My Vote 2014
Last month the ‘My Vote 2014’ website was launched by Votewatch Europe in the framework of the League of Young Voters. The site has been created to engage young voters ahead of next year’s European Parliamentary elections. VoteWatch Europe has developed this online tool within the League of Young Voters project.
Visitors to the site can input their personal preferences on a number of topical issues that have been debated in the parliament; this will then match the results with the voting record of MEPs. Such issues include: measures to combat youth unemployment and environmental policy. The users are presented with 15 questions where they can agree, disagree or abstain – voting results of all incumbent MEPs are listed in relation to the choices made by the user.
Chairman of VoteWatch Europe, Professor Simon Hix from the London School of Economics stated, “We selected the salient issues; the ones that are most likely to interest voters”.
Although the website is accessible to everyone, the main target are those aged 18-35 and first time voters. At the last European Parliamentary election turnout amongst voters aged 18-24 was only 29%. The League of Young Voters — a project initiated by the European Youth Forum — hopes to reverse the trend in declining turnout by engaging Europeans in the issues that matter to them in the run up to the 2014 elections. Together with tools such as My Vote 2014, the League of Young Voters hopes to support young people in making an informed choice.
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