Local Government, Unexpectedly
A Playful Way Into the Town Code
The Bedford Town Code is 762 pages long. It covers everything from how bright a cabaret must be to how many swine require a Planning Board permit. It is, for the most part, not a lot of fun to read.
Code Red is a short trivia game built from that document. Each question gives you three options: two are invented, one is pulled directly from the Bedford Town Code. The challenge is figuring out whether the real rule is stranger than the fake ones.
You do not need to know anything about municipal law to play. That is more or less the point. The Bedford Town Code has been public for years, and most residents have never opened it. This is a small way to change that — one surprising sentence at a time.
Code Red: The Quiz
Can You Spot the Real Rule?
Each question gives you three options. One is real, pulled directly from the Bedford Town Code. Two are invented. Five questions. Answer each one to reveal the real rule and move to the next.
Five questions. One real rule each time.
Built from Bedford's 762-page Town Code.
Your Code Red result
— / 5 Questions correctYour score is not added to the public leaderboard unless you submit your initials and hamlet.
Just your initials and hamlet. No name, no email, no pressure.
You're on the board
— / 5Community Scores
Code Red Leaderboard
Ranked by score. How does Bedford know its own laws?
| # | Initials | Hamlet | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading leaderboard… | ||||
HOW THIS WAS BUILT
This Campaign Shows Its Work
This campaign is committed to showing its work, not just stating positions. When a tool or workflow helps clarify a local issue, it should be explained, shared, and made useful beyond the campaign. The instruction set used to surface interesting pieces of a long public document and turn this into an interactive quiz is published here in full.
Code Red Quiz Builder Purpose Build a civic quiz that turns a long, rarely-read public document into something residents will actually engage with. The tool uses AI to analyze the full Bedford Town Code, identify surprising provisions, and present them as a short interactive quiz with a live leaderboard. The goal is simple: Make local government more understandable by making it more approachable. What This Tool Does Reads a 700+ page municipal code document Uses AI to surface unusual, specific, or surprising provisions Converts those into multiple-choice questions Reveals the real code after each answer Tracks scores and displays a lightweight leaderboard This is not trivia for its own sake. It is a way to make public information visible. Core Principles 1. Use Real Source Material Every correct answer comes directly from the Bedford Town Code. Nothing is invented or exaggerated. 2. Let AI Do the Heavy Reading AI is used to scan the full document and identify provisions that are: real surprising understandable worth showing to residents A human reviews all outputs before publishing. 3. Make the Code Legible Each question reveals: the correct answer the actual code language a short plain-English explanation The value is not just guessing correctly. It is seeing what is actually written. 4. Keep the Experience Simple One question at a time One answer per question Immediate feedback No sign-in No friction 5. Keep the Tone Grounded The Town Code is treated seriously. The quiz is curious, not cynical. How The Quiz Works Each question includes: 1 real provision from the Town Code 2 invented options designed to be plausible The challenge is not spotting a joke. It is recognizing how strange real rules can be. After submission: the correct answer is revealed the real code is shown a short explanation is provided Scores are tracked across all questions. AI + Research Workflow Load the full Bedford Town Code document Ask AI to scan for: unusual rules oddly specific provisions things a resident would not expect Filter results for: clarity accuracy real-world relevance Convert selected items into quiz questions Add plausible distractor answers Review all outputs before publishing AI is used to find what matters. Humans decide what gets shown. Leaderboard System The quiz includes a simple leaderboard to create light participation. Users submit: initials hamlet No personal data is collected Scores are sent to Google Sheets via Apps Script The leaderboard mirrors the Typing Challenge system If the backend fails, the quiz still works. The leaderboard is optional, not required. Data Flow Quiz runs entirely in the browser Score is calculated client-side On submission: a payload is sent to Apps Script Apps Script writes to Google Sheets Sheet stores: initials hamlet score timestamp This creates a lightweight, transparent record of participation. Design Approach Match the Uncampaign system: calm typography restrained layout editorial spacing no game-show styling The design should feel like civic infrastructure, not entertainment. Build Checklist Load Town Code as source document Use AI to extract candidate provisions Build structured question set Implement one-question flow Reveal real code after each answer Track score across quiz Submit scores to leaderboard Handle failures cleanly Keep everything readable and copyable Output A public-facing quiz that: turns a long legal document into something usable shows residents what is actually in their town code demonstrates how AI can make civic information accessible