Saruy Tolosa / César Augusto Caballero Reinoso / Yennifer Catherine Pérez Avella / Diana María Dajer Barguil / Manuela Giraldo Jaramillo

In an information-saturated age, it is crucial to have tools that facilitate citizens' access to clear and accurate data on candidates' proposals and positions during election periods. The Electoral Match, an initiative led by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Fescol), Cifras & Conceptos, and El Espectador in 2022 for the Colombian presidential elections, and later developed in 2023 for the local elections in Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín, with the support of Fundación Corona, is an effort to strengthen the quality of information shared and debated during elections. This aims to provide citizens with clearer access to and understanding of candidates' positions, enabling them to make better voting decisions. Specifically, the Presidential Match allowed for a comparison of the 2022 presidential candidates' positions with citizens' preferences on economic and social issues, thereby promoting a more informed vote. In turn, in 2023 the Electoral Match allowed citizens to reflect on their investment preferences regarding fundamental public policy issues related to rights, infrastructure, human development and income, and to compare these preferences with those of the candidates.

This publication analyzes the data obtained from the implementation of the 2023 Electoral Match from complementary perspectives, so that its study can enrich the design, implementation, and evaluation of future electoral advisory applications. In this vein, it illustrates, first, how this type of application allows institutions to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the issues that most concern citizens, incorporate direct feedback from them, and adjust their policies taking public opinion into account.