Their primary function is to connect proxy holders and proxy requesters during an election. But did you know that platforms share an unexpected origin: the web site planprocu.fr !
Behind this initiative stands A Voté : a non-partisan NGO that advocates for democracy and electoral participation.
In 2023, ahead of the European elections, À Voté was looking for ways to further its cause in the upcoming election. They consulted Datack—who had been supporting them since their inception—along with other Civic Tech actors.
That’s how Citipo, an all-in-one solution for activist organizations, and Datack agency came together to offer a solution that facilitates the civic act of proxy voting.
With this fundamental principle in mind, the trust required to entrust your vote to someone else, and the idea of bringing strangers together… the ideas took off!
Very quickly, the idea of creating democratic matchmaking site was born 🩷️🗳️
Citipo took charge of the technical side, Datack handled product design, and soon the platform was up and running, just months before the election.
The NGO’s media influence did the rest… in just a few weeks, « Plan Procu » was featured on every channel and in the press.
Hundreds of voters, both those offering and requesting proxies, began registering on the platform, which allowed them to easily find their voter number, pre-fill their official form, and request a democratic « match » with a voter near their usual voting location.
Political parties take notice
Soon, the phenomenon caught the attention of political parties. Traditionally, parties mobilize their activists to handle proxy requests, but they saw this tool as an opportunity to manage these requests on a much larger scale.
Two parties took the plunge: The Greens and Raphael Glucksmann‘s campaign (S&D), integrating the tool into their organizations.
Parliamentary elections: widespread deployment
The announcement of the parliamentary elections, just one hour after the European elections by the French president, really sped things up. A citizen organization, well known for its exceptional mobilization capabilities, decided to fully engage in the upcoming elections. « Victoires Populaires » also adopted this new matching solution to create a platform with a clear agenda. Both proxy holders and requesters registered on this platform, with more than 100,000 people signing up and nearly 30,000 proxy votes processed.
Today, we’re already envisioning the next step: deploying this proxy voting tool for other elections, making it available to every community in any country.
