How board-of-elections.org/ Uses Cookies & Similar Technologies
This page sets out the cookies and similar technologies we use, what each one does, how long it lasts, and the choices you have. Read it alongside our Privacy Policy.
What’s on this page
1. What Cookies Are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. Similar technologies include local storage, pixels, and SDKs. They allow a website to remember your preferences, keep your visit working smoothly, measure usage, and — when you consent — support advertising.
This page covers all of these technologies under the general term "cookies." We use the term to mean any browser-storage or tracking technology that is set by or on behalf of board-of-elections.org/.
2. Why We Use Cookies
- To make the site work — load pages, remember your cookie preferences, protect against form-submission abuse
- To remember your preferences — your selected state, font-size choice, accessibility preferences
- To understand what’s useful — aggregate analytics on which state pages, registration walkthroughs, and polling-place guides are read most
- To support display advertising — frequency capping, basic measurement, and personalised advertising where you have consented
We do not use cookies to identify you personally for any purpose other than as described here and in our Privacy Policy. We do not use cookies to track party affiliation, voting history, candidate preference, or any sensitive political information.
3. The Four Categories of Cookie
1. Strictly necessary
Essential for the site to function — page load, security, form-submission protection, your cookie-consent choice itself. Always on; cannot be switched off.
2. Functional
Remember preferences (selected state, font size, accessibility settings) so you don’t have to re-set them. On unless you opt out.
3. Analytics
Aggregated usage measurement (which pages read, time on page, click paths). Off by default; switched on only with your consent.
4. Advertising
Frequency capping, measurement, and personalised advertising from our ad network — but never on inferred political affiliation. Off by default; switched on only with your consent.
4. First-Party Cookies (Set by board-of-elections.org/)
| Name | Purpose | Category | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| bel_consent | Records your cookie-consent choice | Strictly necessary | 12 months |
| bel_session | Maintains the page-load state during your visit | Strictly necessary | Session |
| bel_csrf | Cross-site request forgery protection on contact form | Strictly necessary | Session |
| bel_pref | Stores accessibility/UI preferences (font size, selected state) | Functional | 6 months |
| bel_gpc | Records that we received your Global Privacy Control signal | Strictly necessary | 12 months |
5. Third-Party Cookies
Where you have given consent, the site may set cookies from these third parties. Each has its own privacy and cookie policy.
| Provider | Purpose | Category | Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 (GA4) | Aggregated site analytics | Analytics | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Google AdSense | Display advertising; frequency capping; measurement | Advertising | policies.google.com/technologies/ads |
| Cloudflare | Site security, bot mitigation, performance (CDN) | Strictly necessary | cloudflare.com/privacypolicy |
6. No Political-Affiliation or Voting-Behaviour Targeting
Because board-of-elections.org/ is nonpartisan and serves voters across the political spectrum, we do not allow our ad network to target advertising based on inferred political affiliation, candidate preference, voting history, or party identification. The advertising you see on the site is contextual or general-interest. The cookie data we share with our ad network is limited to general site usage (frequency capping, measurement) and is not used to build political-targeting profiles.
We do not partner with voter-data brokers, voter-list-matching services, or political-targeting platforms. We do not allow advertisers to upload custom audiences derived from voter registration data and target visitors of this site.
7. Consent & Global Privacy Control (GPC)
The first time you visit, our cookie banner asks for your consent to analytics and advertising cookies. Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent because the site cannot function without them.
The site honours the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a valid opt-out of “sale” and “sharing” of personal information under California (CCPA/CPRA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), Texas (TDPSA), Florida (FDBR), Oregon (OCPA), and similar state laws that recognise universal opt-out mechanisms. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we treat it as an opt-out from advertising cookies and from any state-law “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information.
8. How to Manage Cookies
- Cookie banner — accept, reject, or customise on first visit
- “Cookie settings” link in the footer — change your choice at any time
- Browser controls — block or delete cookies in your browser settings (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Brave); block third-party cookies entirely if you prefer
- Private/Incognito browsing — cookies are deleted when the window closes
- GPC-enabled browser — Brave, Firefox (with extension), DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser send a GPC signal automatically
9. Industry Opt-Out Tools
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) — optout.networkadvertising.org
- Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) WebChoices — optout.aboutads.info
- Your Online Choices (EU) — youronlinechoices.eu
- Google Ads opt-out — adssettings.google.com
10. Do Not Track
The browser-level Do Not Track (DNT) signal is no longer supported by major browsers and the original DNT specification was never finalised. We honour the more current Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal in its place — see Section 7 above.
11. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We update this policy when our practices change or when state privacy laws change. The “Last reviewed” date at the top reflects the current version. Substantive changes will be re-prompted through the cookie banner when applicable.
12. Contact
For any cookie or privacy question, email info@board-of-elections.org with subject line “Cookie inquiry” — see our Privacy Policy for the full data-rights framework.
Manage Your Cookie Preferences Anytime
Use the “Cookie settings” link in the site footer to change your choice. Your decision is remembered for 12 months from when you set it.
📧 info@board-of-elections.org