How It Works
A Civic Engagement Platform for U.S. Congress
Fantasy Government turns real congressional activity into a non-partisan head-to-head league format. Votes, bill introductions, cosponsorships, amendments, and laws all count. Built for civics educators, political news junkies, and anyone curious about how Congress actually works.
Join the WaitlistFour Simple Steps
From Opening Gavel to Year-End Champion
Create or Join a League
Start a private league with friends, classmates, colleagues, or a newsroom. Or join a public one. Pick up to 12 teams and a draft date. The Pro+ tier unlocks custom scoring rules and league sizes up to 20 teams.
League Name
Draft Format
Teams — 8 teams
Build Your Slate
In a live draft session, take turns selecting from every active Senator and Representative. The draft uses snake order: whoever picks last in round 1 picks first in round 2, which evens out the advantage of an early pick. Each team builds a 15-legislator slate: 10 in the active lineup plus 5 reserves. Your active lineup must include at least 3 Senators and 5 Representatives. Each week you can promote reserves into the active lineup, useful when a senator is on recess, a representative is skipping committee markups, or a bill your reserve cosponsored is heading to a floor vote. No party rules. Take a full slate from one party if you want, or go bipartisan for the Balanced Slate badge. Participation is the only thing that scores.
Congress Scores Points
Every vote cast, bill introduced, cosponsorship, committee report, amendment, and law signed automatically updates your slate score. Data is pulled directly from Congress.gov within hours of every floor action. No manual entry, ever.
The Season Plays Out
Weekly head-to-head matchups build your record through 24 scoring weeks. The top teams advance to a three-week playoff: Wildcard, Semifinals, and Championship. The winner is named Congress Champion for the year. Their playoff point total becomes the target every league chases the following season.
🗳️ Election Mode
When Congress goes on Election Recess, free leagues go quiet.
Pro+ leagues keep playing through Election Night.
5 weeks. 5 picks. Real election odds.
Every even year, both chambers enter a 5-week Election Recess before Election Day. Congressional scoring pauses. Election Mode activates for Pro+ leagues on October 5.
Powered by real Kalshi market odds
We surface only competitive races where no candidate is above 80% favorite. No blowouts. Every pick is a real decision.
Closer races pay more points
Pick a 70%+ favorite correctly: 5 pts. True toss-up: 20 pts. Underdog: 35 pts. Max haul across 5 picks: 175 pts.
Boosts playoff seeding without touching your record
Election Mode points add to your season total only. Your win–loss record is untouched. But a big Election Night can flip your seed and change your bracket.
Senate tiebreaker
Submit one integer at pick time: how many Senate seats will Democrats hold? Closest guess wins any Election Mode points tie.
"Free leagues sit out Election Recess. Pro+ leagues stay engaged all the way through Election Night."
🗳️ Election Mode
Oct 5 – Nov 8 · All 5 picks open
Your 5 Picks — Competitive Races Only
U.S. Senate — Pennsylvania
U.S. Senate — Nevada
U.S. Senate — Arizona
U.S. House — NY-17
U.S. Senate — Ohio
🔢 Tiebreaker · Submit once at pick time
How many Senate seats will Democrats hold after the election?
📈 Projected Election Night Leaderboard
Pro and Pro+ Leagues Only
Election Mode is available on Pro ($7.99/mo) and Pro+ ($14.99/mo) plans. Free leagues sit out Election Recess.
See Pricing →Cancel anytime · Instant access
Season Structure
One Season. One Champion.
Fantasy Government mirrors the real congressional calendar. Scoring pauses automatically during every recess. Every week Congress is in session, your slate is earning points.
Jan 5
Season opens
Jun 29
Summer break 🏖️
Sep 14
Fall weeks return
Oct 4
Standings lock
Oct 5
Election Recess 🗳️
Nov 9
Playoffs begin
Dec 6
Champion named 🏆
Joining after the season starts? No problem. Your schedule is built from the current week forward. You play every remaining regular season week and the same three week playoff as everyone else.
Regular Season
January 5 to October 4
Twenty-four scoring weeks across the full year. Congress earns your points every week it is in session. Recesses pause scoring automatically. Summer break runs late June through mid-September, with add/drops staying open the whole time. The final regular-season week ends October 4 and standings lock.
📅 Standings lock October 4
🏆 Top teams advance to playoffs
Playoffs
November 9 to December 6
Three weeks of high-stakes scoring. Wildcard week sends the top two seeds straight to the semis with a bye. The top seed picks their semifinal opponent. One final week later the championship game names the Congress Champion for the year.
