If this election is good for one thing, it’s mobilizing people to register to vote. You can’t possibly skip the elections this year, as this would mean you don’t care about your future and decline the offer of expressing yourself in such an important matter, of general concern. The same happens now, with Google trying to help us to vote and doing our duty as citizens.
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According to Engadget, Google stated about the new online guide that “nonprofits and organizations promoting voter education can benefit and expand the reach of this critical information.”
Deadlines and ID requirements vary significantly from state to state, and it can be hard or confusing to track down clear, up-to-date information, so Google is putting a new a new toolbar front and center for anyone who searches for “how to vote”. Last month the company launched a voter registration guide and Tuesday they took it farther with a more detailed, state-by-state customized tool.
The search giant said its campaign is driven by rabid public interest in the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
While these states are considered “battleground” Clinton is now ahead of Trump in all recent polling and each of the states voted for the Democratic candidate the last two election cycles. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, Virginia and Colorado all have had more than 100% increase in searches for “voter registration” since the last election.
“In fact, compared to the same time four years ago, nationwide searches for voter registration are up 190 percent nationwide”, writes product manager Emily Moxley on Google’s Inside Search blog.
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Iowa saw similar increases in voter registration. Of that number, 61,000 were previously registered as Democrats, according to The Associated Press.
