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Do VAAs Encourage Issue Voting and Promissory Representation? Evidence From the Swiss Smartvote
Author(s) -
Ladner Andreas
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
policy and internet
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.281
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1944-2866
DOI - 10.1002/poi3.137
Subject(s) - delegate , voting , parliament , representation (politics) , politics , political science , matching (statistics) , public relations , internet privacy , law and economics , computer science , law , sociology , statistics , mathematics , programming language
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.