Around 1.7 million eligible voters in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt will choose a new state parliament on Sunday, with polling stations open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fifteen parties are contesting the election after the state electoral committee approved their lists in late July, while the KPD, the Libertarians, and the Party of Reason were excluded. The voting age has been lowered to 16 for this election.
The Wahl-O-Mat voter guidance tool, developed by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, went online on Aug. 6, allowing users to compare their positions on 38 political theses with those of the 15 admitted parties. The format, in use since 2002, has been accessed roughly 160 million times ahead of previous elections.
However, 31 percent of users surveyed reported significant technical difficulties with the tool, and about 27 percent questioned its usefulness in guiding their vote.