Decision-making for member-run communities
Your group works it out together. The vote makes it official.
Eco villages, housing co-ops, collectives and clubs already work things out together. VoteCast gives that a shape: six ways to vote, time to think before each one, and a result anyone in the group can check.
Free for groups of up to 10 members — and for larger groups during the beta. What it costs
Where should the spring fund go?
Everyone picks one. The result shows where the group stands — nothing passes or fails.
What you get
Built for the way groups really reach a decision.
Six ways to decide
Pick the method that fits the question — a quick poll for a date, consensus for the things that affect everyone.
Time to think, before and after
Give people days to read a proposal before voting opens, and add a ratification step after — so nothing is rushed through.
Committees that carry weight
Let the people closest to a question decide it. Everyone else can still read the proposal and see how the vote went.
What it costs
Free for small groups. Free for bigger ones during the beta.
Up to 10 members
Free
Start a community and invite up to 10 members. Nothing to pay and no trial clock — every feature is there from day one.
- All six ways to decide
- Committees, facilitators and ratification
- Public, unlisted or private
Unverified communities can hold up to 50 proposals.
More than 10 members
BetaFree while we’re in beta
Is your community bigger? During the beta we verify larger communities at no cost. A verified community has no limit on members or proposals.
Tell us a little about your group and we’ll take it from there.
The problem
Most groups don’t have a deciding problem. They have a record problem.
The talking works. What gets lost is the moment it becomes a decision: who was asked, what they said, and what the group actually agreed to.
…14 more messages, three people who never saw the thread, and nobody sure what was agreed.
How a decision moves
Five steps, and only one of them is voting.
Step 01 · Before VoteCast
It starts outside VoteCast — with people talking.
This step isn’t part of VoteCast, and it doesn’t need to be. Talk it through at the kitchen table, in your meetings or in the group chat you already use. VoteCast comes in once someone is ready to write a proposal.
Nothing to move over. Nobody has to learn a new place to chat.
Your group chat · not in VoteCast
Who it’s for
Groups that answer to their members, not a boardroom.
Slow decisions with long consequences.
Eco villages, community farms, gardens and land trusts, where the same people plan together season after season.
- This season’s planting and budget
- Taking on new residents
- Whether to build the barn
Inside
The unglamorous parts, done properly.
Voting types you set up once
Choose the method, the minimum turnout, the timing and the labels. Each change makes a new version, and past decisions keep the rules they were made under.
The text is the decision
Approval, Consensus and Consent vote on written text, so the wording is exactly what the group agrees to.
Who gets a say
Open a voting type to every member, or only to one or more committees. Anyone in the community can still follow along.
Results when you want them
Show the count live, only once voting closes so early votes don’t sway the rest, or to facilitators only.
Objections taken seriously
In Consent, an objection needs a reason and a facilitator reviews it. Until then, the outcome stays provisional.
Open, unlisted or private
Decide who can find your community. Share a single proposal by link, even from a private community.
Getting started
Your first decision, this week.
- 1
Start a community
Give it a name, choose who can find it, and send your members an invite link.
- 2
Open a proposal
Write down what’s being decided, pick a voting type, and set when voting opens and closes.
- 3
Decide, together
Members vote from any device. The outcome and every vote stay with the proposal.
Newest
Communities deciding here
Questions
What groups ask first.
Do we have to move our discussions into VoteCast?
No. Keep talking at meetings, on calls, or in the chat you already use. VoteCast holds what comes out of it: the proposal, the vote, and the record of what was decided.
What does VoteCast cost?
Nothing for groups of up to 10 members. While VoteCast is in beta, larger communities can be verified for free as well — verified communities have no limit on members or proposals. Get in touch through ecohubs.community/contact and tell us about your group.
Which voting method should we start with?
You don’t have to choose on day one. Every new community starts with three voting types: a quick poll, a two-thirds approval for everyday decisions, and consensus for the big ones. Change them, or add Ranked, Common Ground or Consent when you need them.
Can a small group decide on behalf of everyone?
Yes. A voting type can be limited to one or more committees, so the garden committee decides garden questions. Everyone else can still read the proposal and see how the vote went.
Can other members see how I voted?
Yes. Votes in VoteCast are open, so members can see who chose what — that’s part of what makes a result easy to trust. The voting type decides when results appear: live, once voting closes, or to facilitators only.
Can I change my vote?
Yes, as often as you like until voting closes. Only your latest vote counts.
What if we change how we vote later?
Every change to a voting type creates a new version. New proposals use the new rules, and past decisions keep the rules they were made under.
Who can see our community?
You decide. A public community is listed for anyone to find, an unlisted one only opens with its link, and a private one is for members only.
Is VoteCast open source?
Yes. The code is published under the AGPL-3.0 licence, so anyone can check how results are counted — and you can run VoteCast on your own server if you prefer.
Your group already knows what it thinks. Make it official.
Start a community, invite your members with a link, and put your first proposal to the group.
- Free for up to 10 members
- Open source
- One member, one vote