Artificial Intelligence: A New Tool in Voting Decisions

Mia Taylor felt overwhelmed as she faced her Los Angeles County election ballot. Like many voters, she struggled with choosing the best candidates in numerous local races. To aid her decision-making, she turned to Claude, an AI chatbot developed by Anthropic.

Ms. Taylor initially asked Claude who to vote for, but it declined to answer due to its training to avoid political biases. Undeterred, she refined her query to ask for links to reputable progressive groups and strategic voting options.

Claude provided various voter guides and details about each race. Ms. Taylor particularly needed guidance on the mayoral vote, where she aimed to prevent a Republican candidate, Spencer Pratt, from advancing. Claude suggested she vote for incumbent Karen Bass over City Council member Nithya Raman. Ultimately, Pratt did not advance, while Bass and Raman moved to the general election.

This scenario highlights how voters are beginning to use AI tools like Claude in political decision-making. The 2026 midterm elections are significant, as they could mark a point where AI usage in voting becomes widespread in America.