A new, local-level voter website launched by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) today, democraticdashboard.com|, gives voters unprecedented access to information about their local constituencies.
Launched on the first day of the 2015 general election campaign, democraticdashboard.com| will help voters decide how to choose parties in the UK's more complex, modern, political landscape.
Voters simply enter a postcode or a town name and the Democratic Dashboard gives them instant and comprehensive election information about their constituency, the parties and who is standing.
The Dashboard is a completely neutral, one-stop shop that is purpose-designed for use on mobile devices and PCs.
The site aims to give all voters, regardless of age or political knowledge, a better understanding of what party and candidate options are on offer in their area.
Produced by LSE’s Democratic Audit|, the Dashboard collates a wide variety of democratic data into one accessible and citizen-focused portal.
There are links to all candidates' websites, Twitter and Facebook sites, as well as details of all recent, past election outcomes in the area and a specific forecast for the local results, drawing on the best political science sources.
Director of Democratic Audit, Professor Patrick Dunleavy, says the site shows people at the touch of a button how the political landscape in their area has changed since the last election in 2010.
"It reveals what choices they have in terms of supporting parties and candidates, and how influential their vote could be, depending on what kind of area they live in," he added.
"All the polls and academic studies are pointing to another hung Parliament and a likely coalition government," says Professor Dunleavy. "With new parties like UKIP, the Greens and the Scottish National Party all surging, it is not enough to know what happened in your area last time. This is the most complex election of modern times and voters have to choose in a local setting what outcomes they want to achieve. DemocraticDashboard.com| meets that need instantly, comprehensively, neutrally and authoritatively."
Website designer Carl Cullinane from Democratic Audit says the site will be especially valuable for new voters, young people and geographically-mobile voters, as well as "anyone who may not have a deep understanding of their area that long-term residents will have".
"We hope it will encourage more people to get engaged and boost the youth vote in particular," Mr Cullinane says. "The UK now has one of the biggest age gaps in voting participation between young people under 25 and people over 55 in the OECD, standing at over 30 per cent, so a mobile-friendly app like this can really help give people the information they need."
For more information, go to: DemocraticDashboard.com| or contact Carl Cullinane at c.m.cullinane@lse.ac.uk| or 020 7852 3762.
Ends
30 March 2015