Overview and agreement
By creating an account or using Ballotscope, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. These Terms cover ballotscope.com, features such as report cards, the alignment quiz, Campaign Central, Explore Leaders, our APIs, and official community spaces we manage or link.
Eligibility and territory
You must be 18 or older and able to enter a contract. The Service is offered to people located in the United States. Our primary infrastructure and data centers are in the United States.
For individual accounts, we verify that each user is a real voter to the extent possible through voter-record verification as described in our Privacy Policy. Where a state does not support direct lookup, we may ask for alternative steps. If we cannot verify you, your access may be limited or denied. Providing false information is grounds for suspension or closure.
For organizational accounts such as campaigns, PACs, nonprofits, donors, and advisory boards, an authorized representative must create and manage the account. We may request documents and signed attestations to confirm authorization and legitimacy.
Accounts and identity
One person, one account for individual users. A campaign or organization account may have multiple users and is billed per seat. On sign-up we collect your real name to attempt voter verification. Your public display name is your username. We do not show your real name and we encourage you not to share it. If you contest a failed verification you may submit a screenshot of your voter record and, if requested, an image of a government ID.
Campaign staff must use organization accounts rather than personal accounts for campaign activity. Organization accounts may designate admins.
Impersonation, usernames, and squatting
Impersonation of public figures, campaigns, organizations, or other users is prohibited. We may remove content, suspend accounts, ban users, block abusive IP ranges, and refer matters to law enforcement. We may reserve or reassign usernames in the public interest, including for verified campaigns and public figures. Username squatting is prohibited. We use automated and manual checks to deter it.
Paid features, subscriptions, and billing
Certain features and account types require payment. Client categories such as campaigns, PACs, nonprofits, donors, advisory boards, and similar organizations are paid accounts.
- Plans may include tiers, seats, usage limits, and add-ons. Details appear at purchase or in an order form.
- Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled as stated at checkout.
- Fees are generally non-refundable except where we state otherwise or where required by law. Taxes may apply.
- We may change pricing or features. For active subscriptions we give reasonable advance notice and changes take effect on renewal.
- Failed payments, chargebacks, or disputed charges may result in suspension until resolved. Late fees and reasonable collection costs may apply where permitted.
Acceptable use
Do not harass, dox, threaten, or incite violence. Do not post hateful, obscene, or illegal content. Do not spread misinformation or attempt to suppress voting. Do not interfere with the Service, probe or scan systems without authorization, attempt to re-identify de-identified data, or scrape outside permitted API access and rate limits. Respect third-party rights, including privacy and intellectual property.
Community guidelines, moderation, and reporting
You must follow our Community Guidelines. Report violations via in-product tools or support@ballotscope.com. We aim to review and act within 24 to 72 hours. Actions may include removal of content, feature limits, temporary account freeze, account ban, and referral to law enforcement. We may act immediately where safety or legal risk exists. Appeals are available through an in-product flow and are reviewed by a designated review board. We may publish aggregated transparency metrics in our Quarterly Report.
Information, grades, and methodology
Report cards, alignment scores, leaders, and rankings are informational only and not endorsements or legal advice. Grading uses a neutral rubric and algorithm. Ballotscope staff do not hand-assign grades. Community grades reflect user opinions and do not represent Ballotscope’s views. We publish or link our rubric and methodology:
Public datasets, including FEC, Congress.gov, and state sources, may contain delays or errors. We may correct data when appropriate.
Campaign Central and authorized campaign accounts
Campaign profiles may be created or claimed only by authorized representatives. Campaign users are responsible for compliance with election, advertising, and communications laws and platform rules. We may request proof of authorization and may suspend or revoke accounts that misuse campaign tools.
Advertising, sponsorships, and boosted posts
Political ads that advocate for or against a specific candidate or party are not allowed. Cause-based organizations may promote initiatives aligned with our mission such as voter engagement or anti-suppression efforts, subject to review.
- When boosted posts are available, they are labeled as sponsored and appear only in eligible user feeds.
- We enforce content standards and may apply frequency caps, category restrictions, targeting limits, and eligibility rules.
- We maintain an internal archive of paid promotions with spend, dates, and a high-level targeting summary and may summarize it in public transparency reports.
- Ads and sponsorships must follow FTC endorsement rules, platform policies, and jurisdictional disclaimer requirements.
- We may enforce blackout periods and geographic limits around elections where required by law and by our policies. We may remove or block non-compliant content.
