Polling platform launches in Dane County to increase citizens’ voices

Dane County is one of the first counties in the U.S. trying out an online polling platform designed to connect citizens and local officials.

POLCO launched in late July, and according to co-founder Nick Mastronardi, the app and website allows citizens to find specific policy proposals that are up for deliberation in their area, supporting documents and crowd-sourced citizen commentary.

Then, they have the opportunity to vote on the proposal, add a comment regarding why they voted a specific way and share it with the public and elected officials.

Mastronardi founded POLCO with Dylan Cooper and Alex Pedersen. The three military veterans were interested in using technology to create better public policy and civic engagement.

POLCO was originally envisioned to be used at the state and federal levels, but a high demand from Bryan, Texas, inspired the founders to apply the platform at a local level, where fewer voices were being heard.

“Cities run huge budgets,” Mastronardi said. “An average city [budget] is about $10 million a year, and a lot of that is being driven by the six vocal few who show up to city council meetings. So now city officials can cite a larger majority of citizens, they can get better input and we can get better policies.”

According to Dane County ClerkScott McDonnell, Dane County alone has a budget of $55 million a year. McDonnell has worked closely with the POLCO staff to establish the platform in the platform in the county.

“We want the opinion of more than just the two to three  people that come to every county board meeting,” McDonnell said. “POLCO is a way to reach out to citizens and get more input on proposals because they are often expensive and will affect citizens more than they realize.”

According to McDonnell, the county has most recently collaborated with POLCO to propose a homeless day shelter that received an overwhelming amount of support.

“We take feedback from citizens very seriously especially on issues that a large number of people weigh in on,” McDonnell said.

Mastronardi said that POLCO aims to save city officials time and energy while improving citizen engagement.

In addition, POLCO can  connect citizens by allowing. POLCO users to see what others in their area or district think about a certain policy proposal.  

According to Mastronardi, one of POLCO’s most distinct features is its ability to bring the digital web to the physical world. With its “Bluetooth Beacons,” POLCO users will be notified of policy debates regarding locations they are near. For example, if a citizen passes an intersection where stops signs or speed bumps are debated about being included, the citizen will be notified that something in that specific area is being voted on.

“This is perfectly in line with our mission,” Mastronardi said. “We meet people where they already are and get as informed participation as possible on specific policies, which really hadn’t been happening before.”

Mastronardi and the POLCO team also hope to use demographic information to tap into underrepresented demographics and increase participation in those areas.

Earlier this year, POLCO won the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan contest for Information Technology for its ability to connect citizens with local government officials and promote civic participation in those areas.

“I think that it’s a great product, which is why we are working with the POLCO team,” McDonnell said. “Since it’s a start up, it is still so new, and we believe there is a lot of room for growth.”