 1.0). Each county’s vote follows its real result that year, from the county tables in Wikipedia’s articles on each state’s presidential election (for example, 1960 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania), by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved October 22, 2026. Where an article has no county table, the state’s nearest election that has one is used. The night’s own totals decide the count; the real results only shape how it spreads across the counties. The game’s county files combine both and are shared under the same license, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Congressional composition & election-night rules

Each House delegation counts the members who held its state’s seats on the date, by party, from Wikipedia’s article on each Congress (for example, 24th United States Congress), retrieved October 1, 2026. The Senate party counts are aggregated from the unitedstates/congress-legislators dataset (CC0), including dated party affiliations. The date is February 9 after each election, except April 6, 1789, and December 3, 1860, the House before the Deep South’s members withdrew. No personal ideology scores are used.

The House history of contingent elections describes state-delegation voting. The game simplifies it to two tickets, the states taking part and up to twelve ballots. How members decide is a game rule, and a deadlock does not hand anyone the presidency.

The source tables have no popular-vote totals before 1824, and states whose electors were chosen by the legislature are left out of the popular-vote totals. Where a figure is missing, the game shows no count rather than inventing one.

Real elections

In the real-election mode you run as any of a real race’s candidates. Every number it starts from, and every fact in its questions and news, carries its source in the game’s data files. For 1960, Kennedy against Nixon:

For 1968, Nixon, Humphrey and Wallace:

For 1952, Stevenson against Eisenhower:

For 1928, Smith against Hoover:

For 1956, Stevenson against President Eisenhower:

For 1896, Bryan against McKinley:

For 1884, Cleveland against Blaine:

For 1868, Seymour against Grant:

For 1880, Hancock against Garfield:

For 1908, Bryan against Taft:

For 1876, Tilden against Hayes:

For 1920, Cox against Harding:

For 1856, Buchanan, Frémont and Fillmore:

For 1852, Pierce against Scott:

For 1848, Taylor, Cass and Van Buren:

For 1844, Polk against Clay:

For 1836, Van Buren, Harrison and White:

For 1860, Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge and Bell:

The interviewers, debate panelists and moderators, and their newspapers and programs, are invented. The candidates’ photographs are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, and how readily each group moves, are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1824, Jackson, Adams, Clay and Crawford:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, and how readily each group moves, are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1816, Monroe and King:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, and how many ballots each state casts are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1808, Madison and Pinckney:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, and how many ballots each state casts are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1796, Adams and Jefferson:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, and how many ballots each state casts are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1800, Adams and Jefferson:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are 1796’s, listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, and how many ballots each state casts are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1804, Jefferson and Pinckney:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are Jefferson’s from 1796 and Pinckney’s from 1808, listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, and how many ballots each state casts are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1812, Madison and Clinton:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Madison’s portrait is 1808’s, and Clinton’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, and how many ballots each state casts are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1828, Adams and Jackson:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Both portraits are the 1824 race’s. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1900, McKinley and Bryan:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ photographs are those of 1896, listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, and how many Black southerners’ votes were counted are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1916, Wilson and Hughes:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how many of each suffrage state’s voters were women, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1872, Grant and Greeley:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Grant’s portrait is the 1868 race’s; Greeley’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely Georgia counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1864, Lincoln and McClellan:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1932, Hoover against Roosevelt:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Hoover’s portrait is the 1928 race’s; Roosevelt’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1888, Cleveland against Harrison:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Cleveland’s portrait is the 1884 race’s; Harrison’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1840, Van Buren against Harrison:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Both portraits are the 1836 race’s. How the voter groups divide each state, how many of the foreign-born had come before 1840, South Carolina’s starting vote, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1832, Jackson, Clay and Wirt:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Jackson’s and Clay’s portraits are the 1824 race’s; Wirt’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1892, Cleveland, Harrison and Weaver:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Cleveland’s portrait is the 1884 race’s; Harrison’s and Weaver’s are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1904, Roosevelt against Parker:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how many of the four suffrage states’ voters were women, how many Black southerners’ votes were counted, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1912, Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Wilson’s portrait is the 1916 race’s and Taft’s the 1908 race’s; Roosevelt’s and Debs’s are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, how many of the voters in the six suffrage states were women, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1924, Coolidge, Davis and La Follette:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1936, Roosevelt against Landon:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented, and so is the magazine of the great straw poll, which the game leaves unnamed. Roosevelt’s portrait is the 1932 race’s; Landon’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1980, Carter, Reagan and Anderson:

The interviewers, their programs and the debate panelists are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1940, Roosevelt and Willkie:

The interviewers and their newspapers are invented. Roosevelt’s portrait is the 1932 race’s; Willkie’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1984, Mondale and Reagan:

The interviewers, their programs and the debate panelists are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1948, Truman, Dewey and Thurmond:

The interviewers and their programs are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1944, Roosevelt and Dewey:

The interviewers and their newspapers and radio programs are invented. Roosevelt’s portrait is the 1932 race’s; Dewey’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1976, Ford and Carter:

The interviewers, their programs and the debate panelists are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1972, Nixon and McGovern:

The interviewers and their programs are invented. McGovern’s portrait is listed below; Nixon’s is the 1968 race’s. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1964, Johnson and Goldwater:

The interviewers and their newspapers and television programs are invented. The candidates’ portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how freely the South counted its Black voters, and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1988, Bush and Dukakis:

The interviewers and their newspapers and television programs are invented. Michael Dukakis is alive: the answers he really gave are his own words, quoted from the transcript or the news report they came from, and the other answers a player can choose for him are written for the game. Dukakis’s portrait is listed below; Bush’s is the Perot scenario’s. How the voter groups divide each state and how readily each group moves are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1789, Washington and a challenger:

The challenger is invented, and so are the interviewers and their newspapers. Washington’s portrait is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, the starting map’s measure of the opposition and the ballots counted on Election Night are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1792, Washington’s second election:

The challenger is invented, and so are the interviewers and their newspapers. Washington’s portrait is 1789’s. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, the starting map and the ballots counted on Election Night are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1820, Monroe and a challenger:

The challenger is invented, and so are the interviewers and their newspapers. Monroe’s portrait is 1816’s. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, the starting map’s measure of the opposition and the ballots counted on Election Night are the game’s estimates from those figures.

