The fight for voters data reaches Switzerland

A good political campaign has a good theme and a good address collection. The phrase is used in the craft box of SP chief Christian Levrat. And now his Comrades make it to extend your address data is crucial. "Democracy Booster" is the name of the online tool built by the SP, in order to collect in the future, signatures for initiatives and referendums on the Internet. The battle for the voters ' data in the policy is now launched in Switzerland.

cutting-edge technology, be it in the SP itself. And yet, Lukas Golder, a political scientist and Co-Director of the research Institute GFS Bern believes: "Such a collection of Tools to be a catalyst for the digitisation of the policy. Campaigns will accelerate and the use of the data set to intensify."

The social Democrats think, first of all, the fact that the referendum and initiative campaigns will be much easier if you can use their address collection digital. 30'000 members' data and 15'000 supporters addresses have Enjoyed, at least in their index. You'll be "faster, more targeted and more efficient," says national councillor Min Li Marti, the SP is responsible for digitization projects.

The Democracy Booster is a copy of the existing and of the private man, Daniel Graf very successfully used Wecollect. On this Internet site, Crowdfunding, signature collection and political are United campaign. Using a to legends address file potentially interested persons are asked whether they want to sign or make a donation to actively participate. Finally, all those who want to sign can print a pre-signature sheet, sign it and send it to them. At Wecollect so already 250'000 sheets were printed, and 750'000 Swiss francs donated. The SP wants to use their own Tool for the first Time for the premium reduction initiative, which launches next week.

More transparency in dealing with policy data

Ultimately, it is the social Democrats, to break the monopoly of Wecollect, and to bring the traditional political parties and movements back into the game. Wecollect has proved with the Referendum against the social detectives and ongoing collection for the war material export initiative, huge impact force. So three days after the launch of the social detectives-referendum donations in the amount of 25'000 Swiss francs had already come together. In the end there were 125'000 CHF 75'000 signatures.

political scientist Golder says, Wecollect to have "created a position of power and, in particular, the Left hand is the sovereignty referendums and initiatives in dispute". The Comrades came under pressure not to participate, where they wanted to. "It needs an Alternative that is accessible to everyone," says Min Li Marti. It should not be that in Switzerland "is a new Player referendum to be able to become, which is controlled by a single Person and focus instead on monetary, because of political motives," said Marti.

The status of the policy

the strengthening of The fear that the traditional policy of private data processors to Off-push causes the SP provides the Tool to all the political actors as an Open-Source solution. So you go aware of the risk that political opponents benefit from them, stands in an internal working paper of the SP. It go but at the end of the "promotion of democratic participation", it is argued. And it's about the struggle of the politically useful data. The Comrades want to prevent that the own data or the data of other political actors fall into the hands of a third party.

Wecollect launched projects, by means of a private address collection, which will be expanded with each Initiative, with each Referendum, and for upcoming projects can be used. The Democracy boosters, the SP works in a different way: "The sovereignty lies solely with the organization, which is responsible for the collection," says Min Li Marti. The thickness transparency and credibility.

don't hide the fact that the SP wants, the Democracy boosters to improve your position with user data. "Restrictive, only with the consent of the persons involved", you want to use the data obtained with the signature collections, but also for future campaigns. The own data can be extended collections with the addresses of potential supporters, and information about the political preferences of their own supporters won.

Personalized, digital channels are used today in modern electoral and referendum campaigns is essential in order to mobilize voters.

For a political scientist Golder is clear: "users of these Tools will try to use the collected data to re-use. Subsequent campaigns can be personalized to new groups to tap into, are more likely to be digital, can be activated and less to run than classic party work."

This has also in Swiss politics the final realization, which was first won during the US presidential election campaign 2008 by the Team of Barack Obama: a Personalized, digital channels are used today in modern electoral and referendum campaigns is essential in order to mobilize voters. In 2012, Obama's choice of helpers enhanced the data sammlerei of users to reach you via Facebook directly. Thus, it was possible to bring targeted, personalized messages to voters on the ballot box.

Four years later, the company Cambridge Analytica the same for Donald Trump did. The company does not, however, attempted to bring Facebook - or Instagram-users with personalized messages in the polling stations, but also, depending on the Wählertyp – with dissuasive information about Hillary Clinton to stay away from them.

(Sunday newspaper)

Created: 23.02.2019, 23:42 Uhr