Host a Super Tuesday Party and Keep Up with the Election Buzz

Who says you’re not supposed to talk about politics? The 2008 Presidential Election is all anyone is talking about this year. Get in on the action by hosting a Super Tuesday Party! There’s even more reason to party this year as 2008’s Super Tuesday is the biggest in history with 24 states holding their caucuses or primaries.

With record numbers turning out at the polls, your Super Tuesday party can be a really fun event to celebrate American Democracy. Focus on the patriotic element and leave the debating to the candidates to ensure a fun, tension-free evening.

Turn your living room into campaign headquarters with Patriotic Decorating Kits. The Americana Arch makes for a great entrance or photo setting. As a fun alternative, guests will love taking hilarious pictures with an Uncle Sam and Statue of Liberty Photo Standee. They can stick their faces through the cut-outs and pose as the patriotic couple. The U.S. Flag Memories Mural makes a great decoration that you can personalize with your own wording and re-use throughout the entire election year or for the 4th of July.

Decorating accents such as red, white and blue star balloons, flag garland, bunting, patriotic stars decorating paper, and red, white and blue streamers also make awesome touches to your party. Check out our Patriotic Party TipZ for more ideas.

Decorating for the party can be part of the party. Use solid colored flat paper and banner paints to have guests design their own campaign posters—for a favorite candidate or for themselves. Hang the posters around the room and take a secret ballot vote to determine who the best poster designer is. Use cutout stars and a giant map mural to play a trivia game or to create a Super Tuesday Pool. Have guests affix stars with the names of the candidates they think will win the primary in each state to the map or see who can label each state or state capital correctly. You’ll be surprised how hard that is!

For a wearable activity, buy plain white t-shirts and fabric paints or iron-on decals. Guests can design their own election t-shirts supporting their favorite candidates or just the voting process in general.

Check out the USA Today Candidate Match Game for another fun party activity. Guests can find out which candidate the match up with on the most issues. It’s full of surprises.

It may not be as fast-paced as the Super Bowl, but there’s plenty of action in this race. Fuel your appetites while you watch the results come in with fun food popular at Super Bowl parties. That way, you can take advantage of the Super Bowl market specials (Super Bowl Sunday is just two days before Super Tuesday).

Send guests home with patriotic party favors such as red, white and blue poms, patriotic bubbles, confetti shooters, patriotic party favor packs, flags or star-shaped bead necklaces. They’ll be able to use their favors until November!

A Super Tuesday Party is a great idea for political junkies, government classes, or college dormitories looking to rock the vote. Tell us about your Super Tuesday Party or Election Party ideas!

Activities and Games for an Election Party

If you’re hosting a party to watch the heated political debates, to raise funds for a candidate or to await the election results, planning some activities is a good idea to pass the moments between questions or waiting on polls to close.

Plan a trivia contest with fun facts about American Presidents, geography, inventions or folklore. A terrific resource for biographical information about every former President of the United States is the “Scholastic Encyclopedia of Presidents and their Times” by David Rubel. Lots of relevant and obscure trivia!

Obtain a copy of the sample citizenship test from the Department of Immigration and Naturalization, and play a version of ” Who Wants to be an American Citizen?” building from simple to difficult questions. The sample test can be obtained by calling the toll free number for your state listed in the “Government Section” of the phone book. Chances are, even the most patriotic citizens will need to use a lifeline on some of the questions! This is a great activity to engage in to pass the time as the results of the election unfold.

Play pin the tail on the donkey–or the elephant–based on which party you support!

Create quizzes to determine how well guests know the candidates, current events and issues. This is a great activity for politcally saavy crowds.

Let us know about your election party activities!

Patriotic Party Favors for an Election Event

Whether you are organizing a fund raising event in support of your favorite candidate, gathering a group to watch the election returns, or planning a celebratory post-election day party, fill your party with fantastic favors, fun and a festive atmosphere. We have a huge selection of favors… your party budget will be balanced, and you’ll have a surplus of fun!

