Sustainable democracy crowdfunding campaign reaches half way point

A crowdfunding campaign that aims to support and encourage a more sustainable democracy has reached the halfway point. Vote for Polices is seeking to raise £20,000 and must now raise just over £9,000 over the next week to be successful.

Vote for Policies is an online service that allows users to compare the policies of different political parties, getting rid of the spin and bias that is often seen in the media. In the run up to the 2010 general election over 280,000 people used the service before polling day, and now the organisation is aiming to reach 5 million individuals before the general election next year.

In order to reach this target, Vote for Policies is calling for people to support its crowdfunding campaign so it can include parties from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, launch a marketing campaign and ensure that the website can cope with high volumes of traffic, as well as working on mobile phones and tablets.

Founder of Vote for Policies, Matt Chocqueel-Mangan said, “After huge success at the 2010 general election, the Vote for Policies service is coming back and my aim is for it to reach five million voters before polling day in 2015.

“In order to fulfil this aim, myself and other volunteers have started a crowdfunding campaign which has to raise £20,000 by the 27th August. You can help millions of voters make an informed decision in the next general election in 2015 by helping us to reach our target. Anyone can pledge an amount, however big or small and it only takes a few minutes.”

Chocqueel-Mangan has previously explained to Blue & Green Tomorrow that by encouraging more people to vote and focusing on policies, it could shift ownership of politics. This vision of a sustainable democracy would create a healthier debate between the electorate and politicians, essentially improving accountability and allowing ownership of politics back to the voter instead of politicians, he said.

To learn more about Vote for Polices, the crowdfunding campaign and to support the service click here.

Photo: Paul Wilkinsons via Flickr  

Further reading:

Vote for Policies crowdfunding to support ‘sustainable democracy’

Vote for Polices crowdfunding campaign tops £3,000

Vote for Polices launched crowdfunding campaign to back sustainable democracy

Voting for the next 60 years: Vote for Policies

If we voted for policies at elections, and not parties, the results might surprise us all