PoliticSource is a tool for U.S. citizens who want a single, navigable record of how their elected officials actually behave in office: the votes they cast, the bills they sponsor, and how that compares to the rest of Congress.

Every number on the site is sourced from public data — primarily the Congress.gov v3 API and the Federal Election Commission's openFEC API — with district shapes from the ArcGIS Living Atlas. We never alter the underlying data; we surface it more clearly than the agencies' own websites do.

What we don't do

• Editorialize. Politicians are color-coded by their declared party only — Democrat blue, Republican red, Independent purple — never by ideology, "score," or any subjective rating.
• Sell your data. Account information is used solely to personalize the My HQ view and remember which profiles you've opened. It's never sold, traded, or shared with third parties. See Privacy.
• Run ads. The site is supported entirely out of pocket today.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or data errors? Email hello@politicsource.com.

Last updated: 2026-07-09.

What we collect

• Account info you give us. Name, email, password (stored as a bcrypt hash — we cannot read your password). Optionally street/city/state/ZIP for the My HQ personalization. Optional fields stay empty unless you fill them in.
• Activity log. When you open a politician's profile, we record the bioguide ID, name, and timestamp so the "Recently viewed" panel on My HQ works. Limited to your own account; never shared.
• Session cookies. One HTTP-only cookie (cl_token) keeps you signed in. Never readable by JavaScript on or off the site.
• Server logs. Standard request logs (IP, path, timestamp) retained for ~30 days for abuse prevention and debugging.

What we don't collect

• Tracking cookies, analytics pixels, or third-party trackers.
• Cross-site advertising identifiers.
• Anything beyond what's listed above. If we ever add a new data category, we'll update this page and notify registered users.

What we share

Your account, address, and activity log are never sold, traded, or shared with third parties for marketing or advertising. The outside services we talk to are limited to:

• Congress.gov, openFEC, and ArcGIS — we send anonymous queries (e.g. "members of the Senate"), never anything tied to your identity.
• Geocod.io — we send the address you provide on registration or profile edit, one time per change, so we can verify it's a real U.S. address and look up your congressional district. Geocod.io's privacy policy covers their handling of that lookup. We don't send your name, email, or any other identifier with the address.
• Supreme Court of the United States, Congress.gov image servers — your browser loads official portrait photos directly from these federal sites; they see your IP address but receive no information from us.

For a full list of every data source and dependency the site uses, see Data sources & credits.

What happens on our iOS app

If you use the PoliticSource iOS app, the following additional data is involved:

• Push notification tokens. When you opt into notifications, your device's APNs (Apple Push Notification service) token is stored on our servers so we can deliver alerts you've subscribed to (for example, a watched bill coming up for a vote). The token is tied to your account; deleting your account removes it.
• Apple subscription receipts. If you subscribe to PoliticSource PRO through the App Store, Apple shares a signed transaction receipt with us so we can verify and provision your subscription. We never see your payment-card details — Apple handles billing end-to-end.
• Sign in with Apple. If you choose Sign in with Apple, Apple shares a stable user identifier and the email address you authorize (which may be a private relay address). We never see your Apple ID password.
• Crash reports. If we add crash reporting to the app in the future, we'll update this page first and offer an opt-out. We don't ship it today.

Children's privacy

PoliticSource is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have, email privacy@politicsource.com and we will delete it.

How long we keep data

• Account data (name, email, password hash, address): kept for as long as your account is active. Deleted immediately when you delete your account.
• Session records (cl_token cookie hashes, mobile Bearer session rows): expire on the timetable set at sign-in (currently 7 days from last activity on web, 30 days on iOS). Deleted when the session expires or you sign out.
• Activity log (which profiles you've viewed): kept for as long as your account is active, deleted on account deletion.
• Server access logs (IP, path, timestamp): retained for approximately 30 days for abuse prevention and debugging, then discarded.

