Ecorating

Transparency in the political jungle

The climate and the environment were the dominant topics of the 2019 elections. Ecorating ensured that voters had the data they needed to see what each candidate really stood for: the rating calculates how environmentally friendly our National Council and Council of States members’ voting records really are. All of the data used by Ecorating is substantiated and clearly visualised. The constant focus: the election promises and voting record of every parliamentarian.

Judged on their actions

Politicians can even [create a profile] (https://my.ecorating.ch/register) and [record their election promises] (https://my.ecorating.ch/). The profile is activated once it has been reviewed by Ecorating. Actual voting behaviour is assessed by a team of experts. Promises and voting records are documented, ensuring a transparent view of which politicians back up their words with action.

Making politics fun

Politics is often rather hard to digest. However, Ecorating is fun to use: you have the entertaining option of using filters to create various different views. This helps to get even political grumps enthusiastic about the topic of the environment. To promote dialogue with politicians, their social media contact details are also listed.

The underlying technology

Voting results are obtained via the parliament’s open data interface. This ensures high-quality information. An expert team consisting of representatives of environmental organisations makes an overall assessment of every environment-related vote in parliament. Ecorating recalculates on an annual basis how environmentally friendly National Council members are according to their voting records. The voting behaviour of members of the Council of States is determined as a two-year rating in the middle of a legislative period, as the Council of States holds fewer votes than the National Council.

Branding in politics

The project also included creating a new visual identity for Ecorating. This branding is appealing and fresh with illustrations and icons, yet still minimalist. Pie charts use gradations of colour to show each politician’s Ecorating at a glance. The interaction concept impresses users with its filters and clear functionality. Politics truly can be this simple (and measurable).

Backed by a strong alliance

From Greenpeace to WWF, Ecorating is backed by a plethora of environmental organisations, all of which are featured prominently on the home page. They are a symbol of the platform’s independence and integrity. The parliament’s open-data API, which forms the basis for vote analyses, also ensures that the platform remains reliable and neutral. So, dear politicians, it's only you who have to worry about your image now!