Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins Twitch to boost voter engagement

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), America’s most social-media-savvy congresswoman, is now on Twitch.

On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez invited her 9 million-plus Twitter followers to join her on the gaming app to boost civic engagement in the presidential election. The New York Democrat said she plans to start streaming a game of Among Us Tuesday night.

“Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote? (I’ve never played but it looks like a lot of fun),� Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Who would you want to watch in a game together?�

Among Us, one of the app’s most popular games, divides its players into “crewmates� and “imposters� aboard a virtual spaceship.

The goal depends on your character assignment. The majority, crewmates, must complete various tasks while attempting to figure out who among them is an imposter — and a couple of imposters endeavor to move through the game undetected, pretending to be crewmates.

Suggestions as to who should accompany Ocasio-Cortez on her online space odyssey — while the rest of her Twitch followers watch the show — are pouring in.

Twitter has nominated a variety of potential players, including other politicians such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg as well as famous gamers and YouTubers Twomad, Rhymestyle, Pokimane, Ninja and more.

In a followup tweet, Ocasio-Cortez, 31, offered a glimpse into her preparation process, which has involved “setting up accounts, mods, streaming and run throughs.� She has amassed more than 206,000 followers on her Twitch page, empty except for links to election resources.

Joining Twitch is Ocasio-Cortez’s latest effort to encourage voter participation ahead of next month’s election. During the Democratic National Convention in August, the influential congresswoman pledged her support for Sanders, as a formality, but has since endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden after the Vermont senator dropped out of the race.

In recent months, Ocasio-Cortez has been using social media to spread awareness about and resources for voting, including guides to voter registration, polling information, community organizing and safely returning ballots amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Do not give in to the temptations of hopelessness, cynicism, or despair,� she wrote on Instagram after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “That is exactly what opponents of democracy need to succeed. This is the fight of and for our lives. Now is the time to work.