Google really wants to see people get out and vote in this November's U.S. presidential election and is offering its support to voters across the country.
Starting this Tuesday, Google will offer a summary box where all details about the voting process will be available to users who are searching for the information.
The breakdown will highlight the voting rules and procedures applicable to each state from which the search originates. Users are also able to consult the rules for voting in another state, if they choose to.
The how-to-vote instructions feature lands only a month after Google offered its users detailed explanation on how to register for voting.
According to the company, the feature was met with surging interest, as the public seems to be very engaged in the Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump competition for the White House.
When compared with the level of interest from the 2012 presidential race, Google reports its search volume linked to the election expanded four times.
"We hope this customized state-by-state guide will help you find the information you need quickly and easily," Google says.
Turnout Effects
Michael McDonald, a political scientist with the University of Florida, is skeptical about Google boosting the actual number of people who will cast their votes.
The main reason is that Google's program targets a narrow niche of voters who are actively digging for the information. For example, the feature activates when requests such as, "can I vote by mail," "what do I need to vote" and "when can I vote," are submitted.
Those Googling for more generic requests, such as "Trump 2016" or "Clinton 2016" will not see the summary boxes.
This means that, albeit helpful, Google's initiative may only reach the already "politically-engaged" voters. These are people who would cast a November ballot anyway, even without extra prodding from the search engine company.
"It's an open question on how large the positive effect will be," McDonald notes.
Online Prodding
In the past, various online platforms have attempted to convince people to go out and vote.
During the November 2010 midterm election, 60 million Facebook users were greeted with a "get out the vote" message in their news feeds. According to a study conducted by the University of California, San Diego, the social media company managed to boost voter turnout by 340,000 people as a result of the campaign.
In an effort to support NGOs and organizations that strive to get as many voters to the urns in November, Google will share its registration and voting guides with these institutions. The company mentions that its voting tools are a nonpartisan public service, despite evidence that past elections were swayed by last-minute voter turnout.
McDonald affirms that it is hard to say beforehand which candidate could benefit most from Google's campaign, assuming that increments in voter turnout come to pass. He points out that Google's efforts could strike deep with the rather young, technology-oriented people who are backing Hillary Clinton — or put more ballots in the hands of less-educated, disillusioned citizens backing Donald Trump.
