Make Sure You #MakeASmartVote
Campaign posters are starting to go up. Enda’s dissolving the Dáil. Endless streams of politicians are knocking on your door. 2016’s general election is only weeks away. So who are you going to vote for?
If you can’t tell your Shatters from your Varadkars, your Murphys from your McDonalds, or your Boyd Barretts from your O’Riordáins, there’s a website that could help you do just that.
Smartvote.ie was launched last month in conjunction with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). The website has been lauded as ‘the Tinder of politics’ as it allows users to be matched up with politicians from their constituency based on their views on specific social and economic issues. The site not only promotes political engagement in the lead up to #GE16, but also ensures that first time, second time, and even regular voters can make an informed and intelligent decision on polling day.
Smartvote is simple. The website asks whether you agree, disagree, or neither agree nor disagree with 30 short statements. It will then compare your responses with the candidates running in your constituency. The statements range from issues of transport to housing, from employee rights to JobBridge, from refugees to Irish Water, and from abortion to education.
Example statements include:
‘Water metering is necessary to improve water conservation’
‘Cannabis should be decriminalised’
‘Too many schools are under Religious Patronage’
‘Abortion should be permitted in cases of rape, incest or when the baby is unlikely to survive outside the womb’
‘Home repossessions should be stopped’
Once all 30 statements have been ranked, you will then be presented with your ideal candidate. The website allows you to see exactly how your political match answered each statement in relation to your own views, providing you with a percentage compatibility rating, and a short list of other potential candidates. Smartvote not only eliminates the need to do excessive research on every politician in your area, but also allows you to prioritise the issues that are most important to you when voting. [pullquote]The website has been lauded as ‘the Tinder of politics’ as it allows users to be matched up with politicians based on their views on specific social and economic issues.[/pullquote]
President of the USI Kevin Donoghue has commended the website for its “innovative approach to voter engagement,” especially in relation to Irish students. He says that although the idea that students are not politically engaged is a myth, Smartvote will ensure that students are one of the most politically informed groups this forthcoming election. Donoghue also believes that the site offers a means for young people to express their concerns regarding certain issues. Speaking in the Irish Times, he said:
Smartvote is beginning to show the chasm that exists between politicians and young people. Of the 20,000 who have used Smartvote, 88 per cent felt that we should repeal the Eighth Amendment.
This number not only refutes the anti-choice argument that there is no appetite for abortion legislative change in Ireland, but also proves that the website’s users do have to power to affect change. Last year, the USI registered over 20,000 students in the lead up to the marriage referendum. Add that to the other 60,000 or so who have been registered over the years by the union and SpunOut.ie, and you’ve got a plethora of young Irish people just waiting to have their say.
But Smartvote isn’t just for students. It’s for everyone and anyone who isn’t quite too sure who they want to vote for. It’s handy, it’s easy to use, and it even gives you a little link to checktheregister.ie – just in case you’re not on it.
Who knows – maybe you’ll find the political match you’ve always dreamed of.
The general election will take place on Friday, February 26th.