Google is updating search to give more accurate information ahead of the US midterm elections in November through a partnership with Democracy Works, the company said in a blog post Thursday.
When you search for “how to vote” or other voting-related inquiries in both English and Spanish, Google will pull up information sourced from Democracy Works, a nonpartisan and nonprofit data provider. Democracy Works collaborates with elections administrations to pull in key information on where and how to vote.
Google reiterated its ongoing partnership with the Associated Press to present authoritative election results as information comes in. The search giant says it’s also boosting local elections information from a “range of sources” to give people updates on local and regional news. This feature will go live in the coming weeks.
Neither Google, Democracy Works nor the Associated Press immediately responded to a request for additional comment.
YouTube, Google’s video arm, will also elevate authoritative news sources to help fight against election misinformation.
The push by Google to promote accurate information ahead of the US midterm elections come as Meta (parent to Facebook and Instagram), Twitter and TikTok too have made commitments to combat misinformation.
Election misinformation has been an ongoing problem for Big Tech. Following the defeat of Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, the former president and his allies have boosted incorrect information regarding the voting process. It’s led to, among other things, a $1.6 billon defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting, makers of voting machines, against Fox News for disseminating a “manufactured storyline” saying its systems had been rigged in favor of Joe Biden. Similar lawsuits were made against Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell.
Despite multiple recounts and audits, polls show 70% of Republican voters wrongly believe the 2020 election was stolen.
