The game behind the election compass

The election compass has firmly established itself as an indispensable tool in Swedish election campaigns, with a significant majority of voters, two out of three, consulting these tools before making their choice at the ballot box. However, the journey from a voter's initial stance to the final party recommendation is far from straightforward, involving intricate strategies and potential quirks.

Behind the seemingly simple question of which party aligns best with a voter's views lies a complex process. This includes tactical responses from political parties aiming to influence results, difficult decisions for the compass creators regarding question selection and weighting, and occasionally, surprising or peculiar outcomes that may not perfectly reflect a voter's nuanced political leanings.

The concept of the election compass is not new, tracing its origins back to 1989 in the Netherlands. The first iteration, named StemWijzer, was developed for high school students. Its primary aim was to shift the focus of political engagement from personal disputes between politicians to the substantive policy positions of the various parties.

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The world's first election compass came on paper and floppy disk. The year was 1989 and the test was called StemWijzer. It had been developed in the Netherlands for high school students, with the idea of shifting the focus from political personal battles to what the parties actually thought on substance.