How to vote in the US midterms 2018: Alexa has the answer
Such is the current climate, even Amazon’s Alexa assistant is talking politics. In an update rolling out today, Alexa-enabled devices are now offering US citizens information from Ballotpedia on where and how they can vote the midterm elections, which take place on November 6.
In a blog post, Amazon explained how Alexa users will be able to consult her on what time the polls are open, what’s on the ballot in their area, and who is running for senate in their state.
Perhaps most helpfully, the assistant will help with some of the more confusing elements of the voting process. For example, users will be able to ask: “Alexa, what does it mean to vote yes (or no) for [state] [ballot measure]”?
After folks have cast their ballot on the races in their states, Alexa will provide live updates from the Associated Press on how their chosen candidates are performing. So, it’ll be possible to ask questions like “Alexa, what’s my election update?”, “Alexa, who is winning in [state]?”, and “Alexa, how is [candidate] doing in the election?”
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When all of the votes have been counted, users can ask Alexa what happened, how many seats did their chosen party gain/lose and discover how a particular candidate performed in his or her race.
In a blog post, VP of Alexa Information Bill Barton wrote: “We believe voice provides a unique, simple, and delightful way to learn about election information, and we want to be as helpful as possible for customers when they’re preparing to vote and to offer real-time updates on polls and election results.”
The company said its efforts here will help it prepare for future primary seasons and the Presidential election a couple of years from now.
Are you an Amazon Alexa loyalist? Or do you think Google Assistant or Apple’s Siri is the better solution? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.