Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) are
digital tools – online questionnaires that help voters gather information on
parties, policies, and candidates in the pre-election phase. VAAs deliver
online data that can assist voters to identify the party or candidate that
aligns with their political values and preferences. This can help to save time
and also build political literacy in young and first-time voters.
VAAs are an increasingly popular tool
in democracies, being used to drive civic engagement and electoral
participation, and influence voter turnout. Debate continues on the efficacy of
VAAs; critics maintain that they are not capable of delivering impartial
advice, while supporters credit their capacity to help voters in the
decision-making process. VAAs are widely used in Europe: Switzerland’s
SmartVote program matches voters and candidates, with both completing the
online questionnaire. SmartVote has proven popular with young voters, and is
seen as likely to influence youth voter turnout.
Example: The Vote Compass application was
developed in Canada by political scientists, and is now used by democracies
around the world. Participants complete an online questionnaire, covering a
series of issues. Vote Compass analyses responses and compares them against the
policies of candidates. The results show the participant how their views
compare to candidates’ policies. Vote Compass generally partners with a media
organization to promote the initiative in the pre-election cycle
(votecompass.com).
