RMU scientists develop Wahl-O-Mat alternative “Party-Check” for state elections in Rhineland-Palatinate
Voting aid tool based on political science expertise from the states rather than on the parties' own positioning
On 22 March 2026, elections will be held for the 19th state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate. To help voters make their decision, political scientist Dr. Nils Steiner from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), together with Dr. J. Philipp Thomeczek from the University of Potsdam, Prof. Dr. Marc Debus from the University of Mannheim, Prof. Dr. Christian Stecker from the Technical University of Darmstadt, and Prof. Dr. Thomas Bräuninger from the University of Mannheim, have developed an innovative election aid: the “Party Check.” The new tool is now available online and allows users to find out how closely their own positions align with those of the parties in Rhineland-Palatinate. Unlike the Wahl-O-Mat, the party positioning is based on a survey of political science experts.
The “Party Check” guides users through 16 selected questions on current political issues, including community schools, rent control, the urban landscape debate, the phase-out of combustion engines, climate protection, and how to deal with the AfD. At the end, participants receive a result that indicates, in percentage terms, the extent to which they agree with the respective parties on individual issues. In addition, a classification on a left-right scale is calculated. Users then have two options: they can delete their data completely or support scientific research by answering further questions, such as about their own voting intentions.
What makes it special is that the party positions do not come from the parties themselves, but from the “Länder Expert Survey,” a survey of political science experts on the positions of the parties in the individual federal states. “Surveying experts is an established method in research for positioning parties,” explains Dr. Nils Steiner from the Institute of Political Science at JGU. The data from the “Länder Expert Survey” is already available to researchers. “We see the tool as a supplement to the Wahl-O-Mat, where the parties position themselves,” Steiner continues. The method reaches its limits with small parties: The “Party Check” for Rhineland-Palatinate therefore allows a comparison with the positions of the SPD, CDU, Greens, AfD, FDP, Free Voters, BSW, and The Left.
The “Party Check” is now available online and offers a clear way to explore your own political views and identify overlaps with parties for the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate. A version of the “Party Check” for the state election in Baden-Württemberg is also available there.
