Election Day approaches! Still unsure where the closest polling place or ballot drop box is? Google wants to assist.
Today the company presented a handful of features throughout Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Search, all indicated to kick in when a user seems to be trying to find details on voting locations.
On Google Browse, for example, a search for “ballot drop boxes near me” will now raise a dedicated tool for finding simply that– punch in the address where you’re registered to vote, and it’ll help you find a dropbox or polling place appropriately. The exact same tool will likewise turn up when you look for things like “how to find ballot place” or “where to vote,” so there’s some flexibility in it.
Or if you’ve got an Assistant-powered gadget neighboring (like a Nest Mini, Nest Center or an Android phone), you can say “Hey Google, where do I vote?” and Assistant must have the ability to figure it out appropriately based upon your current location (with Assistant assuming, as it’ll keep in mind in its reaction, that your existing location is where you’re signed up to vote).
Searching for “where do I vote” in the Google Maps mobile app results in a prompt that will toss you into the above web-based Google Browse flow.
Google says it’s pulling its polling area details from the Voting Information Task as part of a partnership with Democracy Functions The company states they’ll be adding more ballot locations leading up until Election Day, expecting to have more than 200,000 in the system when all is said and done.
Do not wish to get your ballot location information from Google, or simply wish to double-check things? There’s always sites like Vote.org ( which, if you wonder, is what Siri advises when prompted with the “Where do I vote?” concern), which likewise provides information on checking your citizen registration status, becoming a survey employee, etc.
