The Wahl-O-Mat for the state elections in Lower Saxony is now available. Undecided voters can use it to get an overview of the positions of the parties standing for election.
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The Wahl-O-Mat for the state elections in Lower Saxony is now available.
© Federal Agency for Civic Education
In exactly one month, on October 9th, the state elections will take place in Lower Saxony. Just in time for this, the Wahl-O-Mat is online, with which those interested in politics can compare their own interests with the election programs of the parties standing for election. A total of 14 parties are available for election. The Wahl-O-Mat is available as a smartphone app (for Android and iOS), via the browser or as a download.
The Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) is responsible for the Wahl-O-Mat. The tool is designed to help voters make a decision to vote for a party. The offer is expressly not an election recommendation, but is an offer of information on elections and politics, as the makers explain.
The principle is easy to explain: First, the parties standing for election fill out a questionnaire with current political questions. 38 theses can either be answered with “agree”, “disagree” or “neutral”. The users are presented with the same 38 theses, and their answers are then compared with those of the parties. The greater the agreement with a party, the better it fits in with one’s own political stance. The parties also provide a statement for each thesis, in which they explain in a few words the reasons for their position.
The theses are selected by a committee from the “bpb”, experts from science, media and education and by young voters. In a first step, a total of 80 theses are formulated, which are reduced to 38 theses in a second workshop.
When using the Wahl-O-Mat, no personal data is stored, and there are no trackers on the website.
“bpb” offers a brief profile of all parties participating in the Lower Saxony state elections in 2022 on this website. You can find out exactly how the election on October 9 will take place on this information page. Among other things, the difference between the first vote and the two-vote is explained there and the voting process itself is explained.
