Vote Compass: Find out how your views compare with the major parties

Wondering where you fit in the political landscape? Vote Compass is here for the Newfoundland and Labrador election on Feb. 13.

Vote Compass'sobjective is to promote electoral literacy and public participation during election campaigns.

The citizen engagementtool, which was designed by political scientists, asks you 30 questions on issues that range from the province's finances andhealth care to schools andferries to a number of social issues.

You can then compare what you had to say with how the parties look at each of the issues.The party positions were found througha comprehensive review of the public statements made by party officials. All the parties were consulted and invited to review the findings and provide feedback.

• Try Vote Compass for yourself! Click here to get started

Results are not intended and should not be interpreted as voting advice, nor as a prediction of which party a given user intends to vote for. It is rather an entry point into a discussion of party positions on a suite of issues relevant to the election.

Vote Compass was developed by Vox Pop Labs, an independent, non-partisan group of social researchers and data scientists. Neither Vote Compass nor Vox Pop Labs is affiliated with any political organization or interest group.

Does Vote Compass tell me how to vote?

Vote Compassis not designed to influence voter behaviour or predict how users intend to vote. It'sdesigned to foster voter engagement and encourage discussion on issues related to the provincial election. All voters decide for themselves which party is most appropriate to represent them based on various criteria not all of which are included in Vote Compass.

Not all registered parties are represented. Why?

By default, Vote Compass includes those political parties that were represented within a given jurisdiction's elected body at the conclusion of its previous election. A party must also meetall of the following conditions:

• Itis registered under the jurisdiction's elections commission.
• It fields candidates in a majority of ridings.
• It has a fully developed platform.
• It participates, where necessary, in the consultative process undertaken to determine its positions on the issues reflected in Vote Compass.

How does Vote Compass determine the positions of the parties?

Party responses to each of the questions in Vote Compass are derived through careful research of the party platforms along with consultations between the academic team and the parties themselves. SeeVoteCompass methodologyfor the details.

How does Vote Compass figure out my results?

Vote Compass figures out your alignment with the political parties bycomparing your responses with the questionnaire with the parties' positions on the same issues.

How didVote Compass place me closest to a party that I don't intend to vote for?

Vote Compass is not intended to predict which party a person intends to vote for in a given election nor which party a person feels that she or he is most closely aligned with. It specifies how the person is aligned with each of the parties on the basis of the public policy issues included in Vote Compass.