New Media Awards 2008 - Vote Match (Unlock Democracy)

Vote Match (Unlock Democracy)

1 nomination
3 comments
08 April 2008
Rating

http://www.votematch.co.uk

Nominated in Democracy in action category.

This is the first of a series of "Vote Matches" that Unlock Democracy plans to run in UK elections. Based on "Stemwijzer" developed by the Netherlands-based organisation IPP it works by asking users a series of statements which are then matched against the answers provided by the candidates. Users can give extra weight to the issues that matter most to them. It doesn't just give a result, it explains why.

1 nomination from readers

Vote Match has already received rave reviews. John Rentoul described it as “a digital-democracy breakthrough” and in its first five days had more than 8,000 users.

The aim of Vote Match is to provide people who know very little about politics information about the candidates and what they stand for in a simple and accessible way. It encourages individuals to think about policy rather than personality.

A key principle behind Vote Match is transparency. We are careful not to present the information as a recommendation and encourage people to take things further by examining the results they got in detail.

Vote Match is part of a growing network from which best practice can be drawn. Similar projects using this model have been used for the recent Dutch, German, French, Swiss and Bulgarian elections.

The potential for a tool such as this is enormous. In the last Dutch elections an estimated 1-in-3 voters used "Stemwijzer". 80% found it to be trustworthy and 10-15% of users who said they did not intend to vote ended up doing so.

Nominated by James Graham, Unlock Democracy, 08 April 2008

3 comments from readers

A very worthwhile venture, which I endorse whole-heartedly!

Submitted by Vishy Mahadevan, 10 April 2008
A real contribution to the democratic process

Submitted by Wyn Grant, 11 April 2008
I had a ballot paper delivered to my house yesterday and I had great difficulty picking someone i wanted to vote for! Votematch is an excellent concept and i feel could do great things for local elections also! I want to be represented by someone that has my thoughts in mind and it rightly matched! Well done Unlock Democracy! Lets hope this concept goes national!

Submitted by Matt, 25 April 2008

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