The Labour Party will be working to reach out to 350,000 voters as it embarks upon a two-year “listening exercise”, backed by a new mobile app which will allow people to stay up to date with the party and allow the party to better coordinate its resources.

The initiative was explained to journalists in a media briefing on Tuesday morning at the party’s headquarters.

Labour Party CEO Ivan Falzon said that the party’s aim is to reach 350,000 voters – which is effectively the whole electorate – across Malta and Gozo between 2027 and 2028, with preparatory work ongoing this year.

Respondents will be asked three key questions about the party: “What would you like to improve?’”; “What would you like to preserve?”; and “What would you like the PL to understand?”

Central to to the PL’s plan is what the party has called ‘PL Connect’, which seeks to make it easier for people to stay in touch and share their views with the party.

A key part of this is a new mobile application called “myPL”, which will be available for download by anyone and through which anyone will be able to keep up to date with initiatives and actions that the party is carrying out.

Falzon said that anybody can download the app and browse through it anonymously without registering with the party.  The app however does have features which will allow people to register with the party as members and get involved in volunteering within the party structures, or attend party events, or put forward ideas should they wish to.

Falzon walked journalists through the contents of the app, which is currently undergoing final touches and being tested.  It is yet to be launched for the general public.

A second element of the party’s plan is called ‘PL Involved’, which aims to strengthen the party’s presence within communities and aims to make more efficient use of its volunteers and the hours that they can offer.

The new mobile app will again be central to this: a volunteer will be able to mark what events they can attend, whether they can canvas in certain areas, and other actions across the party structures.  The app in that sense introduces a sense of gamification: volunteers will get points for each action they do.

The party is targeting having 1,500 volunteers spread across 20 community hubs across the country, with those volunteers being trained in how to welcome people, support them, and above else be able to listen to them.

The final element of this outreach plan is called ‘PL Cares’ and essentially revolves around how best to understand people’s everyday concerns.  Falzon said that the party wants to give a space for people to bring up their personal concerns and explain the issues affecting their daily lives, and then help them find the necessary information and appropriate channels for what they need.

The plan states that recurring concerns brought up by people would then be transferred into wider policy discussions.  The party’s policy teams would then consider the evidence at hand and how it can be addressed, and then report back with what it comes up with.

Together with this programme, Falzon said that the party itself will be working to strengthen its own work by outlining clear responsibilities for individuals involved, improving procedures such as those relating to property, procurement and finances, and ensuring that it has the capacity in terms of volunteers to sustain its activity.

Because the outreach programme as a whole is mainly volunteer-run, Falzon said that the cost for the party is unlikely to exceed €200,000.