📅 Wildcard Nov 9 · Semis Nov 16 · Final Nov 30
🏆 Congress Champion named December 6
119th Congress Championship
December 6, 2026
Each year the champion sets a playoff point record. The next year that number sits on the board as the target for every playoff team to chase. Beat it and your name goes in the record books as a Congress Championship holder, the highest honor in Fantasy Government.
📅 Beat the Year 1 champion total
🏆 Immortalized in league history
Season schedule based on the official 119rd Congress legislative calendar (Senate.gov). Subject to change if Congress adjusts its recess schedule.
Complete Scoring System
Every Point Explained
Points are awarded for legislative participation and effectiveness. Political positions, party affiliation, and the content of legislation never factor in. Scoring is identical for every legislator regardless of party.
Vote Cast (Yea or Nay)
+2Hundreds per week
Vote Present
0Deliberate abstention
Vote Absent
−3Missed vote penalty
Bill Introduced (solo or 1 cosponsor)
+1Most common
Bill Introduced (2–9 cosponsors)
+3Coalition forming
Bill Introduced (10–24 cosponsors)
+6Meaningful coalition
Bill Introduced (25+ cosponsors)
+10Major legislative effort
Bill Cosponsored
+1Very common
Cross-Party Cosponsor Bonus
+3Each cross-party cosponsorship
Bill Passes Committee
+15Monthly
Bill Passes Chamber
+25Monthly
Bill Signed Into Law
+50Rare but major
Amendment Sponsored
+5Occasional
Amendment Adopted
+10Rare
Key Legislator (2×)
Each week, designate one legislator as your Key Legislator. All points they earn that week are multiplied by 2×. A legislator with a busy floor schedule is usually a good pick. But so is a committee chair on the week their committee reports a bill out.
Four Things to Know
How Congress Actually Works
The scoring rewards understanding the institution. A little civics goes a long way on draft day, and in life.
Voting attendance tells a real story
Legislators who miss fewer than 5% of roll-call votes are doing the core work of the job. Consistent attendance adds up fast across a full session.
Majority party moves more legislation
Members of the majority party chair committees and control the floor schedule, so their bills reach committee passes (+15) and chamber passes (+25) more often. It is how the institution actually works.
House and Senate work differently
House members vote far more frequently than Senators. A slate with both chambers captures the high-volume work of the House and the higher-stakes chamber passes that typically originate in the Senate.
Committee assignments signal real power
Members on Appropriations, Judiciary, Finance, Armed Services, and other active committees see more bill activity and milestone scoring. That is where the legislation actually moves.
Got Questions?
Frequently Asked
How do I earn points in Fantasy Government? +
Your drafted legislators earn points for real legislative activity: voting Yea or Nay, introducing and cosponsoring bills, seeing bills pass committee and clear a chamber, sponsoring and adopting amendments, and having bills signed into law. Missing a vote costs −3 points. See the scoring grid above for exact values, including the tiered bill-introduction bonuses that reward coalition-building. Only your 10 active legislators score each week; your 5 reserves wait in case you promote them.
Is Fantasy Government partisan or biased? +
No. Fantasy Government is strictly non-partisan. Points are awarded for legislative activity regardless of party, ideology, or the content of legislation. We do not take political positions.
How many legislators can I draft? +
Each team drafts a 15-legislator slate: 10 in the active lineup plus 5 reserves. Your active lineup must include at least 3 Senators and 5 Representatives. You can promote reserves into the active lineup each week. In Pro+ leagues, the league leader can adjust total slate size and chamber balance for their league.
How often are scores updated? +
Scores update every 30 minutes. The sync engine pulls the latest votes and bill activity from Congress.gov and posts new score events to your league feed automatically.
Is Fantasy Government free to play? +
Yes — the Free plan lets you join leagues, draft legislators, and track scores. Pro ($7.99/month) adds advanced stats, analytics, and Election Mode access. Pro+ ($14.99/month) adds full league administration tools, custom scoring rules, and Election Mode.
What happens if I join or create a league after the season has started? +
No problem. When a league is created mid-season, the schedule is built from the current week forward. Past weeks are skipped and your slate only earns points from the week your draft is completed. You will play fewer regular season weeks but the same three week playoff runs for everyone.
Can I use Fantasy Government in my classroom? +
Absolutely. Fantasy Government aligns with AP Government & Politics curriculum standards. Educators can request a free classroom account from our For Educators page.
Ready to Follow Congress?
Currently in private beta. Request access or join the waitlist to get notified at public launch.