Form safe voting groups and travel together in high-risk regions
Voters in Ethiopia's Oromia and Amhara regions cannot cast ballots as polling stations fail to open or voting is interrupted by security issues
UnityVote connects voters living near each other to form small groups ('pods') that travel together to polling stations. The app facilitates scheduling, provides encrypted group chat, and optional live location sharing during travel with clear consent controls. By promoting safety in numbers, it reduces individual vulnerability while building community trust.
Voters and residents in conflict-affected Oromia and Amhara regions of Ethiopia
First platform focused on proactive collective physical safety through group formation rather than reactive reporting, using geofenced matching specifically tuned for Ethiopian cultural context.
empowering
Matches users by location, time preference and group size
Secure communication within voting pods
Calendar system for coordinating departure times and locations
Temporary location sharing only during travel window with easy exit
Automated check-in system that alerts pod if someone goes silent
Anonymous post-vote feedback to build trust in pods
Verified contacts for local neutral security figures
Record of past successful voting groups
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| phone | text | No |
| region | text | No |
| trust_score | int | No |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| meeting_time | timestamp | No |
| meeting_lat | float | No |
| meeting_lon | float | No |
| status | text | No |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| pod_id | uuid | No |
| user_id | uuid | No |
| role | text | No |
| joined_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| pod_id | uuid | No |
| started_at | timestamp | No |
| completed_at | timestamp | Yes |
Relationships:
/api/pods/matchFind or create matching voting pods
/api/pods/:id/joinRequest to join a pod
/api/travel/startBegin live location sharing session
/api/chat/:podIdReal-time group chat (WebSocket)
No private pods, limited to 3 pods/month
Individual use
For local leaders and organizers
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 950 | 7% | $1,662 | $19,944 |
| Month 6 | 6,800 | 13% | $11,050 | $132,600 |
Find fellow voters nearby and travel together to the polls safely
Identify 15 respected community elders and women's group leaders in target woredas and offer them free Community Builder accounts to seed the first pods. Run localized launch events in partnership with faith-based organizations known for neutrality. Create referral incentives where users who successfully bring their neighbors get 3 months Pro free.
Strong hyperlocal community features
Not built for high-risk environments or election-specific coordination
Purpose-built safety features, consent controls, and matching algorithm for voting under threat
Strong network effects within specific woredas - the more users in an area, the safer and more effective pods become, creating regional monopolies on collective voting coordination.
Deteriorating security situations have made individual voting extremely dangerous while community solidarity traditions in both Oromia and Amhara provide cultural foundation for group-based solutions.
Groups could be targeted as larger targets
Clear safety protocols, no public pod visibility, strong emphasis on small groups (max 8)
Low initial density makes matching difficult
Seed with community leaders and offer incentives for early geographic clusters
Success: At least 75% of participants say they would join a pod
Success: Minimum 22 successful pods formed and 65% completion rate
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