Ichini Inc., the operator of Election.com, announced on May 14 that it has launched the “Niigata Governor Election 2026 Vote Matching” service. The service is designed to help voters choose whom to vote for in the Niigata gubernatorial election, officially announced on May 14 with voting and vote counting scheduled for May 31. By answering questions on policies directly connected to daily life, users can measure how closely their views match those of the candidates. The service is intended to serve as reference information when deciding how to vote. This edition includes 17 questions. Election.com designed the questions, surveyed the candidates, and created the service based on their responses. The questions cover a wide range of issues raised as key points in the election, including the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station, measures against population decline, and the direction of prefectural administration. Each question includes an explanatory note, as well as listed advantages and disadvantages, to help users make informed judgments. Both users and candidates answer each question using five choices: agree, somewhat agree, neither agree nor disagree, somewhat disagree, and disagree. The system then measures the degree of alignment in their policy views. Election.com’s Vote Matching tool is used not only for House of Representatives and House of Councillors elections, but also for local elections such as gubernatorial and mayoral races. Usage exceeded 4 million times during this year’s House of Councillors election, and cumulative usage of the Vote Matching service has surpassed 10 million times. Vote Matching is an online tool that lets users understand which political parties or candidates are closest to their views by answering election issue questions using five choices ranging from agreement to disagreement. The matching score is calculated based on the “distance” between a candidate’s answer and the user’s choice. For example, if a user se