Twitter has announced a series of initiatives to empower citizens to fight misinformation before they cast their vote ahead of the 2022 assembly elections. Twitter will also expand its dedicated search prompt, powered by the Election Commission of India, to provide people with real-time updates and developments on the elections from 'credible' and 'authoritative' sources.
The states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are preparing for the 2022 assembly elections. Twitter says that its initiatives could ensure a high voter turnout throughout the election cycle and that everyone with the right to vote is a 'jagruk voter.''
The microblogging site will also host workshops and training sessions for non-profits across the five states, to develop literacy materials and pre-bunks for tackling misinformation.
"We have been working in partnership with official authorities, including the Election Commission of India to empower every '#JagrukVoter' on Twitter, and we will continue to harness the power of the open internet to strengthen civic dialogue and encourage quality participation this election season,” said Public Policy & Government, Twitter India.
Twitter will initiate a customised emoji and a notification that allows people to sign-up for reminders on the day voting starts. In addition, a voter education quiz will engage people in Q&As with necessary facts about the polls.
"These prompts provide credible, authoritative sources of information when people search with related keywords on Twitter’s Explore page. The prompt will direct people to resources where they can access reliable information about candidate lists, voting dates, polling booths, and more," the company said.
In addition to English, the search prompt will be available in Hindi, Punjabi, and Konkani, and will be supported by several hashtags such as #AssemblyPolls2022.
Further, Twitter said it will also encourage participation in the elections by running a ‘heart-to-remind’ notification campaign. People will be able to sign-up for a reminder notification by liking the campaign tweet and can also choose to opt out at any time by replying to the notification tweet. From the day voting begins, anyone who likes the tweet will receive a personalised notification with a reminder to vote.
The company said the emoji features an index finger hovering over a list of voting options that conveys the voter’s power to make informed, thought-through choices.
The campaign will be launched on January 25 with a quiz about the voting process, polling booths, voter ID registration. They will also be able to view their scores as shareable scorecards.