In Please Vote for Me, it was interesting to watch how the children’s concepts of democracy naturally evolved. Originally, it seemed that, aside from Cheng Cheng, they thought of democracy as a system in which voters would simply choose the best candidate. However, the competitive climate that the election created forced them all to embrace techniques that involved bribing and slandering. In turn, this made the climate more competitive, to the point that all of the candidates saw it as a zero-sum game. By the end, one could see that many of the same kinds of appeals that are made in American Presidential debates were made in the classroom, specifically populist rhetoric as well as rhetoric concerning the inadequacies of the other candidates. In the end, the effect this had was devastating to the two candidates who lost, as well as some of their classmates, who were all crying uncontrollably. This highlights one of the most prominent issues with America’s democratic system–the candidate who comes in first place wins everything,  which creates a fractured, hostile electorate.