As of today, a Kieskompas is available for the first time in all provinces in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. The thirteen regional public broadcasters, from L1 in Limburg to Omroep Fryslan, have created these digital voting aids together with a scientific team from Kieskompas.
The regional broadcasters are responsible for financing. According to Sander van Barneveld, chairman of the broadcasters’ editors-in-chief meeting, they do this because they believe it is important that the public goes to the polls well-informed. “Due to all the social and administrative problems, it has only become more complicated for voters to determine their vote,” says Van Barneveld. “The Kieskompas will help with that.”
The other major voting aid, Stemwijzer, is available in four provinces during these elections. The Stemwijzer can already be consulted in Drenthe, Overijssel and North Brabant; the Limburg version will be that from tomorrow. ProDemos produces the Stemwijzer on behalf of provinces. Most provinces will use a different voting aid this year or offer nothing in this area.
Asylum seekers centres
Kieskompas presents the user with dozens of propositions, for example about the arrival of asylum seekers’ centers or the question of whether the outlying area may suffer from the construction of new homes. After answering, you will see where you stand on the basis of a picture of the political landscape: which political parties are closest to and which are furthest away.
Different political issues play a role in each province, which is why the positions and positioning of the parties are nowhere exactly the same. But according to the founder of Kieskompas, political scientist André Krouwel, it is striking that PVV, Forum for Democracy and JA21 always end up in almost the same positions at the very bottom right of the political spectrum. At the top left, parties such as D66, PvdA and GroenLinks are also close to each other, but the mutual distances are greater there.
ChristenUnie, CDA and VVD are somewhere in between. The ChristenUnie more at the top left, the VVD often at the bottom right and the CDA usually about in the middle. BBB is more difficult to place substantively, although usually on the right and conservative side of the middle.
This is what the political landscape of Kieskompas looks like in Gelderland:
According to Krouwel, the statements in the Electoral Compass show that there are indeed clear contradictions between parties in provincial elections. “Provinces are about the use of space; about questions such as the maximum speed on provincial roads and where construction is allowed or not. Those issues are by definition controversial.”
The provincial electoral compasses are also available in simple language, for people who, for whatever reason, struggle with more difficult words. “Although we have done our best to write down the statements as clearly as possible, there are still enough words like that,” says Sander van Barneveld of the broadcasters. “The Steffie system can explain them on request and also helps to go through the Kieskompas easily. Extremely important because – let’s be honest – politics is complicated enough.”
- The Twelve Election Compasses
- The four provincial Stemwijzers
