Amazon is introducing a new Alexa feature called Alexa Political Contributions.
In other words, you can now make campaign donations to 2020 presidential candidates through an Alexa-enabled device, such as an Echo or Echo Show, as long as the candidate is eligible and chooses to sign up for Alexa donations.
Here's how the feature works.
How to use Alexa to make a campaign donation
Set up
Before you can ask Alexa to make a campaign donation on your behalf, you must have voice purchasing enabled in your Alexa voice purchasing settings and a payment method set up in your Amazon account "1-click" preferences. To prevent accidental donations, be sure to also set up a four-digit voice code in your Alexa app settings. For details, see Manage Voice Purchasing Settings.
Voice commands
You can donate to any participating 2020 US presidential candidate using Alexa by saying the following commands:
- “Alexa, I want to make a political contribution”
- “Alexa, donate [amount] to [candidate name].”
Who can donate and to whom?
Contributors
To make a campaign contribution via Alexa, you must be at least 18 and a US citizen (or a permanent resident such as a green card holder) to make a donation. You cannot be a federal government contractor. Alexa will also only help you donate to US presidential campaigns.
Candidates
Amazon hasn't explicitly named political candidates that accept donations on Alexa, but it said candidates who choose to sign up must “have a US-based street address, a US-based bank account, a credit card associated with a US street address, and a US-based phone number".
How much can you donate?
The minimum donation amount is $5. You can donate a total of $200 per campaign using Alexa for each election cycle. Your contribution must be made in your own name and from your own funds. All donations will be processed through Amazon Pay, and yu will receive an email receipt for your contribution.
When will this feature be available?
Starting in October, you’ll be able to donate via Alexa.