Where your data lives

We process and store your data in the United States. Our database is hosted in the AWS us-east-1 region (via Neon) and our application servers run in Fly.io's IAD region. If you access PoliticSource from outside the U.S., your data crosses borders to reach us. For users in the EU/EEA, UK, and other regions with data-transfer rules, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (or equivalent safeguards) to authorize the transfer to the U.S.

Your rights

• See your data. The Profile menu shows everything we have on file.
• Change it. Edit Profile updates address/email; Change Password rotates credentials.
• Delete it. The Delete Account option in the Profile menu wipes your row from our database, including all session and activity records. Irreversible.
• Export it. Email privacy@politicsource.com and we'll send you a machine-readable copy of your data within 30 days. No fee, no ID check beyond confirming the email address on your account.

For users in the EU, EEA, UK, Switzerland, and other privacy-regulated regions

The rights above apply to you, plus the following:

• Legal basis for processing. We process account and profile data because it's necessary to provide the service you signed up for (contractual necessity, GDPR Article 6(1)(b)). We process server logs on the basis of our legitimate interest in preventing abuse and debugging the service (GDPR Article 6(1)(f)). We do not process data on the basis of consent, since we don't run advertising or third-party analytics that would require it.
• Right to portability. Included above under "Export it."
• Right to restrict or object to processing. Email privacy@politicsource.com and we'll pause processing of your data (which in practice means we suspend your account until you tell us to resume or delete). We'll respond within 30 days.
• Right to lodge a complaint. If you believe we're mishandling your data, you have the right to complain to your local supervisory authority. In the EU, that's typically your national data protection authority; in the UK, that's the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).
• Automated decision-making. We do not use automated decision-making, profiling, or algorithmic scoring that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.
• Data controller. Axios Lab, LLC (Ohio, USA), reachable at privacy@politicsource.com, is the controller of your data. We do not currently have an EU-based representative; if we appoint one, we'll list them here.

Questions? privacy@politicsource.com.

Last updated: 2026-08-14.

What you can do

• Create a free account and use PoliticSource for personal, educational, journalistic, or research purposes.
• Quote or cite information from the site — we'd appreciate a link back, but it's not required for fair-use citation.
• Reference our presentations of public data when contacting your representatives or writing about them publicly.

What you can't do

• Scrape the site systematically or run automated workloads against our APIs without permission. Our rate limits are calibrated for human use; abuse triggers temporary IP-level blocks.
• Misrepresent the data. We work hard to surface public records accurately; please don't dress them up as something other than what they are.
• Use PoliticSource to harass, dox, or threaten any individual official, candidate, or other user. Your account will be terminated.

The data is "as-is"

We pull from official sources (Congress.gov, FEC), but those services occasionally lag, error, or have gaps. We surface live data when we can and clearly mark fallbacks/illustrative data when we can't. Don't make a major decision based on what you see here without cross-checking the underlying agency's own page (we link to it in every member's profile).

Termination

You can delete your account at any time. We can terminate accounts that violate these terms — we'll typically email first if there's a way to fix it.

Subscriptions

PoliticSource PRO is an optional subscription that unlocks unlimited watchlist tracking, the daily morning digest, real-time push notifications, campaign finance that separates candidate-controlled money from outside spending supporting or opposing a candidacy, with reporting periods, coverage dates, limitations and sources shown, and the full historical archive. Coverage is currently limited to reviewed federal candidacies; state coverage and donor breakdowns are not yet available.

• Pricing. $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year, in U.S. dollars. Prices may change; existing subscribers are notified before any change applies to them.
• Auto-renewal. Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the period ending.
• Cancellation. You can cancel anytime. App Store subscriptions: open Settings on your iPhone or iPad → tap your name → Subscriptions → PoliticSource → Cancel. Web subscriptions: open /pro from your account. Canceling stops future renewals; you keep Plus features through the end of the current period.
• Refunds. Refunds for App Store purchases are handled by Apple — visit reportaproblem.apple.com to request one. Refunds for web subscriptions are handled by us; email support@politicsource.com.

