Google just announced that finding the closest location to vote this year is much easier than before, and it’s all thanks to election-related features that have been bundled with its apps and services.
More specifically, starting right now, you can turn to Google Search and Google Maps to look for information on where you can go to vote. Both services will display the closest locations, and Google Maps will also provide you with additional information on how to get there and how busy it is.
Furthermore, Google says that its search engine has been updated to display relevant results for popular queries like “early voting locations” and “ballot drop boxes near me,” with the purpose here being to show details where you can vote in person or return the mail-in ballot.
Google says it has also included essential reminders for votes, such as a notification to bring the ballot completed and sealed.
Google Assistant has also been overhauled with support for new commands, like “Hey Google, where do I vote?”, which allow the service to connect to Google and Google Maps to provide the aforementioned results.
“After you’ve selected a voting location or ballot drop box in your area, you can click through from Google Search or Google Assistant to Google Maps for quick information about how far it is, how to get there, and voting hours. Similarly, if you search for your voting location in Google Maps you’ll have easy access to the feature in Search to help you confirm where you can cast your vote,” Google explains.
All the information that is provided to users as part of this new feature is provided by the Voting Information Project, and Google says that this should help cover some 200,000 voting locations all over the United States.
The new features are available today on the web, Android, and iPhone versions of Google, Google Maps, and Google Assistant.
Furthermore, Google says that its search engine has been updated to display relevant results for popular queries like “early voting locations” and “ballot drop boxes near me,” with the purpose here being to show details where you can vote in person or return the mail-in ballot.
Google says it has also included essential reminders for votes, such as a notification to bring the ballot completed and sealed.
Google Assistant has also been overhauled with support for new commands, like “Hey Google, where do I vote?”, which allow the service to connect to Google and Google Maps to provide the aforementioned results.
“After you’ve selected a voting location or ballot drop box in your area, you can click through from Google Search or Google Assistant to Google Maps for quick information about how far it is, how to get there, and voting hours. Similarly, if you search for your voting location in Google Maps you’ll have easy access to the feature in Search to help you confirm where you can cast your vote,” Google explains.
All the information that is provided to users as part of this new feature is provided by the Voting Information Project, and Google says that this should help cover some 200,000 voting locations all over the United States.
The new features are available today on the web, Android, and iPhone versions of Google, Google Maps, and Google Assistant.