Ask the Government is a civic engagement prediction market platform where citizens can ask questions to government institutions AND bet on political outcomes and government decisions. We combine democratic participation with market-driven forecasting to create a unique platform for political engagement and accountability.
✅ Question submission and voting system live
🚧 Prediction markets, betting features, and government response tracking in development — contributions welcome!
- 🗳️ Public Questions - Submit questions directly to government institutions
- 📊 Community Voting - Yes/No voting system to surface important questions
- 🎯 Institution Focused - Target government bodies, not individual politicians
- 📝 Response Tracking - Monitor which questions get official responses
- 💰 Government Event Betting - Bet on policy outcomes, elections, and government decisions
- 📈 Political Forecasting - Trade shares on regulatory approvals, budget allocations, legislation passage
- 🏛️ Policy Prediction - Market-driven probability estimates for government actions
- ⚡ Real-Time Odds - Live betting odds on political events and decisions
- 🎯 Outcome Resolution - Transparent settlement based on official government announcements
- Legislative Outcomes - Will specific bills pass? Budget approvals, policy changes
- Regulatory Decisions - FDA approvals, environmental permits, trade agreements
- Elections & Appointments - Local elections, judicial confirmations, cabinet picks
- Economic Policy - Interest rate changes, tax policy, government spending
- International Relations - Trade deals, diplomatic agreements, sanctions
- Government Announcements - Policy reversals, new initiatives, program launches
- Framework: React 18, Vite, TypeScript
- Styling: Tailwind CSS, Framer Motion
- Web3: Wagmi, Viem (for betting features)
- Charts: Recharts (for prediction odds)
- API: Node.js, Express, GraphQL
- Database: PostgreSQL (questions & bets), Redis (caching)
- Blockchain: Ethereum/Polygon (for betting settlements)
- Government APIs: Integration with official government data feeds
- Language: Solidity ^0.8.19
- Betting Logic: Automated market makers for political events
- Resolution: Oracle-based outcome verification using government sources
- Node.js 18+ and npm
- MetaMask wallet (for betting features)
- Git
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/ask-the-government.git
cd ask-the-government
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Copy environment variables
cp .env.example .env.local
# Start development server
npm run dev# .env.local
VITE_ALCHEMY_API_KEY=your_alchemy_key
VITE_WALLETCONNECT_PROJECT_ID=your_walletconnect_id
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/askgov
GOVERNMENT_API_KEY=your_gov_data_api_key
BETTING_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0x...- Submit Questions - Citizens post questions to specific government institutions
- Community Vote - Users vote Yes/No to prioritize important questions
- Government Tracking - Monitor which institutions respond and when
- Public Archive - Maintain transparent record of questions and responses
- Event Creation - Political events automatically generate betting markets
- Market Trading - Users buy/sell shares on government outcomes
- Price Discovery - Market prices reflect collective probability estimates
- Official Resolution - Outcomes determined by verified government sources
- Automatic Payout - Winners receive earnings via smart contracts
"Will the Infrastructure Bill pass by March 2024?"
- YES shares: $0.67 (67% implied probability)
- NO shares: $0.33 (33% implied probability)
- Volume: $45K traded
- Resolution Source: Congressional voting records
Help build the intersection of civic engagement and prediction markets! We need:
- 🏗️ Government API integrations for real-time data
- 📊 Advanced analytics for question trends and betting patterns
- 🔐 Smart contract security and betting logic improvements
- 📱 Mobile app development for broader civic participation
- 📝 Curate important government questions and events
- 🎯 Help identify betting market opportunities
- 🔍 Research government data sources for outcome resolution
- 📢 Community outreach and civic education
- Fork the repository
- Browse issues labeled
civic-engagementorprediction-markets - Join our Discord to discuss ideas with the community
- Submit PRs with clear descriptions of civic or betting improvements
📋 Read our Contributing Guidelines for detailed information on code standards and community guidelines.
- Question submission system
- Community voting (Yes/No)
- Government institution targeting
- Basic response tracking
- Government event betting
- Automated market creation
- Smart contract integration
- Outcome resolution system
- Government response guarantees
- Politician accountability scoring
- Advanced market types (multi-outcome)
- Mobile app with push notifications
- Transparent Operations - All questions and betting data publicly accessible
- Government Accountability - Track response rates and engagement levels
- Responsible Betting - Educational resources about prediction market risks
- Democratic Values - Platform designed to enhance, not replace, civic participation
- Data Integrity - Official government sources used for all outcome resolutions
- 📝 Total Questions: 2,847 submitted to government institutions
- 🏛️ Government Bodies: 156 institutions tracked
- 💰 Total Betting Volume: $1.2M across political events
- 📈 Response Rate: 23% of questions receive official government responses
- 👥 Active Users: 15,000+ engaged citizens
- Civic Engagement: This platform supplements but doesn't replace traditional democratic participation (voting, contacting representatives, etc.)
- Betting Risks: Prediction markets involve financial risk. Never bet more than you can afford to lose
- Government Independence: We are not affiliated with any government institution
- Legal Compliance: Ensure betting activities comply with your local laws and regulations
- Live Platform: https://askthegovernment.org
- Government Response Tracker: https://responses.askthegovernment.org
- Discord Community: Join our Discord
- Twitter: @AskTheGov
- Documentation: https://docs.askthegovernment.org
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Empowering citizens through questions, accountability through markets 🏛️📊