Terms & Conditions

Please read these terms carefully before using TapVoter. By using our service, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.

Free Forever
Secure Platform
Privacy First
Ad Supported

Service Agreement

Effective Date: August 17, 2025

Important: Free Service Sustainability

TapVoter is and will remain free. We use minimal, non-intrusive advertising through Google AdSense and analytics to maintain our infrastructure and keep the service accessible to everyone, especially nonprofits and community organizations.

1.Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using TapVoter ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our Service.

These terms apply to all users of the Service, including election administrators, voters, and visitors.

We reserve the right to update these terms at any time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

2.Service Description

TapVoter is a free election management platform that enables organizations to conduct secure online elections. The Service includes:

  • Election creation and configuration tools with draft auto-save
  • Support for single-choice and ranked-choice (IRV) voting methods
  • 27 language presets with custom label overrides
  • Voter management with CSV import and 9-character alphanumeric keys
  • Secure voting interfaces with HMAC SHA-256 key hashing
  • Real-time results calculation with RCV tabulation algorithms
  • Custom branding (logos, colors, fonts)
  • Progressive Web App (PWA) with offline support
  • PDF report generation and data export (aggregated data only)

Technical Limitations:

  • Voter keys are 9 characters (36^9 possible combinations)
  • Rate limits: 10 requests per minute for election status checks
  • Session timeout after 1 hour of inactivity
  • File upload limits for candidate photos and logos
  • PWA requires modern browser with service worker support
  • Offline functionality limited to cached content only
  • No built-in email notifications to voters (administrators must handle separately)
  • Maximum concurrent voters limited by Firebase plan

The Service is provided "as is" and we make no guarantees about continuous, uninterrupted, or error-free operation.

3.Account Registration & Security

To create elections, you must register for an administrator account. You agree to:

  • Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information
  • Verify your email address before creating elections
  • Maintain the security of your password and account
  • Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
  • Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
  • Not share your account credentials with others

Administrator Responsibilities:

  • Securely distribute voter keys to authorized voters only
  • Ensure compliance with applicable election laws and regulations
  • Delete elections containing sensitive data when no longer needed
  • Not attempt to reverse-engineer or decrypt individual vote records
  • Respect rate limits and fair use of the platform
  • Verify election settings before activation
  • Handle voter communications and support
  • Monitor election integrity and report suspicious activity

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms or engage in fraudulent activity.

4.Acceptable Use Policy

You agree to use TapVoter only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these terms. You may not:

  • Use the Service for any illegal or unauthorized purpose
  • Attempt to interfere with or disrupt the Service
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any systems or accounts
  • Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
  • Use the Service to harass, abuse, or harm others
  • Misrepresent your identity or affiliation
  • Conduct fraudulent or manipulated elections
  • Violate any applicable laws or regulations
  • Use automated systems or bots without permission
  • Reverse engineer or attempt to extract source code

Prohibited Technical Activities:

  • Attempting to bypass or reverse HMAC SHA-256 voter key hashing
  • Trying to decrypt or reverse-engineer individual vote records
  • Exceeding rate limits (10 requests/minute for status checks)
  • Using automated voting bots or scripts
  • Uploading files disguised as images to bypass validation
  • Attempting to identify individual voters from anonymous data
  • Manipulating RCV tabulation algorithms or results
  • Accessing other users' elections without authorization
  • Attempting to bypass CSRF protection or session security
  • Creating fake elections to harvest voter information

5.How We Keep TapVoter Free

TapVoter is committed to remaining free for all users. To sustain our service and cover operational costs, we use the following methods:

Google AdSense Advertising

We display non-intrusive advertisements through Google AdSense on certain pages of our platform. These ads help us maintain our servers, security infrastructure, and ongoing development.

  • Ads are carefully placed to not interfere with the voting process
  • No ads appear on actual voting ballots or during vote casting
  • We do not share your personal data with advertisers
  • Ad personalization can be controlled through your Google Ad settings

Voluntary Donations

Users who find value in TapVoter can support us through voluntary donations via our Ko-Fi page. These contributions help ensure TapVoter remains free and accessible for everyone, especially nonprofits and community organizations.

