Concept illustration of a fold-out public station with a private booth, accessible ramp, seating and information boards in a neighbourhood square

U R GOV / FIELD PROJECT 001 · COMING SOON

U R GOV:
The Civic Caravan

A portable public decision station for people who want more say in what happens where they live.

01 / The idea

Public power should be able to travel.

Democracy should not only happen in Parliament, council chambers, closed meetings or online comment sections. It should be able to turn up where people are.

The Civic Caravan brings U R GOV out from behind the screen and into neighbourhoods, villages, markets, schools, workplaces, festivals and community spaces.

Designed for people shut out by formal meetings, specialist language, unreliable internet, smartphone-only systems or the suspicion that no one is listening. A place to understand an issue, discuss it, share ideas, participate privately where appropriate and follow what happens next. Not just a portable ballot box. A public decision room.

01See the issue
02Understand the facts
03Hear the trade-offs
04Share an idea
05Vote privately, where appropriate
06See what happened
07Track what they did

Understand it. Discuss it. Vote on it. Track what happens next.

02 / The station

A small station with a serious purpose.

The Brief

An issue in plain language: cost, trade-offs, evidence and sources.

Explore decisions

Private Vote

A collapsible privacy booth and paper-backed process for suitable community votes.

Citizen Signal

A clear record of views, never mistaken for a representative or official result.

See the existing preview signal

Ideas Box

Space for problems, proposals and questions decision-makers may be missing.

YOURREP

Who represents the area, what authority they hold and how to reach them.

Meet representatives

Power Map

Sourced context on interests, meetings and lobbying — not an allegation.

Explore a sourced example

Access Kit

Large print, plain language, multilingual materials and a route without a phone.

The Public Record

Methods, sources, results, corrections and what decision-makers did next.

Read our method

Existing U R GOV links are digital previews, not Civic Caravan ballots or events.

03 / The process

From question to consequence.

Every future event would state who can participate, who can decide and whether the outcome carries any authority — before anyone takes part.

01
The question
Publish a neutral question with its purpose, decision-maker, authority, eligibility and sources.
02
The public brief
Show the facts, likely impact, strongest arguments, concerns and genuine uncertainties.
03
Private participation
Offer paper where appropriate, accessible ballot marking, ideas and in-person ways to take part. A smartphone must never be the only route.
04
The public record
Publish the method, participant count, result, ballot reconciliation and the responsible body's response.

“The system may know that a person took part. It must not know how they voted.”Proposed design principle, not a claim about an existing ballot system

04 / Accountability

No more consultations that disappear into a drawer.

Each future event should leave a visible trail: what was asked, who could take part, how it worked, what people said, who could respond and what happened next.

DemoIllustrative example — not live data

EXAMPLE QUESTION / COMMUNITY FUND

Which two projects should receive the neighbourhood community fund?

Participation: 214 people took part*
Status: Accepted for review*
Responsible body: Example Community Partnership*
Next update: 30 October 2026*

CITIZEN SIGNAL / EXAMPLE COUNTS

1. Shade, trees and water points143 votes*
2. Youth workshop and skills space121 votes*
3. Street-light repair93 votes*
4. Community transport day67 votes*

*Fictional figures, body, status and date. This is not an event, public promise or verified result. People could select two projects, so counts do not equal participants.

Future events must say whether they are an official election, binding member vote, participatory-budget decision, formal consultation, advisory citizen signal, open public poll or ideas-gathering session. Each has different rules and authority; no example here is an official process.

05 / Where it fits

Built for decisions that affect everyday life.

A method must fit the question and the authority behind it. These are potential uses, not booked events.

