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The Wahl-O-Mat app
Photo: Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez / dpa
Before the general election this year, a particularly large number of people in Germany want to know where they stand politically: The interest in Wahl-O-Mat is greater than ever this year. The usage figures are just under a week and a half before the election already above the total number from 2017, as the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) announced on Friday. The Wahl-O-Mat, which has been available since September 3, has been used around 15.703 million times so far. For the federal election four years ago it was used a total of 15.694 million times.
"The Wahl-O-Mat is probably the most important information offer in the run-up to this federal election, along with the Trielle," said bpb President Thomas Krüger.
"Especially when things get exciting, many voters take a closer look at the positions of the parties." With the Wahl-O-Mat, that is "still fun".
The Wahl-O-Mat was used for the first time in the 2002 Bundestag election.
At that time it was used 3.6 million times.
Since then the number has increased steadily.
The Wahl-O-Mat is not only available for Bundestag elections, but also for state elections.
According to bpb, the offer was used around 100 million times for a total of more than 50 elections.
Via the Wahl-O-Mat, voters can find out on the Internet and via an app which parties are closest to their own position.
To this end, 38 questions are asked on various topics.
A survey by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of SPIEGEL also recently revealed that a large number of people had already decided two weeks before the election how they wanted to vote.
According to this, around 77 percent of people were already firmly determined in their decision a little more than two weeks before the election.
A good fifth of the electorate has not yet decided, however.
Especially sympathizers of the Greens, the Left and AfD are therefore sure to make their mark on their party.
mfh / AFP
