TY - JOUR A1 - Gschwend, Thomas A1 - Müller, Klara A1 - Munzert, Simon A1 - Neunhoeffer, Marcel A1 - Stoetzer, Lukas T1 - The Zweitstimme Model: A Dynamic Forecast of the 2021 German Federal Election JF - PS: Political Science & Politics Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096521000913 VL - 55 IS - 1 SP - 85 EP - 90 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neunhoeffer, Marcel A1 - Gschwend, Thomas A1 - Munzert, Simon A1 - Stoetzer, Lukas F. T1 - Ein Ansatz zur Vorhersage der Erststimmenanteile bei Bundestagswahlen JF - Politische Vierteljahresschrift N2 - Almost half of the total seats in the German Bundestag are awarded through first-past-the post elections at the electoral-district level. However, many election forecasting models do not consider this. In this paper we present an approach to predicting the candidate-vote shares at the district level for the German Federal Elections. To that end, we combine the national-level election prediction model from zweitstimme.org with two district-level prediction models, a linear regression and an artificial neural network, that both use the same candidate and district characteristics for their predictions. All data in our approach are publicly available prior to the respective election; thus, our model yields real forecasts. The model is therefore able to provide valuable information to running candidates and the interested public in future elections. Moreover, our prediction results are also relevant for substantive research: with the aid of the resulting odds of winning, better measures can be created to characterize the competitiveness of an electoral district and the expected closeness of electoral-district elections, which can influence political behaviour. Furthermore, the prediction allows empirical statements to be made about the expected size of the Bundestag as well as the composition of its personnel. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11615-019-00216-3 VL - 61 SP - 111 EP - 130 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Munzert, Simon A1 - Stötzer, Lukas F. A1 - Gschwend, Thomas A1 - Neunhoeffer, Marcel A1 - Sternberg, Sebastian T1 - Zweitstimme.org. Ein strukturell-dynamisches Vorhersagemodell für Bundestagswahlen. JF - Politische Vierteljahresschrift N2 - We present results of an ex-ante forecast of party-specific vote shares at the German Federal Election 2017. To that end, we combine data from published trial heat polls with structural information. The model takes care of the multi-party nature of the setting and allows making statements about the probability of certain events, such as the plurality of votes for a party or the majority for coalition options in parliament. The forecasts of our model are continuously being updated on the platform zweitstimme.org. The value of our approach goes beyond the realms of academia: We equip journalists, political pundits, and ordinary citizens with information that can help make sense of the parties’ latent support and ultimately make voting decisions better informed. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5771/0032-3470-2017-3-418 SN - 0032-3470 (print); 1862-2860 (online) VL - 58 IS - 3 SP - 418 EP - 441 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stötzer, Lukas F. A1 - Neunhoeffer, Marcel A1 - Gschwend, Thomas A1 - Munzert, Simon A1 - Sternberg, Sebastian T1 - Forecasting Elections in Multiparty Systems: A Bayesian Approach Combining Polls and Fundamentals JF - Political Analysis N2 - We offer a dynamic Bayesian forecasting model for multiparty elections. It combines data from published pre-election public opinion polls with information from fundamentals-based forecasting models. The model takes care of the multiparty nature of the setting and allows making statements about the probability of other quantities of interest, such as the probability of a plurality of votes for a party or the majority for certain coalitions in parliament. We present results from two ex ante forecasts of elections that took place in 2017 and are able to show that the model outperforms fundamentals-based forecasting models in terms of accuracy and the calibration of uncertainty. Provided that historical and current polling data are available, the model can be applied to any multiparty setting. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1017/pan.2018.49 VL - 27 IS - 2 SP - 255 EP - 262 ER -