Google Helps Rock The Vote In India

Google has launched the Google India Elections Center to help engage India’s 700 million eligible voters in the country’s 15th general election, set to take place over the course of the next month. Google launched similar web based election centers in the U.S. and Australia in the past, but Google India’s election center has some new features which make it worth a look.

Available in English and Hindi, Google’s Indian election center lets Indian citizens confirm their voter registration status (which is a new feature that wasn’t fully implemented in the U.S. or Australian versions), find their polling location, view their constituency on a map and access election news. Voters can also get in-depth data about the area where they vote, including changes in literacy, poverty, and employment rates in the constituency since the last election. Voters can learn about the background of their Member of Parliament and this year’s candidates, and are able to see politician’s voting records, and attendance. The site will also feature updates on election schedules, online polls, discussion forums, opinions and photos.

Google has partnered with the Hindustan Times, and a number of NGOs, including, the Association for Democratic Reforms, Indicus Analytics, the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, the Liberty Institute, and PRS Legislative Services. Yahoo developed a similar site for Indian citizens last week, but Yahoo’s site doesn’t seem to be as comprehensive as Google India’s election site.