The Wahl-O-Mat is one of the best-known aids when you want to compare your own positions with those of the parties before an election. The tool is offered by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, bpb). It helps with sorting your views, but it does not replace reading the party programmes or weighing things up yourself. If you know what the tool shows and what it does not, you will get much more out of it.
In short: The Wahl-O-Mat is an online service of the bpb. You rate theses as “agree”, “neutral” or “disagree” and receive a match score for each party. For the 2025 federal election, the tool contained 38 theses. The bpb information page is dated 6 February 2025. The result is not a voting recommendation. Last updated: November 2026.
The most important points at a glance
- The Wahl-O-Mat presents a set of political theses for you to rate, and for the 2025 federal election there were 38.
- The positions of the parties are given by the parties themselves, and the bpb adopts them unchanged.
- The result shows closeness to parties and is explicitly not a voting recommendation.
- The tool does not cover every topic, because it works with a limited selection of theses.
- The results are a starting point for your own research, not a basis for decision.
How does the Wahl-O-Mat work?
The Wahl-O-Mat is an interactive programme. For each thesis you click the position that is closest to your view, and the result shows how close your answers are to the positions of the parties. Your answers are compared with the official positions of the parties. The parties answer the theses themselves and explain their positions, but they did not take part in selecting the theses. The CDU and CSU give their answers jointly.
How are the theses created?
The theses are created in several stages. According to the bpb, an editorial team of 38 people, including young voters, experts and staff of the bpb, first drafted 80 theses. Of these, 38 were selected. The selection criteria were relevance and controversial answers from the parties. The table below summarises the stages.
| Stage | What happens | Result according to the bpb |
|---|---|---|
| Drafting | Editorial team with young voters, experts and the bpb | 80 theses |
| Selection | Relevance and controversial answers as criteria | 38 theses |
| Answers of the parties | Parties answer themselves and explain their stance | Position for each thesis |
| Adoption | Positions are adopted unchanged | Comparison with the answers of users |
How is the result calculated?
Each match counts according to how close the answers are. An exact match gives two points. A partial match, for example when you choose “neutral” and the party agrees or disagrees, gives one point. Opposites give no points. Weighted theses count twice, and skipped theses drop out of the calculation. The result is a percentage of the maximum possible score.
Assumption: 38 theses are answered without weighting, so the maximum score is 76. A party reaches 60 points. That gives 60 divided by 76, or about 79 percent match. Such a figure only means that your answers in this selection are closer to that party, nothing more.
What does the Wahl-O-Mat not show?
- The selection covers only part of the political topics that play a role in an election campaign.
- The answers “neutral” and “skip” reduce the informative value, so they should be used with restraint.
- Equal percentages for different parties do not mean that these parties are similar in content.
- Extremist parties can also show matches, which does not mean that you share their position.
How can you use the Wahl-O-Mat sensibly?
- Answer the theses honestly and read the short justification given by the parties.
- For the topics that matter most to you, check the election programmes in the original.
- Compare results with how parties voted in earlier decisions, where this is publicly available.
- Use the result as a starting point for further research and not as a finished answer.
Where is the Wahl-O-Mat used?
According to its own information, the bpb has used the Wahl-O-Mat since the 2002 federal election. Its page also describes use in state elections and in the European election. Whether and when an offer for a particular election appears is announced by the bpb or the respective state agency for civic education. No timetable is promised for future elections before an announcement exists.
Why the selection of theses matters
The quality of the result depends heavily on the theses. If a question that matters personally to you is missing, the picture shifts without you noticing. Conversely, a thesis that is worded sharply can lead to answers you did not mean. For that reason it is worth checking each thesis briefly to see whether it reflects your view.
The bpb describes the selection as the result of a process in which relevance and controversial answers of the parties count. This means the theses mainly distinguish where parties clearly differ from each other. Topics on which all parties agree appear less often. For your decision, however, those topics can matter too, especially when they play a role in your everyday life.
Students who want to inform themselves about university topics such as committees, election rules or financing will find that such questions appear only at the edges of the theses. In that case the tool is a starting point for research and not a substitute for it.
Timing matters as well. Theses are prepared for a specific election and refer to the positions of the parties at that time. A result from an earlier election therefore cannot simply be transferred to a later one, even if the interface looks the same.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Wahl-O-Mat a voting recommendation?
No. The bpb describes the Wahl-O-Mat as an offer for political education and information and explicitly not as a voting recommendation. The result is meant to help you test your own positions, and it does not replace your decision.
Who is behind the Wahl-O-Mat?
The Wahl-O-Mat is an offer of the Federal Agency for Civic Education. The bpb calls itself non-partisan and scientifically balanced. The page also mentions media partners who operate the servers and are responsible under data protection law.
Are my answers stored?
The bpb page states that the results are used only for calculation and display and that no personal data is stored. Read the data protection notice of the specific version before you use it, because it applies to that version.
Why does the result not match my vote?
There can be many reasons. The theses do not cover every topic, and when you vote you also decide based on people, credibility and priorities that the tool does not capture. The result only shows closeness on the selected theses.
What you can do now
- Take your time with the theses, because fast clicking distorts the result.
- Read the justifications of the parties for the theses that interest you most.
- Check the election programmes before you decide.
- Choose according to your own judgement, even if the result shows something else.
Related guides
- Elections 2027: All dates at a glance and what you need to know
- First and second vote
- Voting for the student parliament
- Voting age 16
Sources: bpb: Frequently asked questions about the Wahl-O-Mat, federal election 2025 (in German, dated 6 February 2025); bpb: What is the Wahl-O-Mat? (in German, information from 2005, for background on its origin).
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
