- The election is underway.
The Wahl-O-Mat for the Saxon state election in Saxony has started. Roland Löffler, director of the Saxon State Agency for Political Education, officially launched the online tool in Dresden. "The Wahl-O-Mat is not an instrument for recommending votes, but an instrument for political education that helps voters inform themselves about the positions of the parties," he emphasized. "The goal is political enlightenment, political participation, and a deeper understanding of what is at stake in this state election."
Users can indicate their own positions on 38 theses on state political topics, which the tool compares with the parties' answers. All 19 parties approved for the state election participated. The theses were compiled by an editorial team consisting of young voters, experts from science, journalism, and education from Saxony, as well as representatives from the federal and state agencies for political education.
"A Taste for More Information"
Especially first-time and second-time voters went to the polls proportionally less often, said Pamela Brandt from the Federal Agency for Political Education. Above all, they wanted to reach out with the Wahl-O-Mat. "Many are not clear where the differences between the parties lie." The online tool then serves as "an appetizer for more information."
After the launch, the top politicians of the seven parties represented in the state parliament or with realistic chances of entering it were the first to test the online tool. The CDU's general secretary Alexander Dierks, the AfD's Alexander Wiesner, the Left's co-chairs Susanne Schaper and Stefan Hartmann, the Greens' co-chairs Christin Furtenbacher and Marie Müller, the SPD's education policy spokeswoman Sabine Friedel, the deputy FDP chairman Thomas Kunz, and BSW board member Andreas Uhlig clicked through the theses. All of them saw their own party come out on top, sometimes with 100 percent agreement.
Used 590,000 Times Before the Last State Election
The Wahl-O-Mat has been around since 2002 and has been used in elections to the European Parliament, state and federal parliamentary elections, and over 130 million times in total. Before the 2019 state elections in Saxony, the Wahl-O-Mat was used around 590,000 times - 200,000 times more than five years ago, according to Löffler's figures.
The Wahl-O-Mat serves as a tool for political education, helping voters understand the positions of different parties in the state election. This is crucial for first-time and second-time voters, who often have unclear differences between the parties, as highlighted by Pamela Brandt from the Federal Agency for Political Education. Education plays a significant role in fostering political enlightenment and participation, as emphasized by Roland Löffler, the director of the Saxon State Agency for Political Education.
