How can Poles make a conscious choice about elections?

There's very little information on the local elections happening today. Out of curiosity I started checking the local elections candidates' websites. When it comes down to city president (at least in Krakow) the case is quite simple and the candidates have their websites and political programs published. It's also easy as there's not many of them (I counted 6 candidates). But in order to make some basic comparison of almost any of the candidates to local government or city council one would have to visit at least 637 webpages (that's in Krakow, but other places aren't very different, not to mention many of them don't show their program or have no website at all) The matter of voting responsibly and consciously turns out to be almost imposible. There is no one reliable website to read about all candidates. There are two fairly good, but incomplete unofficial sites: mamprawowiedziec.pl/wyszukiwarka-kandydatow/

but there is very little there. Only names, age, political group and that's all. The majority of candidates did not fill in the necessary data. Voting on those pathetic posters with naive slogans and leaflets that litter the streets now isn't what I'd call a proper voting campaign. And it's not enough to make any choice or get any opinion at all. How is it possible that there's elections organized but actually nowhere to get to know who you would be voting for? Any thoughts on that?

it's impossible. That's why many people don't vote at all.

It's all down to the candidates themselves being absolutely useless. There's even several examples of election committees not managing to put together any sort of web presence here in Poznan - and for that, they're pathetic.

I've never understood why the smaller committees are so dreadful at this - it takes enough effort to get your name on the ballot, so why not do something?

For what it's worth, my two votes (I don't get to vote in the provincial election for some reason) both went to candidates who had a web presence.

All the others we cannot easily see (e.g. on the web) seem just not to care and print tons of brochures and posters with their names instead of presenting their programs in detail (I know some do that but most - don't).


- What's worse? Voting blindly like this, without proper judgement or not voting?


- Hopefully not just because of that fact:). See, this is what I meant, you have no choice, even when you want to make a conscious voting, you cannot find all the information necessary for this.

Do it Piłsudski style and they will all adore you... ;p
"No more voting hurrey!!"

You know, I started sometimes to wonder if that's not a better solution. Seriously, I think - excluding psycho madmen, tyrans and Kim Dzong Eels;) - by "Pilsudski style" as you nicely named it, there would at least some plan carried out fully. Now it's all about blocking the opposing party's actions even when they're good. And almost any plan carried out is better than no plan eventually. Maybe.

Good thread! I feel that candidates were overly focussed on their bombardment campaigns and far less on the practical elements. For instance, my wife didn't even know where to vote as she wasn't told. The system was lacking.

I did the same and came to the same conclusion - it's impossible to come to a sensible view about who you're voting for.


The problem with mamprawowiedziec.pl , glosujteraz.pl or latarnikwyborczy.pl (which didn't run for the local elections, sadly) is that it relies on candidates themselves filling in the information and there's no incentive for them to do that, given that your place on the list of candidates is set from above. I've heard that group of locals and IT geeks are planning to set up a Krakow version of theyworkforyou.com - which uses some clever programming to allow you to see how your UK MP actually voted on key issues. If they can get it off the ground it will be a much more useful tool.

folks usually vote at the same place year after year. simply follow the crowd after morning service.
there are lists on the internet, possibly in the papers. without trying to seem rude... one shouldn't wait to be told

People vote for the ones who they know, or who somebody told them about. From what I know, it generally works like that.

People first look at the party they like and then follow the "this guy is an uncle of a friend, he's a good person - vote for him" path.

the thing Olaf the majority of Poles don't care much about what is going on unless or until it hits them directly (they also don't know what they want or don't want any government or authority to be (like)) - and the politicians act accordingly - they do not formulate programs or stuff them with empty nice-sounding promises - the general majority won't care or is swayed in their moods with things completely different that whether the promises are fulfilled or not - there is also an issue of the incompetence on the side of candidates - this is also influenced by the fact that most authorieties in Poland prefer to act in semi-concealed (more or less concealed) manner which doesn't help those new people who would like to address the problems they perceive

filliping a coin

or in the case of one particular mayor/president. give your staff phone cards and suggest that they might like to phone friends and tell them who to vote for.

Yes, or make sure you're in the local newspapers - which in the case of the supermarket ones in Warsaw, are often published by the local gminy anyway and round election times are little better than election leaflets.

Though I remember a bit of fuss a few years ago, out in the direction of Komorow or Michalowice or thereabouts when it turned out that a local councillor had twenty five people registered as voters in his three bedroom house!

Yes, well described. This is also the way I call irresponsible. Does someone's uncle or collegue at work necessarily have the skills to do the job? Basing the choices just because we know a candidate is silly.


- ...while they should be obliged to have a detailed program beforehand, like a business plan, and publish them obligatorily. That would make sense.

Interesting idea with this theyworkforyou.com - too bad I didn't find it.
The rest is indeed sadly not complex as the politicians don't make use of it generally, thus making the whole idea more or less pointless. However, many of the candidates have official Facebook profiles but that is not where the politics should happen, it's just fashion (and great marketing tool).