A campaign
promise, with
money behind it.
CivicBond lets a candidate put real funds in escrow against a specific commitment. Keep the promise, the money comes back. Break it, the money goes to the public.
Accountability Bond
“If elected, I will ________.”
- Bonded amount
- Set by the candidate, held in escrow
- Term
- Until the commitment is met or broken
- Drafted by
- The candidate and a civic organization
- Judged by
- The public record
The idea, explained
in a few minutes.
A plain-English walkthrough of how an accountability bond works, who holds the money, and what happens when a promise is broken.
A promise.
With a process behind it.
Voters have no remedy when a promise is broken except the next election. A bond changes that by attaching a consequence the candidate chooses in advance, in writing, with funds already set aside.
- 01
A commitment is drafted
A civic group, advocacy organization, or the candidate’s own supporters write a specific, checkable commitment, together with the candidate.
- 02
Funds go into escrow
The candidate deposits the bonded amount with an independent escrow custodian. Neither CivicBond nor the drafting group can touch it.
- 03
CivicBond certifies it
We verify the contract and the deposit, publish the bond, and issue the certified bonded mark. If the record shows the promise was broken, the funds are released to the designated public beneficiary.
Why build this.
“Conviction
has a price.”
Contracts work because both sides have something at stake. Campaign promises have never had that structure: they cost nothing to make and nothing to break.
CivicBond is a neutral registrar, not an advocacy group. We don’t write the commitments or pick the causes. We make sure that when a candidate says a promise is bonded, it really is: the contract is sound, the money is on deposit, and the outcome is judged by the public record.
The candidate chooses the amount. There is no minimum and no ceiling. A city council candidate working two jobs might bond a few hundred dollars; a statewide officeholder with real wealth has no excuse not to bond far more. The amount is public, so voters can weigh it against what the candidate can afford. Conviction has a price, and the bond shows what a candidate thinks their word is worth.
The first bonds will be tested in local races, where a single council vote can decide whether a city signs a surveillance contract, approves a development, or funds a program. That is where a promise is easiest to check, and where it matters most.
Help get the first
bonds certified.
Funds raised cover the legal work to finalize the bond contract, set up the escrow arrangement with a bank custodian, and stand up the public registry. Every bond will be published openly, including the first ones.
Support on GoFundMeFollow the build.
CivicBond is a project of Richard Ryan, an Austin-based author and media entrepreneur, and the author of a forthcoming book on the surveillance economy.