• Hats and more patriotic hats… there are many styles to choose from, along with tiaras. Give each guest a hat as they enter the party.
• Give guests red, white and blue toss beads or leis as they enter.
• Even the most seasoned politicians can’t resist our mini patriotic hats. Place one at each place setting, and fill it with mints or red candies.
• Stars and stripes bandannas for everyone! The bandannas can be used in the invitations to your gathering, or can be used in a variety of ways to decorate tables. They are always a hit with partygoers!
• Think glow in the dark! Our red, white and blue glow necklaces are must-haves!
• You won’t necessarily need “A thousand points of light”, but candles are always a welcomed favor!
• Confetti shooters make great favors that guests will love using during the big party. It’s perfect for when the final results come in!

Use party favors to decorate with too. Place flags in cases on tables or use toss beads for napkin rings. Tell us your patriotic party favor ideas!

Food Ideas for Election and Political Parties

If you are hosting an Election Returns party, political debate party, or any sort of political party, serve a generously stocked buffet of appetizers as opposed to a sit-down meal. Choose a few old favorites, try a couple of easy new ideas, and make the food simple, but plentiful. You’re sure to have a winner on your hands!

• Add paper American flag picks to all the finger food.
• Great staples for a buffet style finger food meal include chicken wings, chicken strips (offer 3 or 4 interesting dipping sauces), meatballs (Swedish or BBQ), mini eggrolls, whole water chestnuts wrapped in bacon, nachos, or an assortment of sandwiches made on mini buns (about 3-4 bite size). Make everything ahead of time, and store hot items in a warming tray, or in an oven set at 200 degrees.
• Veggie Tray: Include raw cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, snow peas, zucchini, etc. with a sour cream based dip. Ranch dips are popular with adults and children.
• Serve Chili accompanied by lots of “add-ins”. Add bowls of shredded cheese, chopped onion, sour cream, hot sauce, oyster crackers, jalapeno peppers, and spaghetti (Cincinnati style) to your table. Serve cornbread muffins along with the chili. Make this All-American style meal complete by adding hot dogs and apple pie for dessert. Comfort food at its finest!
• Add a few hearty dips that can be made ahead. Here are a few that are extra easy to make, and are always a big hit:
• Cream Cheese Dip: Purchase cream cheese in block form, and top with salsa (flavored salsas are great), cocktail sauce and crabmeat, green pepper jelly, or jam (any flavor works, but apricot is delicious!). If you are feeling adventurous, combine a couple of packages, and mold them into the shape of a star. Serve with a variety of crackers. Triscuit thins are perfect with this dip.
• Artichoke Dip: Mix 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup mayonnaise (”light” is okay to use), and 1-24 oz. can of artichoke hearts, chopped into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, and serve with crackers. This dip can be served warm, or at room temperature.
• Easy Cheesy Dip: Add one large block of Velveeta Cheese, one 16 oz. can of chili without beans, and one 16 oz. jar of salsa to a crock pot. Stir occasionally. The dip is ready when the cheese is completely melted. Serve with bite-sized tortilla chips.
• Baked Brie: Hollow out a loaf of French or sourdough bread, cutting the bread so that you have a “lid”. Fill the hole with Brie cheese, and put the lid back on. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with small chunks of bread, or crackers. If the Brie is not to your taste, fill the bread bowl with another type of dip, such as a creamy spinach dip.
• Shrimp Cocktail: Serve on ice, along with cocktail sauce. This is a little more costly than most items you might plan to serve, but it will make your guests feel special, and the color looks terrific on a buffet.
• Serve plenty of fresh red and blue fruit including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, watermelon and red apples.
• Scatter several bowls of munchies around the areas where your guests will be watching the returns…Chips, pretzels, nuts, M&Ms, popcorn, and Chex Mix. Serve dry munchies in star serving trays.
• Create a simple sheet cookie and frost it with white frosting. Decorate the cookie with blueberries and strawberries in the shape of a flag, or decorate with red and blue colored sugar.
• Serve Election Elixirs (beverages) in patriotic stadium cups . Have a few permanent markers available so that each guest can label his/her cup. This will cut down on the number of “misplaced” cups throughout the event. Guests can also take the stadium cup home as a favor.
• Serve a spectacular dessert complete with sparklers (after verifying that use of sparklers is legal in your state). Rich chocolate brownies cut into star shapes accompanied by fresh raspberries and real whip cream would be a “winning ticket” for this party.

Don’t forget red, white and blue plastic tableware and cutlery plus star spangled tablecovers!