Before you start
You'll need a Citizen Account. If you haven't made one yet, see How to Create a Citizen Account.
Consider setting up your Application Profile first. It saves your qualifications, employer, occupation, and reason for applying so those fields pre-fill automatically for every application. See How to Set Up Your Application Profile.
Gather supporting documents you might want to attach, such as a résumé or cover letter.
Step 1: Find an open seat
Open your government's Boards page.
Use the "Boards Accepting Applications" filter to see only boards with open seats.
Click a board's name to open its detail page.
Scroll to the Current Members table and look for rows with an Apply button on the right.
[IMAGE: Board detail page with the Current Members table; one row shows a green "Apply" button next to an open seat]
For more on navigating this page, see How to Browse Boards and Commissions.
Step 2: Select the seat (or seats) you want to apply for
Click Apply on any open seat row. You'll see a floating card appear in the bottom-right corner of the page showing how many seats you've selected.
[IMAGE: Floating "1 seat selected" card in the bottom-right corner of the page, with a "Create Application" button]
You can keep adding seats:
Same board, multiple terms — you can apply for both a current-term opening and an upcoming-term opening at once.
Different boards — you can add seats from other boards too. The floating card keeps counting.
When you're ready, click Create Application on the floating card.
Step 3: Confirm your selections
A confirmation dialog titled Confirm Your Application opens, grouped by board.
[IMAGE: Confirm Your Application dialog showing seats grouped under board names, with term names, date ranges, and a delete icon next to each]
Review the list:
Each entry shows the seat title, the term name, and the term date range.
Click the trash icon next to any seat to remove it before creating the application.
When everything looks right, click Create Application.
Govinity creates a draft application and takes you straight to the form.
Step 4: Fill out the application form
The form has several sections. Required fields are marked, and anything you've saved in your Application Profile will already be filled in.
[IMAGE: Seat application form showing Personal Information, Qualifications & Interests, Custom Fields, and File Upload sections]
Personal Information
First Name and Last Name (required)
Email
Phone (country code + number)
Address — street, city, state, postal code, country
Qualifications & Interests
Employer — your current company or organization.
Occupation — your job title.
Race or Ethnicity — optional demographic field.
Qualifications (required) — describe your relevant experience and skills.
Reason for Applying (required) — explain why you're interested in this seat.
Custom Fields
Some governments add extra questions specific to the board or commission. If a field appears here, read the label carefully — your government has asked for this information for a reason.
If you're applying for multiple seats that share the same custom question, you only need to answer it once.
Attachments
Use the file upload area to attach supporting documents — for example, a résumé or a cover letter. You can add multiple files and remove any of them before submitting.
Step 5: Save a draft or submit
You have two options at the bottom of the form:
Save Draft — saves everything you've entered so you can return later. Required fields are not enforced at this stage, so you can come back with partial information.
Submit Application — runs a full check for required fields, then sends your application to the government.
[IMAGE: Bottom of the application form showing "Save Draft" and "Submit Application" buttons]
After you submit
You'll see a success message confirming your application was submitted.
You'll be returned to your My Applications list.
Your application becomes read-only — see How to Track Your Seat Applications for what you can still change.
Common questions
Can I change my application after submitting? Yes — as long as the submission deadline hasn't passed and none of your seats have moved past "Pending," you can use the Unsubmit button on the application detail page to return it to draft status, make changes, and resubmit.
Can I withdraw from just one seat in my application? Yes. On a submitted application, each seat has its own Withdraw button. Withdrawing one seat leaves your other seats in the same application active.
What happens after I submit? Your government's staff review applications after the submission deadline. Statuses you may see include Pending, Under Review, Approved, and Rejected. You'll be able to check the current status any time under My Applications.
What's next?
How to Track Your Seat Applications — check status, withdraw, or edit drafts.
How to Set Up Your Application Profile — speed up future applications.
Need help?
If you run into trouble during the application, contact your government's staff liaison from the board's detail page, or reach out to Govinity support.