Messaging and outreach
Campaigns and organizations cannot send direct messages to users through Ballotscope. They may reply publicly in comments and post to their profiles and topic pages. Users may contact campaigns through provided tools. If we enable direct messaging in the future, senders must obtain and honor consent and follow applicable laws. Anti-spam rules and frequency caps will apply, including automatic pauses after repeated unanswered messages.
We do not allow campaigns to send email or SMS through Ballotscope.
Developers and API
API access requires a key and compliance with our documentation. We may monitor usage, enforce rate limits, change or deprecate endpoints, or revoke keys. Prohibited uses include reselling raw personal data, attempting re-identification, misleading attribution, abusive scraping, and training AI models on Ballotscope content without a separate license. Attribution and branding rules in the Developer Terms apply. We publish a deprecation policy and provide reasonable notice before breaking changes except where security or legal risks require faster action.
Official voice, brand, and press
Only designated staff may speak for Ballotscope. Volunteers and users must not present themselves as official spokespeople. Use brand assets as allowed by our Brand Guidelines. Do not alter logos or imply Ballotscope endorsement of any candidate, party, or ballot measure. Ballotscope is nonpartisan. Direct all media and press inquiries to press@ballotscope.com.
Conflicts of interest
You must disclose employment, advisory, paid or unpaid roles, or material relationships with campaigns, PACs, parties, or vendors that intersect with your use of the Service or participation in our programs. You must not use internal information or program access for outside advantage. We may impose limits or additional terms. Failure to disclose is grounds for suspension or removal.
Aggregated and de-identified insights
We may create and license aggregated, de-identified insights derived from activity on the Service to clients such as campaigns, PACs, nonprofits, donors, advisory boards, researchers, and media. Insights do not include personal identifiers and are subject to safeguards against re-identification. Clients are prohibited from re-identifying or combining insights with third-party personal data. We may require periodic certifications and may review usage via logs on reasonable notice. Access to fine-grained breakouts may require paid tiers and is subject to privacy thresholds and suppression rules.
Privacy and data retention
Your use of the Service is subject to our Privacy Policy, which explains what we collect, how we use it, and your choices. It also explains verification workflows, including that verification screenshots may be kept briefly for human review when automated confidence is low and are otherwise deleted promptly.
Third-party links and services
We are not responsible for third-party websites or services we link to. Review their terms and policies before using them.
Security and safety
Admins for campaign and organization accounts must enable two-factor authentication. We maintain a security contact and may run a bug bounty. See security.txt at: https://ballotscope.com/.well-known/security.txt or email security@ballotscope.com.
Intellectual property
Ballotscope trademarks, logos, code, datasets, and design are protected. You may not copy, modify, or distribute our intellectual property unless we give written permission. You retain ownership of your content and grant Ballotscope the rights needed to operate and improve the Service.
Automated access and scraping
Automated access is allowed only through our API and within our rate limits. We may block or rate-limit scraping or automated calls that burden the Service or violate these Terms.
Compliance
Follow applicable laws and platform rules, including endorsement disclosures, impersonation and copyright rules, election and communications requirements, export-control and sanctions restrictions, and records obligations that apply to campaigns and PACs. Coordinated deceptive practices that mislead voters about polling locations, deadlines, identification requirements, or eligibility are prohibited and may be referred to authorities. We comply with lawful requests from authorities as required.
Changes to the Service
We may change, suspend, or discontinue features. For paid features, we provide at least 30 days’ advance notice before removal unless security or legal risk requires faster action.
Termination and export
You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate accounts for violations or risk. After termination, certain terms continue, including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and dispute terms. We provide a reasonable window to export your content and account data fields described in our Privacy Policy, except where law, safety, platform abuse, or third-party rights prevent export.
Disclaimers and limitation of liability
The Service is provided as is and as available. To the maximum extent allowed by law, we disclaim warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We are not liable for indirect or consequential damages. Our total liability will not exceed the greater of one hundred dollars or the fees you paid to Ballotscope in the twelve months before the claim.
Indemnification
You agree to defend and hold Ballotscope harmless from claims arising from your content, your use of the Service, or your violation of these Terms or law.
Governing law and dispute resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of [State], excluding conflict-of-laws rules. Venue lies in the courts of [County, State]. If we adopt binding arbitration or a class-action waiver, we will update this section and provide notice.
Policy links
Contact
legal@ballotscope.com • Ballotscope LLC, [Address]