GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — We are officially two weeks out until the 2024 general election.
While it's not March, it feels like there's a little ... madness in the air.
At least, that's the goal of one Michigan State University (MSU) professor who's created his own kind of bracket challenge as a way of getting his students engaged in American politics.
"It's just as simple as filling out a March Madness bracket," says MSU Associate Professor of Political Science Eric Juenke.
There's no Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight or Final Four...
"One of the other goals of the game is to show them that it's not just about the presidency. There's all these other elections happening at the same time."
But control of Congress, the Senate and the White House are all at stake.
"Everything that you want to teach in American politics as an instructor is like... they're in these elections," says Professor Juenke.
In 2020, Juenke created the "Election Madness" game.
Four years later, the picks are in — with 24 of the closest races of this cycle. That includes two key races in Michigan — the 7th Congressional District race between Republican Tom Barrett and Democrat Curtis Hertel, and the race for the U.S. Senate between Republican Mike Rogers and Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin.
Unlike the tournament, there's no bracket to work through. Instead, picks are weighted. The favorite is worth fewer points and the underdog is worth more.
"I have some students who absolutely get into this," says Professor Juenke, explaining that many students treat the game like fantasy leagues — listening to podcasts, looking at polls, and dissecting forecasting websites in order to make the best choices.
But just like March, we all have that friend who picks the mascots.
Juenke says on the flip side, he has students who are much more casual about their picks.
"They're just like, I don't know, 'this person looks nice. I'm going to take them' or 'I like their website' or 'I'm going to pick all Republicans' or 'I'm going to pick all Democrats.'"
While the ballot box is no basketball court, these matchups promise a very competitive election.
Juenke says they have about 4,000 students from close to 75 universities all across the country participating, including a few players from Iceland and France.
The window to participate is open until Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.
You can sign up to play here.
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