Elector’s Compass for Elections of Estonian Parliament 2011
Project „Elector’s Compass for Parlamentary Elections 2011“ was launched in October 2010. The project is funded by Estonian Open Foundation and it’s main goal is to offer possibility to compare everybody’s own standpoints in key issues for political life and society with standpoints of candidate parties. For this reason the special technical tool – called elector’s compass – will be made available in special election’s website launched by Estonian Public Broadcasting.
The use of elector’s compass stimulates citizens to think more actively about different aspects and problems in society and political life of the country and helps to position themselves politically. Namely conscious and calculated desicions of electorate form the basement for efficient representative democracy and responsability of citizens for the political trajectory of the state. In consequence, the project is directed to all citizens having voting right in Estonia, but also to all parties, because for making the tool „work“ also parties have to profile thsemselves according to standpoints in different areas of society.
The concrete activities of the project are:
- Stating politically neutral statements on key issues of political life and society
- Defining of position of different parties towards those key standpoints
- Elaborating technical software solution for this tool
For stating politically neutral statments, the advisory expert body is formed by Estonian leading political scientists, sociologists, communication and media specialists. Kristjan Vassil, a Phd student from European University Institute, was recruited as a scientific advisor ensuring the quality of the application and identification of party positions.
Elector’s Compass has proved itselt already as important tool for increasing elections democracy. According to surveys it has had real impact on citizens’ voting choices. The use of elector’s compass is already quite extensive in Holland, German, Austria (see more in Kristjan vassil’s Dissertation, forthcoming).
Also in Estonia similar tool is not unknown – the online version of Estonian newspaper Postimees made similar tool available during 2005 and 2009 local elections (only in Tallinn and Tartu). If in year 2005 only 7136 citizens used it, then in 2009 already 25 303 citizens of Tallinn used it for making their choice in local elections.
Thus it is obvious that citizens are more and more interested in comparing their standpoints with standpoints of parties and present project gives this opportunity.
