Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service. We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Service after modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

2. Description of Service

VoteHound is a platform that provides access to information about the United States Congress, including bills, votes, members, and legislative activity. Our Service aggregates publicly available data from official government sources and open-source community datasets in the public domain.

See the about page for source details.

3. User Accounts

• You may be required to create an account to access certain features of the Service.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
• You agree to provide accurate and complete information when creating your account.
• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service or its related systems
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers or networks connected to the Service
• Use automated means (bots, scrapers, etc.) to access the Service without our express written permission
• Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Transmit any malware, viruses, or other harmful code
• Use the Service to harass, abuse, or harm other users

6. Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content (excluding data sourced from government APIs, which is in the public domain), features, and functionality are owned by VoteHound and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Legislative data, bill text, and other government-sourced information presented on the platform are public domain and may be freely used.

7. Data Accuracy and Disclaimers

While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we make no warranties or representations about the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the legislative data displayed on the platform. Data is sourced from official government APIs and may be subject to delays or inaccuracies from those sources.

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, VoteHound shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, use, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of or inability to use the Service.

9. User Content

If you submit content to the Service (such as comments or feedback), you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, and display such content in connection with operating and improving the Service. You represent that you have the right to submit such content and that it does not violate any third-party rights.

10. API Usage

If we provide an API or programmatic access to the Service, you agree to use it in accordance with any rate limits, documentation, and guidelines we publish. We reserve the right to throttle or revoke API access for any reason.

11. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including if you breach these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease. All provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive.

You may voluntarily deactivate or permanently delete your account at any time via Settings → Account. Deactivation locks your account while preserving your data; you can reactivate by logging in. Permanent deletion removes your personal data in accordance with our retention schedule. See our Privacy Policy for full details on data retention and your right of erasure.

12. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

13. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

14. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us through the VoteHound platform or by visiting our contact page.