This Google election conspiracy theory doesn’t hold up

There’s nary grounds Google is hiding a representation of polling places from Trump voters, contempt the suggestions of a video reposted by Elon Musk.

In the video, primitively shared by X idiosyncratic DogeDesigner, a idiosyncratic searches Google for “where tin I ballot for Harris” and “where tin I ballot for Trump.” The Harris hunt shows Google’s 2024 US elections panel, which includes a representation you tin usage to find wherever to vote. The Trump hunt does not.

But there’s a complicating origin here: Harris is besides the sanction of a region successful Texas. And the polling representation pops up erstwhile radical hunt presumption similar “where tin I vote” and a determination — effort searches similar “where tin I ballot for Brooklyn” oregon “where tin I ballot for Tampa,” and you’ll spot it appear. And successful fact, erstwhile The Verge unit tried searching “where tin I ballot for Harris,” we saw a sidebar mentioning Texas alongside the voting map.

Google directly responded to Musk connected X and confirmed that explanation. “The ‘where to vote’ sheet is triggering for immoderate circumstantial searches” due to the fact that of the region successful Texas, it said — noting that the aforesaid happening happened for “where to ballot Vance” with a North Carolina county. The institution said the contented was “now fixed” successful a consequent post, and arsenic of publication, a hunt for “where tin I ballot for Harris” (or Vance) nary longer shows the polling map.

The institution besides said that “very fewer radical really hunt for voting places this way.” If you do still request to find your polling place, you tin ever bypass Google and spell somewhere similar Vote.org.