Do VAAs Encourage Issue Voting and Promissory Representation? Evidence From the Swiss Smartvote

Abstract

Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) are based on the idea of issue and proximity voting. The parties and candidates recommended by VAAs are those with the highest number of matching positions on a number of political questions and issues. Many of these questions are much more specific and detailed than party programs and electoral platforms and show the voters exactly what the party or the candidates stand for and how they will vote in parliament once elected. This practice can be expected to foster promissory representation and the delegate model of political representation, where promises are supposed to be kept, and no leeway is given to the candidates once they are elected. On the basis of an online survey conducted among the users of the Swiss VAA Smartvote (n = 10,252), I find evidence that issue voters have weaker party ties, are more likely to follow the recommendations issued by Smartvote and to expect elected candidates to keep their promises.

Improving candidate-based voting advice application design

“…This type of interpretation of the voting advice supports the delegate model of political representation, where elected representatives have strict mandates to fulfill their electoral promises (see Ladner 2016). The interpretation of the ideology-based VAA's voting advice is more supportive of the trustee model of political representation, in which representatives can rely on their judgment when deciding on how to vote in particular issues (Ladner 2016). Ideology-based VAA recommends the user the ideologically closest candidate, i.e.…”

Looking through the mirror: representativeness of the Italian party system before the 2018 General Election

“…They deliver easy to understand information about political parties, candidates and their positions with a reliable source, which is usually accessible to all users. This is fundamental for monitoring and eventually sanctioning elected representatives with an ex-post control (the link between pledges and parliamentary behaviour), but also for a proper evaluation of candidates through an ex-ante control (Ladner 2016). Through the information they provide, they foster political representation and the whole democratic process (Fivaz & Schwarz 2007).…”

Voting Advice Applications

“…By priming issues, VAAs could also tackle the representative deficit in some democracies in terms of fostering the relationship between voters and parties. One way is to conceptualize the VAA proposals as promises that implementation after the election could also be registered by modified applications, which would support the delegate model of political representation and serve the increasing number of "issue voters" with weaker party ties (Ladner, 2016).…”