Want to keep up on the U.K. election? Amazon Alexa can help you

By Lulu Chang June 5, 2017

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Last fall, voters in the U.S. were able to stay updated on election news and results by way of Alexa, and now, that same skill is crossing the pond. With elections in the U.K. slated to take place in just three short days on Thursday, June 8, Amazon is doing its part to ensure that the electorate is educated. As such, you can now ask your Amazon Echo to fill you in on all the latest happenings in the political arena, by asking questions like, “Alexa, what’s going on with Theresa May?”

An Amazon spokesperson told The Independent that Alexa’s answers will be sourced from the virtual assistant’s knowledge graph, and will span quite a wide breadth of topics. And perhaps most importantly is the tool’s promise to bring voters information in near real-time, which may prove key in a close race, where results can vary on a minute-by-minute basis. But as The Independent reports, Alexa ought to be able to tell engaged citizens what the polls are currently predicting, when the debates will be held, and who is eligible to cast a ballot.

Potential questions include, “Alexa, what is the polling like?” or “Alexa, what’s the latest with The Labour Party?” or “Alexa, what’s the latest with the election?” And as polls close and the official results start rolling in, Alexa will be able to keep the U.K. informed. At that point, if you ask, “Alexa, who is winning the election?” the assistant should tell you which party appears to be on top, the number of seats that party has won, the total number of seats currently declared, and the number of seats won by the parties in second and third place.

So if you’re looking for a way to talk politics this week, Alexa may be a better bet than your friends.

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