CivicLoop
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Your block. Your voice. Your vote.

A 5-minute guided tour of CivicLoop — how it works, why it's built this way, and how to make your voice count in Hampton Roads. No login wall. Nonpartisan by design.

Explore the Issues Take the Pulse

Platform overview

What is CivicLoop?

CivicLoop is a nonpartisan civic engagement tool for Hampton Roads, Virginia. It connects residents to the issues on their ballot, captures what the community cares about, helps people make a voting plan, and returns that community voice to officials and candidates — then reports back to residents, closing the loop.

Learn the issues

Fair 60-second explainers on every ballot measure, reviewed by people of differing perspectives.

Capture your voice

Rank what matters to you and ask your own questions — your input becomes a community report.

Close the loop

Officials and candidates hear the aggregate voice; residents hear what came of it.

Nonpartisan by design: no candidate endorsements, no party language, no “vote for/against.” Candidates are always treated equally, and answers display alphabetically.

The journey

The loop, step by step

Every resident who scans a QR code follows the same path. Each step feeds the next until the community hears back — then the loop repeats, targeted by what the Pulse shows.

  1. 1

    Issue Cards

    Every Issue Card is a fair, 60-second read: what the amendment does in plain language, what it means for your block, the main sides stated fairly, questions worth asking candidates, and linked sources.

  2. 2

    Issue Pulse

    The Pulse captures your voice. Pick and rank your top 3 issues, add your ZIP and city, then see how your neighbors ranked them — all in under a minute, no account needed.

  3. 3

    Voting Plan Builder

    A plan you'll actually keep. Choose how you'll vote (early, by mail, or on Election Day), pick a day and time, check your polling place, and get friendly reminders.

  4. 4

    Ask the Candidates

    Put your own questions to candidates. Every question is reviewed for respectful, on-topic language, goes to all candidates for an office equally, and answers appear side by side, alphabetically.

  5. 5

    Neighbor Relay

    Bring 5 neighbors into the loop with your personal tracked link. Text it, copy it, or show your QR in person. Every scan is counted and attributed to you.

  6. 6

    Hear Back

    The loop closes when you hear back. We compile the community Pulse into a nonpartisan report, send it to officials and candidates, and text opted-in residents: “Here's what Hampton Roads said.”

Demo

Guided tour of every screen

Walk through each screen exactly as a resident would. Every stop has an embedded how-to and a “Try it” link so you can jump straight into the live app.

1

Issue Cards

Every Issue Card is a fair, 60-second read: what the amendment does in plain language, what it means for your block, the main sides stated fairly, questions worth asking candidates, and linked sources.

How to

  1. 1Open Issues and tap any amendment.
  2. 2Read the “In 60 seconds” section for the plain-English summary.
  3. 3Scroll to “The main sides” for both positions, stated fairly.
  4. 4Tap “Questions to ask” to see what to ask candidates.
  5. 5Open the linked sources to go deeper.
Try it
2

Issue Pulse

The Pulse captures your voice. Pick and rank your top 3 issues, add your ZIP and city, then see how your neighbors ranked them — all in under a minute, no account needed.

How to

  1. 1Tap up to 3 issues, then reorder with the arrows.
  2. 2Add your ZIP and select your city.
  3. 3See the neighbor results for your city.
  4. 4Optionally opt in for a text when candidates answer.
  5. 5Submit — your voice joins the community Pulse.
Try it
3

Voting Plan Builder

A plan you'll actually keep. Choose how you'll vote (early, by mail, or on Election Day), pick a day and time, check your polling place, and get friendly reminders.

How to

  1. 1Pick how you'll vote: early in person, by mail, or Election Day.
  2. 2Choose a day and a time window.
  3. 3Open the Virginia Citizen Portal to confirm your polling place.
  4. 4Save — and add it to your calendar in one tap.
Try it
4

Ask the Candidates

Put your own questions to candidates. Every question is reviewed for respectful, on-topic language, goes to all candidates for an office equally, and answers appear side by side, alphabetically.

How to

  1. 1Pick the issue your question is about.
  2. 2Write your question (up to 280 characters).
  3. 3Submit — it goes to moderation.
  4. 4Upvote the best approved questions.
  5. 5Check the Answered tab for candidates' replies.
Try it
5

Neighbor Relay

Bring 5 neighbors into the loop with your personal tracked link. Text it, copy it, or show your QR in person. Every scan is counted and attributed to you.