For 1992, Bush, Clinton and Perot:

Bill Clinton is alive: the answers he really gave are his own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what he did, and the other answers a player can choose for him are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and the debate panelists are invented. The portraits are the Perot scenario’s. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted, and the size of what Perot loses in July are the game’s estimates.

For 1996, Clinton, Dole and Perot:

Bill Clinton is alive: the answers he really gave are his own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what he did, and the other answers a player can choose for him, like the courses his first term did not take, are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers, the debates’ moderator and the voters who ask in San Diego are invented. Bob Dole’s portrait is listed below; Clinton’s and Perot’s are the Perot scenario’s. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

For 2008, McCain and Obama:

Barack Obama is alive: the answers he really gave are his own words, quoted from the transcripts, and the other answers a player can choose for him are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers and the debates’ moderator are invented. Both portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

For 2000, Bush and Gore:

George W. Bush and Al Gore are alive: the answers they really gave are their own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what they did, and the other answers a player can choose for them are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers, the debates’ moderator and the voters who ask in St. Louis are invented. Both portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

For 2004, Bush and Kerry:

George W. Bush and John Kerry are alive: the answers they really gave are their own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what they did, and the other answers a player can choose for them, like the courses Bush’s first term did not take, are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers, the debates’ moderator and the voters who ask in St. Louis are invented. Both portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, what each group wants in a candidate and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

For 2012, Obama and Romney:

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are alive: the answers they really gave are their own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what they did, and the other answers a player can choose for them, like the courses Obama’s first term did not take, are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers, the debates’ moderator and the voters who ask in Hempstead are invented. Romney’s portrait is listed below, and Obama’s is 2008’s. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

For 2020, Trump and Biden:

Donald Trump and Joe Biden are alive: the answers they really gave are their own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what they did, and the other answers a player can choose for them, like the courses Trump’s first term did not take, are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers, the debates’ moderator and the voters who ask are invented. Both portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

For 2016, Trump and Clinton:

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are alive: the answers they really gave are their own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what they did, and the other answers a player can choose for them are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers, the debates’ moderator and the voters who ask in St. Louis are invented. Both portraits are listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

For 2024, Trump, Harris and Biden:

Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are alive: the answers they really gave are their own words, quoted from the transcripts, or what they did, and the other answers a player can choose for them are written for the game. The interviewers, their programs and newspapers and the debate’s moderator are invented. Trump’s and Biden’s portraits are 2020’s, and Harris’s is listed below. How the voter groups divide each state, how readily each group moves, what each group wants in a candidate and how the votes of the groups the exit poll does not give were fitted are the game’s estimates.

Maine’s and Nebraska’s votes by congressional district, for every year they divided their electors (Maine from 1972, Nebraska from 1992): the Maine Secretary of State’s town and district files and the Nebraska canvass books where they could be read, Polidata’s district reports, The Green Papers and Wikipedia’s articles on each year’s election in the two states.

Music & sound

All music and sound effects are original to Working The Margins, synthesized live in your browser with the Web Audio API from the game’s own code, with two exceptions, both recordings in the public domain or under CC0 (below): the crowd at a rally, and the music of the era styles from the founding to the 1940s. The score has six pieces: the menu theme, “The Road to 270” (the campaign), “On the Record” (debates and interviews), “Decision Desk” (Election Night), “Mandate” (victory) and “Concession”. The Cold War style has three of its own on the theremin and the vibraphone, “Satellite Lounge” (the campaign), “Countdown” (Election Night) and “Signal Lost” (defeat), and the Modern style four from the news desk, “Rolling Coverage”, “Projection”, “Called” and “Last Precinct”. Each era style also has its own sounds for the campaign’s actions, from the hand press, the quill and the telegraph to the teletype, the television set and the phone.

Recorded sound

The era styles’ music, each recording cut to its music, faded in and out and set to one loudness; nothing else was changed:

The era styles’ sounds for the campaign’s actions, where a free recording of the real thing exists:

Candidate photographs

The set scenarios and the real elections use pictures of the real candidates, all in the public domain: scans held by the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division (photographs, and for candidates before photography, engravings and lithographs), or works of the United States government, and for Hugh Lawson White a painting of about 1830, long out of copyright. Each is cropped to a square and resized; nothing else was changed, except that the top of Richard Nixon’s vice-presidential portrait is extended in the gray of its backdrop so his whole head fits the round frame.

Software & icons

Built with React, Vinext, Base UI, shadcn components, Tailwind, Lucide icons, and other open-source projects. Lucide includes icons derived from Feather by Cole Bemis.

The inventory lists installed production dependencies, including tooling that never reaches players. License notices are regenerated on every build, and externally retrieved notices come with a link to their source.

Source credits identify the materials used; they do not imply sponsorship or endorsement.