Unlock Democracy: 6,000 London voters use Vote Match tool

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Monday, 07, Apr 2008 12:00

Unlock Democracy's new Vote Match web application - a new tool designed to help Londoners decide how to vote in the London elections on 1 May - has just received its 6,000th user (as of 1.30pm today). The tool has received glowing praise from across the political spectrum, with the Independent on Sunday's Chief Political Commentator John Rentoul describing it as a "digital-democracy breakthrough".

All ten Mayoral candidates and the thirteen political parties standing for the London-wide Assembly elections have provided their answers to the survey which forms the basis of the web application.

As well as matching their views against the candidates', voters can give specific policies extra weight. The results screen enables them to examine the candidates' views in more detail and points them to where they can get more information.

The issues that the users of the website have said matter the most to them so far are congestion charging (74% think it should be kept), affordable housing (64% think affordable rented accommodation is a bigger problem than immigration while 67% oppose proposals to scrap the 50% affordable housing target) and anti-social behaviour (67% disagree with the statement that penalising anti-social behaviour is more important than providing youth centres). Please note this is not a representative sample of public opinion.

Commenting, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said:

"Vote Match is proving to be an enormously popular tool for voters unsure of how to vote for the Mayor and Assembly elections on 1st May. It doesn't simply give the user a match of which candidate most closely agrees with their views; it shows them why.

"The potential of a tool like this to help boost participation is enormous - in the Netherlands, 1-in-3 voters used Vote Match's sister site 'Stemwijzer' in the last Parliamentary elections and is seen as a trusted tool that can help boost turnout."

Voters can try out the quiz themselves by going to: www.votematch.co.uk/london.

Vote Match has already received praise from the London Civic Forum ("The online aspect should especially appeal to younger and first time voters."), top political blogger Iain Dale ("a nice little gadget"), MayorWatch.co.uk ("VoteMatch is clearly set out and simple to use tool with great potential to help inform and empower voters."), Operation Black Vote ("Anything that increases the likelihood of people to play a full and positive role in the democratic process is to be applauded."), the OurKingdom website ("Vote Match is a strikingly intelligent and original contribution") and the Londonist ("anyone looking to tunnel beneath the spin, sparkle and spats should check out this site").

For more information about Vote Match, go to www.votematch.co.uk.

ENDS

1. The figure of 6,000 is accurate as of 1.30pm on Monday 7 April and is set to increase.

2. Unlock Democracy, incorporating Charter 88, is the UK's leading campaign for democratic renewal and active engagement in the political process. A cross-party organisation, it is not affiliated to any political party and does not endorse any candidate in the London elections.

3. For more information, a quote or an interview, please contact James Graham on 020 7278 4443 / 07966 237550.