Vote Compass
Encyclopedia
Vote Compass is a Canadian online electoral literacy application. Visitors can use this application to explore their position in the political landscape during a given election. Vote Compass is designed to provide users with a personalized, immediate and easy-to-understand assessment outlining how one's individual opinions on a sampling of policy issues siutates them within a two-dimensional ideological space and vis-à-vis the political parties running for office.
Vote Compass is also the legal name of the Canadian non-profit organization responsible for the development and oversight of the application.
The Vote Compass application was first launched at the onset of 2011 Canadian federal election. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
sponsored the project and promoted it throughout the course of the election campaign. During its first week of operation, Vote Compass attracted more than one million respondents. By the end of the election it had logged nearly two million responses.
s such as the EU Profiler, Kieskompas and Electoral Compass. Clifton van der Linden, a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto
and founder of Vote Compass, developed the Canadian iteration of the application in consultation with André Krouwel, Professor of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and founder of Kieskompas BV (or Electoral Compass
), which has developed more than 30 such applications for elections throughout Europe and also in the United States and Israel.
The project was overseen by an advisory board composed of several of Canada's leading scholars in Canadian political science, including Professors André Blais (Université de Montréal
), Elisabeth Gidengil (McGill University
), Richard Johnston (University of British Columbia
), and Neil Nevitte (University of Toronto
). The project's research team was directed by Jennifer Hove, a SSHRC doctoral fellow in political science at the University of Toronto. Data analysis was conducted by Peter Loewen, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, as well as Yannick Dufresne and Gregory Eady, both PhD candidates in political science at the University of Toronto. Institutional sponsors of Vote Compass included the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough
and the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, headquartered at McGill University
.
. The result appears in a two-dimensional diagram with the position of the user placed between the statistically averaged positions of the different political parties. The two dimensions are defined as "economic left" versus "economic right", and "social conservatism
" versus "social liberalism". The user's position is enclosed by an ellipse which calculates the standard deviation of the responses provided. The ellipse represents the range of possible positions the user could occupy given the (in)consistency of the responses provided. Users could also refine their position by attaching different weights to the various policy domains or issue clusters represented in Vote Compass.
Users were also asked to rate the party leaders (on a 0-10 scale) on trustworthiness, competency and suitability for Prime Minister. Although these responses did not affect the calculation of the user's position in the two-dimensional plane, the averaged ratings of the leaders were represented as leader rankings under the "Your Picks for Prime Minister" section of the application.
All of the research that was used to calibrate the positions of the political parties was made publicly accessible in the application. Users were able to see the response imputed to each political party and the evidence drawn from the party platforms that justified said response.
, who noted that one could provide identical responses to each proposition in Vote Compass (i.e. answer "strongly agree" to all propositions or "strongly disagree" to all propositions) and would in each case be positioned closest to the Liberal Party in the results.
Vote Compass has refuted accusations of bias, arguing that the propositions in the application are specifically constructed in such a way as to avoid acquiescence bias
and that the result described by Brock can be arrived at by gaming the system
.
Vote Compass is also the legal name of the Canadian non-profit organization responsible for the development and oversight of the application.
The Vote Compass application was first launched at the onset of 2011 Canadian federal election. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
sponsored the project and promoted it throughout the course of the election campaign. During its first week of operation, Vote Compass attracted more than one million respondents. By the end of the election it had logged nearly two million responses.
Background
Vote Compass is modelled after European Voting Advice ApplicationVoting Advice Application
A voting advice application or voting aid application is an Internet application that helps voters find a party that stands closest to their preferences. VAAs are a new phenomenon in modern election campaigning....
s such as the EU Profiler, Kieskompas and Electoral Compass. Clifton van der Linden, a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and founder of Vote Compass, developed the Canadian iteration of the application in consultation with André Krouwel, Professor of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and founder of Kieskompas BV (or Electoral Compass
Electoral Compass
The Electoral Compass is a voting advice website. Visitors can use the application to discover their position in the political landscape for upcoming elections. Electoral Compass was officially established at the VU Amsterdam on October 23, 2007....
), which has developed more than 30 such applications for elections throughout Europe and also in the United States and Israel.
The project was overseen by an advisory board composed of several of Canada's leading scholars in Canadian political science, including Professors André Blais (Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
), Elisabeth Gidengil (McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
), Richard Johnston (University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
), and Neil Nevitte (University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
). The project's research team was directed by Jennifer Hove, a SSHRC doctoral fellow in political science at the University of Toronto. Data analysis was conducted by Peter Loewen, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, as well as Yannick Dufresne and Gregory Eady, both PhD candidates in political science at the University of Toronto. Institutional sponsors of Vote Compass included the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough
University of Toronto Scarborough
The University of Toronto Scarborough is a satellite campus of the University of Toronto. Based in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the campus is set upon suburban parkland in the residential neighbourhood of Highland Creek...
and the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, headquartered at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
.
Design
Users were asked to provide their opinion on 30 propositions with responses on a 1-5 Likert scaleLikert scale
A Likert scale is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research, such that the term is often used interchangeably with rating scale, or more accurately the Likert-type scale, even though...
. The result appears in a two-dimensional diagram with the position of the user placed between the statistically averaged positions of the different political parties. The two dimensions are defined as "economic left" versus "economic right", and "social conservatism
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
" versus "social liberalism". The user's position is enclosed by an ellipse which calculates the standard deviation of the responses provided. The ellipse represents the range of possible positions the user could occupy given the (in)consistency of the responses provided. Users could also refine their position by attaching different weights to the various policy domains or issue clusters represented in Vote Compass.
Users were also asked to rate the party leaders (on a 0-10 scale) on trustworthiness, competency and suitability for Prime Minister. Although these responses did not affect the calculation of the user's position in the two-dimensional plane, the averaged ratings of the leaders were represented as leader rankings under the "Your Picks for Prime Minister" section of the application.
All of the research that was used to calibrate the positions of the political parties was made publicly accessible in the application. Users were able to see the response imputed to each political party and the evidence drawn from the party platforms that justified said response.
Criticism
The most prominent criticism of Vote Compass to emerge in English Canada during the election campaign centred on an alleged Liberal bias. The accusation was first made by Kathy Brock, Associate Professor of Political Science at Queen's UniversityQueen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
, who noted that one could provide identical responses to each proposition in Vote Compass (i.e. answer "strongly agree" to all propositions or "strongly disagree" to all propositions) and would in each case be positioned closest to the Liberal Party in the results.
Vote Compass has refuted accusations of bias, arguing that the propositions in the application are specifically constructed in such a way as to avoid acquiescence bias
Acquiescence bias
Acquiescence bias is a category of response bias in which respondents to a survey have a tendency to agree with all the questions or to indicate a positive connotation. Acquiescence is sometimes referred to as "yah-saying" and is the tendency of a respondent to agree with a statement when in doubt...
and that the result described by Brock can be arrived at by gaming the system
Gaming the system
Gaming the system can be defined as "[using] the rules and procedures meant to protect a system in order, instead, to manipulate the system for [a] desired outcome".According to James Rieley, structures in organizations Gaming the system (or bending the rules, playing the system, abusing the...
.