It seems like all eyes were turning to the American election from all around the globe.  Due to the controversial election, many people were using their social media platforms to urge people to register to vote.  

One of those who outwardly encouraged voter registration was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC..  However, she approached it differently than typical –  by livestreaming the trending video game that has gained popularity over the past couple of months, Among Us.

Among Us is a game where up to ten people play as astronauts on a ship.  Up to three of the people on the ship are “imposters” and their goal is to sabotage and kill everyone on the ship.  If not an imposter, then crewmates are given tasks, such as fueling the engines, playing simon says, or downloading and uploading data.  

The goal of the game is to figure out who the imposters are and vote them out.  Crewmates win when either the imposters are voted out, or if they complete all their tasks.  Imposters win if they can successfully kill all the crewmates.

AOC streamed Among Us with other popular streamers such as Pokimane, Jacksepticeye, and Corpse_husband. She streamed on October 22 at 9:00 PM EST. Before she even streamed she had 250,000 followers to her Twitch channel, not to mention that her stream had garnered almost 500,000 viewers, making her stream one of the most watched streams ever.

Throughout the rounds AOC, as well as the other players, could be heard saying, “I voted early” or, “Make sure you vote early” in reference to who they were voting out in the game.  AOC also in between rounds was talking to viewers about making sure they have a voting plan, know where to vote, and know how to vote.

However, there are differing opinions on this way of engaging with voters. Some people, such as Sophomore at Oakdale, Hannah Ware, thought that “it was a very smart idea for her to not only use the game as a way to bring attention, but to play with the other influencers. A lot of young people watch them and for her to not only play a really popular game, but with popular people, was really smart.”  However, others think that this could be a waste of time and money that could be used campaigning elsewhere.

AOC isn’t the only politician reaching out to the people through Twitch.  Andrew Yang was the first politician to start a Twitch channel back in July 2018, followed by Bernie Sanders as the second, starting his Twitch channel in June of 2019.  However rather than streaming games, Sanders uses his Twitch to stream town halls and rallies.  Some other politicians on Twitch are President Trump, and President-Elect Biden.

Campaigning through Twitch, or other similar platforms, is working to get younger generations involved. “I think it was a fun interactive way to spread the word,” explains Sophomore Brayden Budzenski.  

This could become a more popular way of engaging younger potential voters in the future.  It reaches them on a platform they already use and are familiar with.  Ware added, “I think they should. It’s a great way for them to get their name heard. I know people that are still talking about AOC’s stream.  

The world is changing, it’s time for politicians to change with it.  Who knows how they’ll reach out to voters in the future – the possibilities go as far as their creativity!