Trump Campaign Uses Animated Ad To Teach Supporters About Today’s Iowa Caucus

Caucusing for this year’s election kicks off in Iowa today, and Donald Trump’s campaign team has been using an animated ad to teach his supporters how to get involved.

At campaign events across Iowa, the video, linked below, has been screened to help educate the former president’s supporters about the sometimes confusing caucusing procedure.

If the goal is to motivate people to get involved, the Trump campaign possibly could have sprung for something a bit more dynamic, at least as far as the animation is concerned. Minimalist backgrounds, simple outlined characters, and bullet-point instructions provide a very bread-and-butter description of the caucusing regulations and procedures, with a few almost jokes thrown in to keep things lively.

While the ad’s sparse animation doesn’t do much to inspire, it is appropriate for the informational nature of the second half of the clip, which explains the qualifications necessary to vote and how interested parties can get involved. The message comes across clearly, and anyone Iowan interested in caucusing should be left with very few questions after finishing the video.

A civics lesson is perhaps necessary, as the caucusing process is different than traditional voting. Those looking to cast a ballot can only do so after 7 p.m. local time and may have to report to a location different from where they normally vote. After checking in, they must remain present for a number of procedural measures, such as electing precinct chairs and precinct secretaries, and speeches from presidential candidates’ supporters. After the speeches, votes are cast. All of this is clearly explained in the video.

The Trump caucus ad doesn’t demonstrate much by way of artistic merit, but its existence and straightforward execution are reminders of how the animation medium can be used to educate and inform when used properly.