Community12 Mar 2026Dev Log #13 - Media OutletsHi all! Today's dev log is all about the media system, one of the more complex and dynamic systems I've built (and still building) for The Electorate. As we all know, the media has a major impact on election cycles. The first competitive US election was in 1796 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. One of the key features of that race was the use of newspaper outlets to smear or promote each…
Hi all! Today’s dev log is going to focus on demographics and the customization options you’ll have access to. Customization is the single most wanted item in the game, and luckily for you all, that was my plan from the beginning. However, because of the demand for it, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how deep I can go with customization while still depicting an accurate electorate, and…
Hi all! Today’s topic is Campaign Staff. Before we get into that, I have a couple of announcements and shameless plugs. First, our Discord and Steam Community have grown significantly over the past week. We can all thank Reddit for that. Feel free to join and engage in the conversations happening in those communities. Two, If you haven’t already, share the game with your friends who might be in…
Hi all! Today’s dev log is about Election Night. This feature, along with the polling system, is ultimately what drove me to make this game. It’s by far my favorite feature that I’ve worked on, and it’s so fun that I’ve lost a few hours of development time just watching it. And for good reason. Election Day in America is my Super Bowl. It’s especially great during presidential elections, but ev…
Hi all! I’ve been ramping up development over these last few weeks and lots of progress is being made. No exact dates on a launch schedule, but it’s getting close. Today, I’m going to be discussing the mechanics around campaign buildings, their impacts, and the finances around them. Building a Ground Game “Ground game” is a common term you’ll hear in American elections, but it’s just another te…
Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday. Today’s dev log will talk about what I’m thinking about doing with the congressional system in the game, explain the thought process behind it, as well as give a quick update on primaries. I first want to start by addressing the fact that The Electorate’s scope has evolved significantly from when I first started this endeavor. At first, I pla…
Hi all! Today’s dev log will finally be image heavy. I’ve been stuck in the weeds of UI, and I’m happy to say that a lot of progress has been made. Much of the original UI was thrown together quickly, and while somewhat functional, it was certainly not pleasant to look at. With many elements of the game programmed at this point, I 1) needed a break from programming, 2) felt the need to start sh…
Welcome back to another dev log! Today, we’re going to discuss an important subset of campaign activities: rallies and fundraisers. Other activities, like advertising, are larger and more intricate systems, along with media events and whatnot, and require their own dev logs. The following are the moves you’ll be interacting with more often than anything else, so I figured it would be good to ge…
Hello! Welcome back to another dev log! Today, we’re covering ideology groups, and how they impact each election in a huge way. How Voters Vote In a general sense, voters vote based on the issues that matter to them. Whether it's about how the economy should be run, if they think AI should be more or less regulated, or whether healthcare is a human right, voters tend to pick candidates that mos…
Hey everyone! I've received a lot of questions from many of you over the past couple of months wondering about the inclusion of certain key features, a release date, whether the game will receive post-launch support, and more. So, to clear the air on some of these questions, I'm releasing the official roadmap for The Electorate, with plans going as far as 2027! This is a broad stroke look at wh…
Welcome to the fourth dev log! I apologize for the two-week delay. I was on vacation during the first Tuesday, and then fell ill the moment I came home. Needless to say, development has been slow this month, but luckily, we’re entering October back in rhythm, barring any sort of October Surprises. Before we get into today’s dev log, I have a few announcements. First, these dev logs will be movi…
Welcome to Dev Log #3! Today’s discussion is all about candidate attributes. Last week, we covered the voting system and how votes are divided between candidates based on a number of factors, ranging from the difference between a county’s issue position and the candidate’s, to favorability and momentum. This week, we’re going to narrow the focus and spend more time talking about what candidates…
Welcome to the second dev log! Thank you for the positive reception from last week’s announcement! Today is all about votes, specifically, how the votes in the game are calculated and the systems that sway votes as your campaign goes along. Before we get into the mechanics of how votes change throughout a campaign, we first need to understand where the data is coming from and how it’s loaded in…
Hello, Candidates! I’m Matt. Now that we’re officially listed on Steam, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to The Electorate, a new election simulator that’s launching in the very near future. This will be the first of a weekly dev log, where I’ll be giving you an inside look at the gameplay, systems, and design behind the many features included in the game. Today’s dev log is about in…
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