How to

  1. 1Open Share to get your personal tracked link.
  2. 2Tap “Text a neighbor” for a prefilled message.
  3. 3Or “Copy link” to paste anywhere.
  4. 4“Show my QR” to share in person.
  5. 5Watch your relay count and earn badges at 1, 5, and 10.
Try it
6

Hear Back

The loop closes when you hear back. We compile the community Pulse into a nonpartisan report, send it to officials and candidates, and text opted-in residents: “Here's what Hampton Roads said.”

How to

  1. 1See the Community Issue Report — aggregate, no individual data.
  2. 2Read what your city said about each amendment.
  3. 3Get a text when candidates answer your questions.
  4. 4Next mail drops target what the Pulse shows your block cares about.
Try it

For residents

How-to library

Rank your top 3 issues

  1. Open the Pulse from the bottom nav.
  2. Tap up to 3 issues; reorder with the arrows.
  3. Add your ZIP and city for neighbor results.
  4. Submit to add your voice to the community Pulse.

Make a voting plan

  1. Open My Plan from the bottom nav.
  2. Pick how, when, and where you'll vote.
  3. Save and add it to your calendar.

Ask candidates a question

  1. Open Ask from the bottom nav.
  2. Pick the issue and write your question.
  3. Submit — it goes to respectful-language review.

Bring in 5 neighbors

  1. Open Share from a Plan or Pulse confirmation.
  2. Text your personal link to a neighbor.
  3. Your relay count grows with each scan.

Get updates by text

  1. On the Pulse or Plan, add your phone number.
  2. Check the consent box to opt in.
  3. Reply STOP anytime to opt out.

For organizations

Bringing your community in

Registered partner organizations generate their own tracked QR codes for mailers, events, and flyers. Every scan is attributed to your org so you can report impact to funders — aggregate only, never individual data.

Register your organization

  1. Tap Partners in the top bar.
  2. Fill in your org name, type, city, and contact.
  3. Agree to the nonpartisan participation terms.
  4. Submit — your application is reviewed in 1–2 days.

Get approved

  1. We review and assign your org code (e.g. NAACP-VB).
  2. You get a private Partner Portal link by email.
  3. Open it to start generating tracked QR codes.

Generate tracked QR codes

  1. In the Partner Portal, label each code (e.g. “Oct mailer – Route 14”).
  2. Pick a channel: mail, event, flyer, social, bulletin.
  3. Optionally attach an issue and a route ID.
  4. Download a PNG or SVG at 600×600 with high error correction.

Read your impact report

  1. Each month (and 2 weeks before Election Day) you get a report.
  2. See your scans, Pulse completions, voting plans, and questions.
  3. Aggregate only — never individual resident data.
Register your organization Admin QR generator

Built this way on purpose

How it's built

Three taps to value

From a QR scan, a resident reaches a meaningful Issue Card in three taps or fewer — no login wall, no friction. That speed is a rule, not a goal.

Every interaction is attributed

Each link carries where it came from: ?org=NAACP-VB&src=mail&issue=housing&route=R014. On arrival, CivicLoop stores the first and last touch and auto-fills every form, so engagement traces back to the organization, channel, issue, and mail route that earned it.

Consent first

SMS and email only with explicit opt-in — never required to view content. Messages stay between 9am and 8pm local, and STOP/HELP are honored automatically.

Read the full privacy & nonpartisan terms →

Onboarding

Get started in 5 minutes

You don't need an account to do any of this. Work top to bottom — each step links to the live screen. Tap the circle to mark it done; your progress is saved on this device.

Who this is for

Three ways in

Residents

Learn the amendments, rank what matters, make your plan, ask candidates, and bring in neighbors. Free, nonpartisan, no account needed.

Explore the Issues

Partner organizations

Register, get approved, and generate tracked QR codes for your mailers and events. See your impact in a monthly aggregate report.

Register your org

Officials & candidates

Receive the nonpartisan Community Issue Report and the questions residents asked — every candidate for an office, treated equally.

See the report

Ready to close the loop?

Start with the issues on your ballot, then make your voice count.

Take the Pulse View my loop
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