Getting Personal with Voting Patterns

Mark Viitala

Now that the NHL trade deadline is over, its back to politics. I'm still trying to get over the Ryan Smyth trade but I digress...ah, this website recently came across my desk.

Would you vote for someone with a face like yours?

Finnish voters searching for trustworthy politicians to elect in March polls can now use an Internet Web site to summon up photographs of candidates who resemble themselves.

The web site was inspired by studies suggesting people are more likely to trust those with similar features to their own. Voters can feed their own pictures onto the website and the software identifies common characteristics and gives closest matches.

Of course this is just a fun exercise and hopefully the voters will take more into consideration than just facial characteristics! :)