Alexa Users Can Donate To 2020 Election Using Amazon Pay

Amazon has revealed that Alexa will now provide users with information on the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The company noted that during the midterm elections last fall, customers turned to Alexa for answers to a variety of questions, such as:

“Alexa, when are the polls open?”

“Alexa, who is winning in New York?”

“Alexa, what happened in the midterm election?”

Amazon is building on that experience and adding more ways for Alexa to provide users with information during the upcoming election for U.S. president, with an emphasis on being objective and offering customers a choice.

“We aim to provide the most relevant, accurate, and timely information about elections and candidates,” the company explained in a blog post. “We federate across hundreds of information sources, and we collaborate with nonpartisan organizations to provide customers with information on polls, ballots, results and more. Alexa herself does not have opinions on politics or candidates. When it comes to news, Alexa is a conduit, not a news creator. Whenever possible we let you choose which news providers you prefer to watch, listen to, and get live updates from.”

Amazon added that it will use the questions asked and information requested to release new features to ensure that Alexa is a helpful, unbiased source throughout the 2020 race.

Alexa’s first new elections feature launches on Thursday (Sept. 19), when all 2020 U.S. presidential candidates can sign up to receive campaign contributions via Alexa.

“All candidates are invited to make use of this technology — on-boarding is simple and doesn’t require any technical experience,” Amazon explained. “Starting next month, customers will be able to simply say, ‘Alexa, donate to [candidate name]’ to contribute up to $200 to any participating candidate’s campaign fundraising efforts. Alexa Political Contributions is powered by Amazon Pay, which uses the payment information associated with your Amazon account to complete the donation request.”