Community budgets

Example: Choose priorities for a neighbourhood fund

The station: Explain costs and options, gather choices

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Participatory budget, if rules give it authority

Housing and tenants

Example: Identify repairs or tenant priorities

The station: Bring a brief and private feedback to residents

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Formal consultation or advisory signal

Streets and parks

Example: Compare safer crossings or greener spaces

The station: Put plans, trade-offs and ideas in one place

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Consultation or ideas gathering

Transport and services

Example: Discuss a bus-route change

The station: Make routes, impacts and alternatives understandable

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Consultation or advisory signal

Young people and schools

Example: Ask which activities deserve support

The station: Make an age-appropriate, accessible process

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Ideas gathering or budget process with safeguards

Co-ops and member groups

Example: Consider a proposal under group rules

The station: Offer a private paper route and a documented count

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Binding member vote only if valid rules permit

Arts and festivals

Example: Shape a community programme

The station: Collect suggestions and rank options in public

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Open poll or ideas gathering

Local recovery

Example: Identify urgent shared priorities

The station: Hear people with limited digital access

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Advisory signal or consultation

Bill to Street

Example: Discuss how a national law affects local life

The station: Connect a public brief to lived concerns

POSSIBLE PROCESS · Explanation and advisory signal, not legislation

Any real process would depend on the organiser's published rules, eligibility, legal authority and independent review.

06 / Trust

No black box. No false promises.

These are principles to design and test, not a claim of approval or proven security. For meaningful ballot processes, paper would be the primary human-readable audit record.

What we will build for

Paper-first, human-readable audit records for meaningful ballots
Private voting spaces and separate eligibility and ballot data
No-smartphone participation and accessible assistance
Numbered tamper-evident seals; two-steward custody and documented handovers
Opening and closing logs; issued, unused, spoiled and cast ballot reconciliation
Documented public tally, methods, limits and corrections
Independent review as the project develops

What we will not claim

That an advisory signal is legally binding or an official election
That an app, phone or QR code alone proves a vote is secure
That blockchain replaces public oversight
That facial recognition belongs in civic participation
That participation data can be used for profiling or political targeting
That software replaces paper records, independent scrutiny or human accountability

Before any official-election use, the relevant legal approvals, standards, accessibility requirements, security reviews and independent oversight would be essential. Learn about U R GOV's method

07 / Access

No smartphone required. No jargon required. No one left outside.

The Civic Caravan would be designed with people of different languages, bodies, confidence levels, devices and access needs. Physical arrangements still need real testing at each location.

01Step-free approach and wheelchair-conscious layout
02Seated and standing participation positions
03Large-print, high-contrast and plain-language materials
04Audio and tactile support considered with users
05Translation and local-language versions
06Assistance that protects the participant's choice
07Paper and in-person routes alongside digital tools
08Privacy in both the physical booth and the data design

08 / Roadmap

From prototype to public infrastructure.

A direction of travel, not a list of finished commitments. No pilots or locations are confirmed.

PHASE 0In development
Define the promise
Set public principles, accessibility approach, neutral question-writing, privacy policy and a prospective pilot network.
PHASE 1Next
Build the Paper Truth prototype
Prototype a fold-flat booth, paper box, issue boards, access kit, custody forms and result template.
PHASE 2Planned
Test it in public
Propose three distinct pilots: an open citizen signal, a verified community vote and a member vote. Publish what worked and failed.
PHASE 3Planned
Connect it to U R GOV
Explore event briefs, citizen signals, You Said / They Did updates, source records and public audit summaries.
PHASE 4Future
Train civic stewards
Develop neutral facilitation, accessibility, ballot privacy, custody, counting and reporting training.
PHASE 5Future
Build the civic commons
Make reusable, affordable public-participation infrastructure communities could adapt.

09 / Get involved

Help build the first Civic Caravan.

We are looking for people and organisations who believe public power should be visible, understandable and shared. These are invitations to shape a future project, not announcements of partners or confirmed pilots.

WHO COULD HELP

Community groups with real questions
Co-ops, unions, tenants' groups and member organisations
Libraries, youth centres, schools and community venues
Artists, makers, fabricators and designers
Accessibility and inclusion advisers
Translators and local-language contributors
Civic researchers, election-process specialists and privacy advisers
Prospective pilot hosts in the UK, Morocco and beyond

Preview form / not accepting registrations

Register interest

U R GOV / THE CIVIC CARAVAN

This is not a polling gimmick.

It is a prototype for a more visible, practical and accountable democracy — one that can meet people where they are, explain what is at stake, protect private choice and show what happens after the public speaks.