Election 2024: Can't decide who to vote for in your constituency? This tool will help
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If you're not sure who to vote for, or which election candidates share your views, we might be able to help.
Co-founded by the University of Limerick's Dr Rory Costello, a new "voting advice application" compares a voter's views with those of the candidates in their constituency.
The tool aims to make elections more transparent and hopes to give voters the information they need to make the right decision on polling day.
It asks the user a range of questions and lists how your answers line up with the candidates running in your constituency. It also gives you the opportunity to see and compare how the candidates in your constituency who particpated in the project answered the same questions.
Feel free to use the service by clicking on 'General Election 2024' in the embed below.
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On WhichCandidate.ie, a set of relevant policy issues are selected by the research team in advance of the election. Election candidates are contacted to complete a questionnaire on these issues. Each participating candidate is given a public profile on the website, incorporating their answers to the questionnaire.
Voters are asked the same set of questions, and their answers are compared with the answers of the candidates. A customised results page is then presented to each user, containing a ranking of candidates ordered by how closely their answers match.
Some candidates are not included as some have declined to share their policy views.
The application is not associated with any political party or election candidate and is run by researchers at the Department of Politics and Public Administration at UL.
"With an ever-growing list of new parties and independents, the choice for voters has become more complex than ever," say the creators.
"We want to make it easier for voters to compare candidates based on their positions on issues of major national importance."