Privacy Policy

1. What we collect

• Information you give us. Your email address if you subscribe to the newsletter; the ZIP code or city and state you enter in the ballot lookup; the contents of messages you send through the contact form.
• Analytics. Standard, aggregated web analytics: pages viewed, referring page, approximate region, device and browser type, and timestamps. We use this to understand which coverage is useful, not to build a profile of you as an individual.
• Vote and reaction records. If a page lets you react to or vote on content, we store a rotating, one-way fingerprint derived from your IP address and browser so the same visitor isn't counted twice. It cannot be reversed into your identity and it changes on a rolling basis.
• Ballot lookup input. A ZIP code or city and state you submit is used to resolve your state and district for that request. We do not build a stored history of individual lookups tied to you.

2. How we use information

• to operate the site and route ballot lookups to the right state and district page;
• to send the newsletter you asked for, and measure whether it was delivered;
• to understand, in aggregate, which coverage and pages readers find useful;
• to detect and prevent abuse of votes, reactions, or forms;
• to respond to your messages, corrections, and legal requests.

3. Analytics and advertising disclosure

We use analytics tools to measure traffic and readership; where required, non-essential analytics or advertising cookies are only set with your consent. If ads are shown on the site, an advertising partner may use cookies to serve and measure them, subject to that partner's own policy. You can block or delete cookies in your browser, though parts of the site may stop working.

4. We do not sell political data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, your newsletter subscription, or your ballot lookup activity to political campaigns, parties, PACs, or data brokers, for money or anything else of value.

5. Who we share with

• Service providers that host the site, store our database, send email, and provide analytics, acting only on our instructions.
• Advertising partners, where ads are shown, subject to their own policies.
• Legal recipients, when we must respond to a lawful request or protect our rights, users, or the public.

6. Retention

We keep newsletter subscriptions until you unsubscribe, plus a short unsubscribe record so we don't email you again. Contact messages are kept for a limited period, typically no more than 24 months. Vote and reaction fingerprints expire on a rolling basis. Ballot lookup submissions are not retained as identifiable records.

7. Your choices

• Newsletter: unsubscribe using the link in any email, or email us.
• Analytics and ad cookies: use your browser's cookie controls, or a consent tool if one is presented to you.

8. US state privacy rights

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know, delete, and correct the personal information we hold, to opt out of "sales" or "sharing" as those laws define them, and not to be discriminated against for exercising a right. Residents of other states with comparable laws have similar rights. To exercise a right, email privacy@theballot.news. We may need to verify your request and we respond within the time the law allows.

9. GDPR and UK GDPR

Where GDPR or UK GDPR applies, our legal bases are consent (newsletter, non-essential cookies) and legitimate interests (running and securing the site, measuring readership). You may request access, correction, deletion, portability, or restriction of processing, and you may withdraw consent at any time. You may also complain to your local supervisory authority.

10. Children

The site is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has provided us information, email us and we will delete it.

11. Editorial independence

Data we collect about readers is never used to shape which candidates, parties, or races we cover, or how we cover them. Advertising and analytics are kept separate from editorial decisions.

12. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect information in transit and at rest. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Changes

We may update this policy. When we do, we will change the effective date above and, for material changes, note it on the site.

14. Contact

Privacy questions and requests: privacy@theballot.news. You can also use our contact form.