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DO YOU FIND it difficult to decide who to vote for in elections?
If so, Smartvote’s ‘Know Your Candidate‘ could be the app for you.
The programme was piloted at the recent UCD student union elections, and will be rolled out in time for the Carlow Kilkenny by-election in May.
About 2,000 students used the app in UCD. Its co-creator Gordon Rose said the feedback was really positive, adding that about 400 of the 4,000 votes cast were as a direct result of people using the app.
It works by asking the user their opinion on various topics and how they would vote on certain bills if they were a TD.
The app, which is free, then matches the person with the candidates who voted similarly to them, over the course of 30-40 questions.
Rose said the questions in the Carlow Kilkenny version of the app will focus on both local and national issues.
It gets people to quickly position themselves on the full range of issues that are raised during political campaigns. This makes it easier for them to follow the race and commit to a decision on who to vote for.
He noted that over 17 EU countries already have their own version of this type of application.
Rose and his business partner, Keith Moore, hope to expand the app to cover other constituencies ahead of the general election, in a bid to increase voter turnout – particularly among young people.
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