A political group in swing-state Ohio is using the game “Pokemon Go” for a purpose beyond catching cute Pikachu: registering voters.
NextGen Climate Ohio, a group drawing attention to climate change, says the rollout is just one of the creative ways it’s trying to engage millennial voters. It comes just days before the two political conventions get under way.
State director Joanne Pickrell is dropping rare “lures,” which draw the cartoon monsters hunted by “Pokemon Go” players, at game locations in parks and on campuses in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo. Its representatives will be on site at the locations to talk to players about the importance of voting and how to get registered.
Planned locations include the University of Toledo Friday and, on Saturday, parks in Cleveland and Columbus and at Mirror Lake on the Ohio State University campus.
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Getting the self absorbed Pokemon Go player to register to vote.
It will only work if you lure them to the voting booth, on the correct day, at the right time, and have a pica-whatever promise them bonus points if they push the buttons (or fill out the form) to vote.
That’s actually not a bad idea…though I’d leave out the part of who to vote for to gain bonus points, if that’s how the game is played. I have no idea (I don’t play the game). My son has been playing it in Cleveland. I just hope it doesn’t lead him to that frickin’ ugly GOP Convention downtown next week…regardless of how many bonus points he’d get.
Good for them for finding away to proactively take advantage of a recent entertainment trend to try and achieve some good instead of just whining about other people trying to have some fun with their life.
True story, just after dark last weekend. Driving to the pharmacy on the way home:
DH: What’s with the big crowd of people in that parking lot?
Me: I dunno, cross fit class probably.
DH: No, maybe a movie shoot…
Me: Hey, I don’t think so. Everyone is looking down at their phones.
Both: …POKEMON GO!
My first impression of the game was child molester’s dream app. Then I heard about those robberies. Generally though I like the idea; easy for me to say living in middle of what I guess must be the target demographic and target locations. Anyway, voter registration is great. If this fad is still going in October they’d better put lures in early voting locations too!