By Rob O'Brien

Google Australia has entered the Federal Election by announcing it will host a student vote just over a week before polling day.

The search giant yesterday also launched a website offering tools to help voters monitor search trends and find electoral information.

Google's youth initiative – called Student Voice – will encourage Australians aged 15-17 years old to have their say in a simulated federal election between August 9-12, just over a week before the Federal Election.

Launched on its official blog by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Leader of the Greens, Senator Bob Brown, students will cast their vote and be able to enrol their schools.

“We’ve adopted standards and processes from the Australian Electoral Commission to make this as real an experience as possible,” Alan Noble, Engineering Director of Google Australia, said in a blog posting.

“For the first time ever young Australians have the opportunity to vote in a simulated federal election and have their opinions heard.

“We hope that this will be an exciting opportunity to educate young Australians about a fundamental democratic process and unveil to politicians the voice of the next generation.”

Google Australia has also launched a website dedicated to the election to connect Australians with information about the election, parties, and political issues.

The tool allows voters to explore electoral information on a Google Map and access up-to-date insights and trends on the political issues deciding the election.

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