Ballot Awareness is built to inform voters, not to profile them. This policy explains, in plain language, what limited data the site collects, how it is used, who else is involved, and the choices you have.
We do not require accounts. We do not run ads. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information. We do not build advertising profiles, and we do not set advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. We collect a small amount of privacy-protective, aggregate usage data to understand how the site is used, and we process any message you choose to send us. That is essentially all.
We aim to collect as little as possible. Specifically:
We do not knowingly collect information from children, and the site is intended for a general audience of eligible and soon-to-be-eligible voters.
We use the limited data above only to: operate, secure, and improve the site; understand in aggregate how many people use the guide and which parts are useful; respond to messages you send us; and comply with the law. We do not use your data to advertise to you, and we do not sell it.
We use a small number of service providers to run the site. When you use Ballot Awareness, data may be processed by:
We keep this list deliberately short and review it whenever we change the site. Ballot Awareness includes no advertising networks, no social media tracking pixels, no session-recording or heatmap tools, no A/B testing services, no chat widgets, and no marketing or analytics SDKs beyond the cookieless analytics described above.
We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices of third-party websites you reach by clicking links in the guide (for example, official state election sites, Ballotpedia, or news sources). Those sites have their own privacy policies.
This section is our cookie policy. Ballot Awareness sets no cookies of its own: no advertising cookies, no cross-site tracking cookies, and no analytics cookies. Our analytics are cookieless, and we do not track you across other websites. We also use no local storage or device fingerprinting to identify you.
Because we set no non-essential cookies, this site does not display a cookie consent banner: under the ePrivacy Directive and similar laws, consent is required before storing non-essential information on your device, and we store none. Showing a consent banner when there is nothing to consent to would be misleading. If that ever changes, for example if we add analytics or features that use non-essential cookies, we will update this policy and request your consent before any such cookie is set.
We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help draft and organize the candidate and race summaries on this site, such as compiling background from public sources into short descriptions. AI-assisted content is reviewed against public sources as part of our process, and is intended to be descriptive, not evaluative. AI is used only to help prepare the informational content you read; it is not used to profile you, make decisions about you, or process your personal data. As with any information here, we cannot guarantee it is complete or error-free, and we welcome corrections.
You can use nearly all of the site without providing any personal information: browsing races requires no account and no personal data. Using the address lookup is entirely optional. You can choose not to email us. Depending on where you live, you may have rights under laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) or the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights. Because we do not maintain user accounts or sell personal information, the personal data we actually hold is minimal. To make a request or ask a question, contact us at ballotawareness@gmail.com.
We do not sell or share your personal information as those terms are defined under California law.
Aggregate analytics are retained by our analytics provider for a limited period and are not linked to your identity. Emails you send are kept only as long as needed to respond and to maintain a record of corrections. We take reasonable measures to protect the limited information involved, though no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure.
Because we do not create accounts and do not store the address used for the optional district lookup, there is usually no personal profile of you for us to hold. Where we do hold something, for example an email you sent us, you may request a copy of it or ask us to delete it.
To make a request: email ballotawareness@gmail.com with the subject line "Data request" and tell us what you would like us to do (access, correct, or delete). We will respond within 30 days. We will not charge you, and we will not treat you differently for asking. We may need to confirm that the request comes from the email address concerned.
We do not operate a mailing list and we do not send marketing or promotional email. We reply only to messages you send us. If we ever introduce an email newsletter, it will be opt-in, and every message will include a working one-click unsubscribe link and our contact details.
This site is intended for a general audience, principally people who are eligible to vote or approaching voting age. It is not directed to children under 13, we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, and we do not ask any visitor for their age, date of birth, or school. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Ballot Awareness is an independent, self-funded civic information project operated by a private individual in California, United States. It is not a company, campaign, PAC, government body, or political organization, and it has no owners, sponsors, or advertisers. All questions, legal notices, corrections, and privacy requests can be sent to ballotawareness@gmail.com, which is the official contact address for the site.
All logos, icons, and graphics on this site were created for Ballot Awareness. We do not use third-party stock photography, and we do not host candidate photographs. Typefaces are used under the SIL Open Font License.
We may update this Privacy Policy as the site evolves or as the law requires. The "last updated" date above reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be reflected here.
Questions about privacy, or requests regarding your information, can be sent to ballotawareness@gmail.com.