Public service union UNISON has today (Friday) launched a new light-hearted web app to encourage voters to swipe left or right and share their thoughts on some of the key issues at the heart of the 2015 general election campaign.
Votr 2015 – available at www.votr2015.org.uk – takes its inspiration from popular dating app Tinder, and is a quick, easy to use and, above all, fun way of seeing how the views of users match with other potential voters in different parts of the UK.
The UNISON app is based on a similar web tool to that developed in the US to encourage voters to engage with the mid-term elections last November.
Votr 2015 is aimed at anyone of voting age – not just UNISON members – and is meant to inject an element of non-partisan fun into the campaign.
Users of the web-based app swipe left or right on their smartphones depending on their views on a range of topics. These include tax and the NHS, who should run local schools, the number of bobbies on the beat, and pedestrians and their mobile phones – and as they progress, they are presented with a series of matches.
The Votr 2015 matches allow people to compare how their views sit with others who have already used the app. So having skipped through the various options, users could find that their ideal match, for example, is an 51-year old fan of cats from Grimsby, or a 24-year old dog lover from Loughton.
The app came about because UNISON wanted to be able to speak directly to its 1.3m members and the issues that they are most concerned about in the coming election. But UNISON is so pleased with Votr 2015 that it is keen for everyone of voting age to have a go.
Commenting on the launch of the app, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Votr 2015 won’t help you find the man or woman of your dreams, but it will help you discover how many people match your views – and how many don’t – on some of the most important issues of the election campaign.
“This is the most closely fought election in years where who gets the keys to Number 10 is likely to be decided by a handful of votes in a few key marginal seats. After five years of a coalition government there are clear choices to be made on 7 May.
“But not everyone will be following every twist and turn of the election campaign over the next few weeks. Votr 2015 is an easy way for them to get involved, and become more informed without having to watch every party election broadcast or sift through all the parties’ manifestos.
“VOTR 2015 is an attempt to break the mould of traditional union communications by initiating digital conversations with our members and the wider public on the issues they care about.”