Washington DC, United States

Apparently, many American voters didn’t know that United States President Joe Biden had pulled out of the race for the White House even on Election Day, November 5. In a shocking episode revealing how politically unaware some people in the US are, a trend spike was observed on Google with people searching: “Did Biden drop out” and “who is contesting”.

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The trend spiked on November 5 and then witnessed even greater interest on November 6, indicating that many people in the US were unaware of the fact that Biden had stepped away five months ago and Vice President Kamala Harris was now contesting on the Democratic ticket against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Another Google search indicating voters’ lack of awareness was ‘Where to vote for Biden.’

Television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel also mocked unaware voters during his show Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he aired interviews with Americans who responded positively when asked ‘if they would go to vote in presidential elections’ on November 6, a day after the polls.

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Also read: `God spared my life for a reason`: Trump hails election victory in rousing speech; here are the top quotes

But it’s not the first time that American voters exhibited staggering levels of unawareness during the presidential polls. In 2017, it was revealed that some voters had voted for Harambe, the gorilla who had gone viral.

It’s concerning to see the massive information gap prevalent in American society. According to nonprofit organiser Tami Forman, "The information bubbles are not liberal vs. conservative. They are paying attention vs. not paying attention."

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"Those of us paying attention," she continued, "would do well to remember that."

Also read: Trump Media reports $19.2 million loss in Q3, revenue declines on election day filing

While the press and even government departments always emphasise the dangers of vulnerabilities to misinformation, the information gap is another area that US authorities need to work on.

(With inputs from agencies)