Random political thought. - Voting based on issues questions rather than political parties.

[silveradept]

I wonder what campaigns in the United States would be like if, instead of picking people, when one went to the ballot box, one was presented with a questionnaire asking about political beliefs. Through the use of a branching tree of questions, many of them likely with multiple paths or statements attached, the voter built a profile of themselves and their views. At the end of the questions, there would be a display that says, "Based on your answers, the candidate(s) that aligns with your views the closest is X (Y, Zed). Press YES to cast your ballot for your selected candidate. Press START OVER to start the question process again." Candidates could still campaign and talk about all of their issues, but it would theoretically be less of a popularity contest, as the questions would be based on the candidates stated or written positions.

How close is this to the ideal of the parliamentary systems in place where one votes for parties rather than candidates?