Wahl-O-Mat for the Saarland state election 2022: Which party suits you? - Wahlomat

SaarlandOn March 27th, things get down to business in Saarland: that's when the new state parliament will be elected. Choosing a party is not always easy. In this case the Wahl-O-Mat could be helpful.

Six months after the federal election, the Saarlanders and Saarlanders by choice go to the ballot box again. On March 27, the state parliament in Saarland will be re-elected. But which party represents its own interests best? The so-called Wahl-O-Mat could help with the decision or at least provide orientation. It should be available at the end of February. How it works, what's new - here's a first overview.

State election in Saarland 2022: What is the Wahl-O-Mat?

The Wahl-O-Mat is an interactive question-and-answer tool that the federal or state headquarters put online before state, federal and European elections. Voters can use the Wahl-O-Mat to compare their own positions with the election programs of the parties. Although the tool does not explicitly recommend any party, it does offer initial guidance. This can be helpful, especially for young voters and those who are undecided. Incidentally, the Wahl-O-Mat went online for the first time before the 2002 federal election. It has now been used in over 50 elections. According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education, citizens have already used it more than 85 million times.

State election in Saarland 2022: How does the Wahl-O-Mat work?

With the help of the Wahl-O-Mat, voters should find out which party is closest to them. Users can answer 38 carefully selected theses (see below) with "agree", "neutral" or "disagree". It is also possible to skip theses. Since all parties allowed to vote have already answered the statements beforehand, users can compare their respective position with the party's position. On this basis, the Wahl-O-Mat calculates which party has a lot in common and differences. The tool gives the result as a percentage. The state center for political education in Saarland is currently in contact with 20 parties.

State election in Saarland 2022: The Wahl-O-Mat offers these new features

Before the 2021 federal election, the Wahl-O-Mat received a new design and new features. In this way, users can use the "Tuning" area to weight their own positions twice - with a direct influence on the result. This is recommended if topics are particularly important to a voter. For example school policy, the fight against anti-Semitism or the corona pandemic. In addition, all participants can read the justifications of the parties to the respective theses under the "Viewpoints" tab.

State elections in Saarland 2022: Who is developing the Wahl-O-Mat?

In a workshop from December 3rd to 5th, 15 young and first-time voters have already put together 80 theses for the Wahl-O-Mat, which are often also important for Saarland. The statements revolve around several topics. Among other things, family, housing or corona policy. A team of political scientists, statisticians and five regional experts supported the young editors. The package of theses has currently reached around 20 parties from Saarland, who usually have to answer the statements within two to three weeks.

The answers of the parties are then checked by selected scientists from the University of Düsseldorf and experts from the Federal Agency for Civic Education. If misunderstandings arise, the party may revise its positioning. The party itself always decides which party answers appear in the Wahl-O-Mat.

In a second workshop, 38 suitable theses for the Wahl-O-Mat are selected. The decision is made by the same 15 young and first-time voters who took part in the first workshop.

According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the theses must

As soon as the 38 theses have been determined, the Wahl-O-Mat will be tested. If everything goes smoothly, it will be put online.

State election 2022 in Saarland: The Wahl-O-Mat is not there yet - when is it coming?

"The Wahl-O-Mat will probably be available online by the end of February," says Martin Hetterich, head of the state headquarters in Saarland.

Here is the Wahl-O-Mat for the 2017 state election