Google announced on Friday that it was adding voter information to its search engine and map app, including details of polling stations, early voting locations, and voting areas.
The information will appear in search results if, for example, someone enters the query "ballot boxes near me". The update comes as millions of Americans started early voting before Election Day on November 3rd. Google Maps will also provide voting hours and instructions on where to vote. The search giant said it will soon have people search for this information on its smart speakers and displays.
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Silicon Valley giants like Google and Facebook have stepped up their efforts to give people information about voting and voter registration. Facebook said last month it had 2.5 million Americans registered to vote.
Tech companies were keen to show that they could be an asset to the electoral process after facing heavy criticism in 2016 for their missteps. That election was marred by Russian interference, which used platforms from Google, Facebook and Twitter to influence the outcome of the competition.
In addition to voting and registration information, the tech giants have also focused on curbing misinformation about the voting process. Last month, Google's YouTube announced that it would give users information about mail-in-voting when they watch videos discussing the topic. The voting method is fraught with misinformation as President Donald Trump attempted to discredit the process without providing evidence of security flaws in the tried and tested system.
To give people more context, the software will add a text box to the vote via email video, according to YouTube, pointing to information from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington DC-based think tank.
Google also announced last month that it would block autocomplete suggestions on its search engine for questions about voting procedures such as "you can vote by phone" or "you cannot vote by phone".
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