Our Promise: Core election functionality will always remain free, with no paywalls or premium tiers required to conduct elections.

6.Analytics and Tracking

To improve our Service and understand usage patterns, we use analytics tools:

Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager

We use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to:

  • Understand how users navigate our platform
  • Identify technical issues and improve performance
  • Analyze election creation and voting patterns
  • Measure the effectiveness of new features

This data is aggregated and does not identify individual voters or their voting choices. You can opt-out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Firebase Analytics

We use Firebase Analytics for app performance monitoring and crash reporting to maintain service reliability.

7.Intellectual Property & Data Ownership

The Service and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by TapVoter and are protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

What You Own:

  • All election configuration and settings you create
  • Uploaded content (logos, candidate photos)
  • Aggregated election results and statistics
  • Custom branding and label configurations
  • Draft elections and saved configurations

What You Can Export:

  • Election metadata and configuration (JSON format)
  • Aggregated statistics and vote totals
  • PDF reports of election results
  • Summary of positions and candidates

Note: Individual votes, voter keys, and voter identities cannot be exported for security and privacy reasons.

What We Retain Rights To:

  • Anonymous usage analytics and platform statistics
  • Aggregated, de-identified data for service improvement
  • The right to display your elections as part of providing the Service
  • Temporary cached data for performance optimization

License Grant

By using the Service, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to:

  • Store and display your content as necessary to provide the Service
  • Create backups for data protection and disaster recovery
  • Process your data to provide election functionality
  • Generate thumbnails and optimize uploaded images

Platform Restrictions

You may not:

  • Copy or modify the TapVoter platform code
  • Use the TapVoter name or logo without permission
  • Create derivative works based on the Service
  • Resell or commercialize the Service

8.Data Privacy and Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Our use of your data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these terms by reference.

Key Privacy Points:

  • Votes are stored anonymously and cannot be traced to individual voters
  • We do not sell or share personal data with third parties
  • Election data is retained until deleted by the administrator
  • We implement industry-standard security measures
  • You have the right to request deletion of your account and data
  • You can export your data in a privacy-safe format at any time

Data Export Rights:

Under these terms, you have the right to export your data at any time through our self-service export feature. The export includes:

  • Account information and election metadata
  • Aggregated statistics and summaries
  • Election configuration and settings

For security and privacy, individual votes and voter identities are never included in exports.

9.Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • TapVoter shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
  • We are not responsible for any loss of data, revenue, or profits
  • Our total liability shall not exceed $100 USD
  • We do not guarantee the Service will meet all your requirements
  • We are not responsible for third-party actions or content

Election Integrity Notice: While we implement robust security measures, election administrators are ultimately responsible for verifying election integrity and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

10.Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TapVoter, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the Service
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any rights of another party
  • Any content you submit or elections you conduct
  • Your violation of any applicable laws or regulations

11.Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including:

  • Breach of these Terms and Conditions
  • Fraudulent or illegal activity
  • At your request to delete your account
  • Extended period of inactivity
  • Technical or security concerns

Upon termination, your right to use the Service will cease immediately. We may retain certain data as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

12.Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which TapVoter operates, without regard to conflict of law provisions.

Any disputes arising from these terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved through binding arbitration, except where prohibited by law.

You waive any right to a jury trial or to participate in a class action lawsuit.

13.Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. We will notify users of significant changes through:

  • Email notifications to registered administrators
  • Prominent notices on the TapVoter platform
  • Updates to the "Last Updated" date

Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

14.Contact Information

For questions about these Terms and Conditions, please contact us:

By Using TapVoter You Acknowledge:

  • You have read and understood these Terms and Conditions
  • You agree to our use of analytics and advertising to keep the service free
  • You accept our Privacy Policy and data handling practices
  • You will use the service responsibly and lawfully

Last updated: August 17, 2025 | Version 2.0

Questions About Our Terms?

If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions or need clarification on any points, please contact us.

Contact Support