"Wahl-O-Mat" for House of Representatives election is online

Politicians Kristin Brinker (from left to right, AfD), Lucas Krieger (CDU), Steffen Krach (SPD), Werner Graf (Alliance 90/The Greens), and Elif Eralp (The Left) are testing the online tool at the State Agency for Political Education to mark the launch of the Wahl-O-Mat for the Berlin House of Representatives election.

The Wahl-O-Mat is one of the most widely used information resources ahead of elections. It is now online for the State Parliament election on September 20.

The Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Berlin State Agency for Civic Education presented the online tool, featuring the leading candidates Steffen Krach (SPD), Werner Graf (Alliance 90/The Greens), Elif Eralp (The Left), and Kristin Brinker (AfD), as well as Lukas Krieger for the CDU. After evaluating 38 statements, the Wahl-O-Mat is designed to show which party and which platform a user’s views align with. The website went live on Monday, just under four weeks before the election.

Questions on political issues in Berlin

The survey questions focus on political issues affecting the capital: housing, education, immigration, culture, waste management and transportation. Respondents are asked, for example, about their views on the expropriation of housing companies, climate goals, German language courses, homelessness and support for clubs. The survey also gauges attitudes toward Sunday shopping and bike lanes.

How the Wahl-O-Mat works

Users of the Wahl-O-Mat can respond to each question with "agree," "disagree," "neutral," or "skip this statement." They can also go back at any time and change individual answers. After answering all the statements, users can assign greater weight to the issues that are particularly important to them.

Online service used millions of times since launch

The Federal Agency for Civic Education has been offering the Wahl-O-Mat since 2002. According to the Senate, the tool had been used 26 million times prior to the 2025 federal election. This marks the fifth time the Wahl-O-Mat has been available ahead of an election to the Berlin House of Representatives in cooperation with the Berlin State Agency for Civic Education. It was used over one million times in the 2021 election and more than half a million times in the 2023 runoff election.