Voxit – let your voice be heard in decision-making

Voxit (formerly Polis) is an easy-to-use digital discussion platform that enables the City of Espoo to hear residents’ views and better identify their wishes and viewpoints.

Espoo will introduce the Voxit platform in the EsVoxit inclusion project co-funded by Sitra and organise five discussions on the platform for different target groups in the course of the project. Data obtained from the discussions will be used to support the Espoo Wellbeing Plan, service planning and decision-making.

Voxit is designed specifically for the participation of large groups of people, and it allows for a constructive discussion on predefined topics – on the participants’ terms.

The participants decide what is discussed on the platform and what is important. The discussion method used on the platform, anonymous voting and adding new statements, promotes diversity and makes it possible for anyone to express their views, including persons and groups whose voices are not heard often enough.

The Voxit participation platform is easy and safe to use. You can participate in discussions anonymously on the Voxit website, which is accessible and secure. You can participate in the conversation using your browser and your phone with no separate application.

People with different native languages can participate in the same discussion by using the translation button available on the platform.

Espoo selects the topic of each discussion and prepares a set of preliminary statements that the participants will comment on by voting. You can participate in the discussion by clicking the discussion link and tapping whether you agree, disagree or want to skip each statement.

Participants can also add new statements to the discussion to nudge the discussion toward issues they consider important. The content of the discussion is shaped as participants vote on the original statements and those added by others and contribute their own ones.

To ensure all statements have time to receive votes, new statements can be added until the discussion period is halfway through. After that, you can vote on the statements already in the discussion.

When voting, the participants can see how many have voted the same as them on the statement. As the discussion is based on voting on statements, the statements made by others cannot be commented on directly and there will be no debate between the participants.  

Moderation ensures that discussions remain constructive and relevant.

Espoo has selected five themes and target groups for the discussions:

1. The wellbeing of people with functional difficulties or reduced mobility
2. The wellbeing of children and young people
3. Decision-making in the Sports and Wellbeing Committee
4. Encounters between residents and city staff, discussion for residents
5. Encounters between residents and city staff, discussion for staff

More information on the topics and dates of the discussions can be found below on this page.

Voxit discussions are a new channel for exerting influence and participation for Espoo residents. They provide the City of Espoo with valuable information on residents’ needs, wishes and views.

The Voxit participation platform analyses discussions in real time. This makes it possible to see what Espoo residents have in common and what differences they have, and what they agree and disagree on.

Espoo will use the data gathered in the discussions to support decision-making and in the planning and development of services, for example in the preparation of a new Wellbeing Plan. We will be able to make better decisions when we know which issues Espoo residents support strongly and which require further consideration.

This website contains information on Voxit discussions, their results and analyses, and how making use of the results progresses – what has been affected by the discussions and how?

We want discussions to be constructive and safe for the participants. Please read the instructions below for making statements and the rules of the discussion before participating.

• The statement may be an opinion, an idea, a new perspective on the topic, something that should be considered in decision-making and city development, or something that you would be interested in hearing the opinions of others on.
• State your position as a claim. For example: “It is safe to move around in Espoo.” This way other participants can understand what they are voting on.
• A single statement cannot contain an opinion on several issues. Include only one issue per statement. This makes it easy for other participants to comment on the matter with the yes/no options.
• If you want to bring up several issues in the discussion, make a separate statement for each one.
• For the sake of clarity, avoid questions and indirect statements. Examples: “What do you think, should we have built a new swimming pool in Tapiola?” or “It might be better if there were more small groups in day care.”
• Use common language. Avoid symbols, abbreviations (LOL; MP), learned borrowings, dialectal expressions, irony and sarcasm that may be difficult to interpret in text.
• Always try to comment on matters related to services provided by the City of Espoo (e.g., employment services, libraries, schools, parks, outdoor sports facilities, planning, guided exercise). This way, we can use the results of the discussion in the development of the city and its services.
• Note! Comments related to services provided by the wellbeing services county will not be published on the platform, but we will relay them to the wellbeing services county.
• Stay on the topic of the discussion to make participation meaningful for everyone. Moderators will reject unrelated and clearly erroneous statements.
• Claims very similar to those already entered in the discussion will also be deleted. This is how we keep participation interesting. We encourage you to add all the statements and ideas that interest you to the discussion; moderators will ensure that the discussion won’t get repetitive.

• Voxit discussions are anonymous. Individual persons may not be mentioned in the discussion. Moderators will remove statements that target individual persons or if it is possible to identify the author of the statement.
• You must not insult others in the discussions. Moderators will reject statements that are disrespectful and offensive.
• Your statements should not advertise events, products or services. Direct political advertising is also prohibited.
• Hate speech, such as threats, mocking or racist comments or comments inciting crime, or statements that violate a person’s honour or privacy, will not be published in the discussions.
• Your statements should not disparage political parties or political influencers.
• Voxit discussions will comply with Finnish law. Anything that is otherwise illegal will also be illegal in these discussions.