Terms of Service

1. Introduction and Acceptance

Welcome to Votlify (“Platform,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). Votlify is an election transparency platform that enables citizens to access and contribute crowdsourced information about political candidates in public elections.

By accessing or using Votlify, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Platform.

2. Platform Description

Votlify offers two distinct services:

2.1 Public Election Transparency

For public elections, Votlify provides:

• Candidate Information: Crowdsourced profiles of candidates running in public elections, including their background, qualifications, and public record.
• Community Validation: A system where community members submit and validate information about candidates.
• Election Coverage: Information about elections, constituencies, and electoral processes.
• Voter Awareness: Educational resources to help citizens make informed decisions.

2.2 Private Election Services

For organizations, associations, and groups, Votlify provides:

• Election Management: Software tools to create, configure, and conduct elections.
• Voter Registration: Systems to manage eligible voter lists and credentials.
• Secure Voting: Digital voting infrastructure for organizational elections.
• Results Tabulation: Automated counting and result reporting.

Private election services are available as a paid feature and are subject to separate service agreements with the subscribing organization.

3. User Accounts and Authentication

3.1 Account Creation

To contribute content or validate submissions on Votlify, you must create an account using one of our supported methods:

• Email and password
• Facebook
• Google (Gmail)

By creating an account or authenticating through social login services, you authorize us to access certain information as described in our Privacy Policy.

3.2 Account Responsibilities

You agree to:

• Provide accurate information during registration
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized account access
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account

3.3 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or compromise the integrity of the Platform.

4. User-Generated Content

4.1 Content Submissions

Users may submit information about candidates including:

• Biographical information and background
• Educational qualifications and professional history
• Public statements and policy positions
• News articles and media coverage
• Public records and official documents
• Images and videos (with proper attribution)

4.2 Content Standards

All submissions must:

• Be factual and verifiable with credible sources
• Include proper source citations and links
• Be relevant to the candidate's public role and qualifications
• Respect intellectual property rights
• Comply with applicable laws

4.3 Prohibited Content

The following content is strictly prohibited:

• False, misleading, or defamatory information
• Unverified rumors or speculation presented as fact
• Content that incites violence, hatred, or discrimination
• Personal attacks unrelated to public conduct
• Private information not relevant to public office (e.g., family medical records, minor children's details)
• Copyrighted material used without permission
• Spam, promotional content, or political advertising
• Content that violates election laws or regulations

4.4 Ownership and License

You retain ownership of content you submit. However, by submitting content to Votlify, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, and display such content in any media formats and through any media channels, whether now known or hereafter developed, without further consent, notice, or compensation to you or any third party.

This license continues even if you stop using the Platform or delete your account. This is necessary because:

• Your contributions become part of the public electoral record
• Other users may have relied on, validated, or built upon your submissions
• Historical election data serves ongoing civic education purposes
• Removing validated content could compromise platform integrity

You represent and warrant that you have all necessary rights to grant this license and that your content does not infringe any third-party rights.

5. Community Validation System

5.1 How Validation Works

Submitted information undergoes community validation before becoming publicly visible. Validators review submissions for accuracy, source credibility, and compliance with our content standards.

5.2 Becoming a Validator

Users may become validators based on their contribution history and community standing. Validators agree to:

• Review submissions objectively and impartially
• Verify sources before approving content
• Act in good faith to maintain platform integrity
• Disclose any conflicts of interest

5.3 Flagging System

Users can flag content they believe to be inaccurate or inappropriate. When content receives multiple flags:

• It is automatically hidden from public view
• It is sent for administrative review
• The original contributor, validator, and flag reasons are reviewed
• A final determination is made by our moderation team

6. Platform Neutrality

Votlify is committed to strict political neutrality. We:

• Do not endorse any political party or candidate
• Do not accept political advertising or sponsored content
• Present information without editorial bias
• Apply our content policies equally to all candidates regardless of party affiliation

Our goal is to empower voters with information, not to influence their choices.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Platform Content

The Votlify name, logo, design, and underlying technology are owned by Votlify and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or distribute our proprietary materials without permission.

7.2 Third-Party Content

Users must respect third-party intellectual property rights. When submitting content from external sources:

• Provide proper attribution
• Use only what is necessary and fair
• Link to original sources when possible
• Do not claim others' work as your own

8. Limitation of Liability

Votlify provides information “as is” without warranties of any kind. We are not liable for:

• Accuracy, completeness, or reliability of user-generated content
• Decisions made based on information from the Platform
• Actions of third parties, including other users
• Technical issues, downtime, or data loss
• Any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages

You use Votlify at your own risk and should independently verify important information before relying on it.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Votlify, its operators, and affiliates from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from:

• Your violation of these Terms
• Content you submit to the Platform
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Your violation of applicable laws

10. Modifications to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify users of material changes by:

• Posting the updated Terms on this page
• Updating the “Effective Date”
• Sending notification to registered users for significant changes

Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms or to report violations, please contact us:

• Email: lead@votlify.com
• Website: www.votlify.com

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.