Comparing political parties during local elections is facilitated by the electoral system

In the upcoming city council election in Bergisch Gladbach, citizens now have a convenient tool to help them make informed decisions. The "Ihr Stimmenkompass Bergisch Gladbach" 2025, a local and analog election compass, has been created to present the core positions of the participating parties.

This innovative project is a collaboration between the citizen portal and the network CORRECTIV.Lokal, which promotes investigations and dialogue in local journalism and connects over 1800 local journalists. The participating parties in the survey include the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), SPD (Social Democratic Party), Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (The Greens), FDP (Free Democratic Party), and AfD (Alternative for Germany).

The election compass allows users to quickly compare the parties' positions on key issues. Over 9 questions, derived from the citizen portal's survey "Your Voice, Your Topics", were presented to all parties. The parties' answers to these questions have been compiled in a table for easy comparison.

The table can be enlarged on the screen for easier viewing or downloaded and printed in DIN-A-4 format. For a more traditional approach, a physical copy of the election compass can be picked up at the editorial office, Hauptstraße 257 (opposite the Gnadenkirche). The table can also be used as an analog election compass by laying the three sheets on top of each other and marking the answers.

For those who prefer a more detailed look at the parties' positions, longer versions of the parties' answers have been published on the focus page for the municipal election. Subscribers can also download the municipal election 2025 final and receive the newsletter "The Day in GL" every morning at 7:07 AM.

Class sets for schools are available upon request from editorial@our website. The "Citizen's Election Program" concept, which the project is based on, was developed and tested as "CitizensAgenda" in the USA.

The "Your Voice, Your Topics" project, from which the questions for the election compass were derived, received over 1000 submissions. This project is a testament to the importance of citizen engagement in local politics and the role of journalism in fostering informed discussions.

The "Ihr Stimmenkompass Bergisch Gladbach" 2025 has already been implemented at the 2021 federal election, the 2022 state election, and the 2025 federal election, demonstrating its effectiveness in helping citizens make informed decisions. With this tool, Bergisch Gladbach citizens can be confident that they are making well-informed choices when they vote in the upcoming city council election.