national politicians to actively engage gamers.

     It is worth noting that on Oct. 16, Joe Biden’s campaign had similar goals as they created and announced a “Biden Island” on Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with voting information and merchandise designs for players to utilize. Regardless of how clever that is as a form of advertising, it pales in comparison to Ocasio-Cortez and Omar playing Among Us live.

     As everyone crawled out of the different corners of the internet to watch the Twitch stream, the comment section was flooded with all sorts of messages. The two most common types of comments were “Trump 2020” and “AOC 2024,” both of which show impassioned political views and a desire to vote. Ocasio-Cortez lovers and Ocasio-Cortez haters alike showed up in large numbers, which is significant.

     Personally, I adore Ocasio-Cortez and would not be opposed to an Ocasio-Cortez presidency in the future. My feelings aside, I know how controversial Ocasio-Cortez is in the eyes of conservatives and Republicans. A Times Magazine profile on Ocasio-Cortez put it best: “Wonder Woman of the left, Wicked Witch of the right, Ocasio-Cortez has become the second most talked-about politician in America, after the President of the United States.”

     Even though I lean left on the political spectrum, it makes me beyond excited to see both the left and right energized by Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez is the perfect catalyst for getting-out-the-vote. 

     Research done by the Pew Research Center in 2006 showed that non-voters are usually the most disinterested in politics; the more passionate someone is about politics, the more likely they are to vote. That same survey also showed that young voters (18-29 years old) are consistently the least likely to vote. Yet, as noted by the Brookings Institute, millennials and Gen Zers account for 37% of the eligible voters in 2020. 

     Theoretically, instilling passion would yield higher turnout. However, Duke Professor of Political Science Sunshine Hillygus argues that “The real problem is [young people] don't follow through on their civic intentions," so it is even more important to ensure youth voters have a plan. Research by Political Science and Public Policy Professors David W. Nickerson and Todd Rogers supports this, finding that “facilitating the formation of a voting plan (i.e., implementation intentions) can increase turnout by 4.1 percentage points among those contacted.” With the youth making up a larger bloc of total eligible voters — 37% — than ever before, it is no wonder that many politicians and civic organizations have made it a goal to engage youth. 

     Ocasio-Cortez is not alone in wanting to mobilize youth voters — but her gaming approach is undeniably unique. In an interview with CNN’s State of the Union, Ocasio-Cortez discussed that she has seen successful fundraising done on Twitch and wanted to see whether that would work for voter engagement as well. To do so, throughout the stream Ocasio-Cortez and Omar directed viewers to IWillVote.com, encouraging viewers to establish a voting plan. Amazingly, they did have success, with Patrick Stevenson, Chief Mobilization Officer at the Democratic National Committee, reporting that the stream was “the #1 driver of traffic to IWillVote.com.”

     Along with high traffic to IWillVote.com, youth voter turnout was historically high for the 2020 presidential election. According to Tuft University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, over seven million youth voters cast their ballot early or by mail. While there is no definitive proof that Ocasio-Cortez playing Among Us has anything to do with that, I would like to think it does. 

     From voting out the imposter in Among Us to voting for president, the youth have made 2020 even more interesting and memorable.