Apple App Store terms

If you use the PoliticSource iOS app, your use of the application is also governed by Apple's Licensed Application End User License Agreement. Apple is not a party to these Terms and is not responsible for the app or its content. Apple is, however, a third-party beneficiary of these Terms and may enforce them against you.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of PoliticSource will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Ohio, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.

Changes

If we change these terms in a way that affects your account, registered users get an email notice and the new terms apply only to actions you take after the date noted at the top.

Questions? hello@politicsource.com.

Last updated: 2026-05-08.

Get help

Email support@politicsource.com with any question, bug report, feature request, or data correction. We read every message and aim to respond within 2 business days.

Common questions

I forgot my password

Use the "Forgot password" link on the sign-in screen. We'll email you a reset link. If it doesn't arrive, check spam, then email us.

I want to delete my account

On the web, open Profile → Delete Account. On the iOS app, open Settings → Delete Account. Both options wipe your row from our database, including session and activity records. Irreversible.

How do I manage or cancel my PoliticSource PRO subscription?

App Store subscriptions: open Settings on your iPhone or iPad → tap your name → Subscriptions → PoliticSource. You can cancel or change tiers anytime. Web subscriptions: open /pro from your account.

I'm not getting push notifications on the app

Open Settings on your iPhone → PoliticSource → Notifications, and confirm the master toggle is on. Inside the app, open Settings → Notifications and confirm the per-category toggles are on for the alerts you want. If notifications still don't arrive, email us.

I found a data error

Email support@politicsource.com with the URL of the page and what's wrong. Most data flows from Congress.gov, the FEC, and the SCOTUS site — if the upstream source has the bug, we'll note it; if it's our presentation, we'll fix it.

I want to use the data for research or journalism

You can — see our Terms. For programmatic access beyond casual browsing, email us with what you're trying to do and we'll work something out.

Privacy questions

For privacy-specific questions, email privacy@politicsource.com. See also our Privacy Policy.

Press

For press inquiries, email hello@politicsource.com.

Last updated: 2026-04-30.

Government data (public domain)

Works of the U.S. federal government are not subject to copyright in the United States. Attribution below is offered as a courtesy, not because it's legally required.

• Congress.gov v3 API — member rosters, committee assignments, vote tallies, bill statuses. Library of Congress. api.congress.gov
• OpenFEC API — candidate filings, and reported receipts on race-candidate tiles where the candidacy is validated against the race. Member-profile finance separates candidate-controlled money from outside spending supporting or opposing the candidacy, only where the candidacy is proven for a reviewed race. Federal Election Commission. api.open.fec.gov
• Member portrait photos — served by bioguide.congress.gov. Library of Congress / Bioguide.
• Supreme Court Justice portraits — served by www.supremecourt.gov. Public-domain official portraits.
• U.S. Census Bureau (TIGER/Line) — congressional-district boundary data underlies the per-state maps. Public domain.

Third-party services

• Geocod.io — address validation and congressional-district lookup on registration / profile edit. Commercial API, used under their terms of service. We send the address you provide; we never send your name, email, or any other identifier alongside it.
• ArcGIS Living Atlas — USA 118th Congressional Districts — district-shape geometries used for the per-state map silhouettes, served by services.arcgis.com. © Esri / contributors; the underlying boundary data is U.S. Census TIGER/Line (public domain).
• Ballotpedia — we link out to candidate platform pages from the Elections tab. We do not embed, scrape, or republish any Ballotpedia content.

Open-source software

The following libraries are loaded at runtime (none modified). Each is used under its own license; click through for the original source.

• D3.js v7 — data-visualization library. ISC license.
• topojson-client v3 — TopoJSON renderer. BSD-3-Clause.
• us-atlas v3 — pre-simplified U.S. state TopoJSON, derived from Census TIGER. ISC license; underlying data public domain.
• Express, Helmet, express-rate-limit, pg, bcrypt and other Node dependencies — server stack. MIT-licensed across the board (full list in our package.json).
• DM Sans & DM Serif Display — typefaces by Colophon Foundry, served via Google Fonts. SIL Open Font License.

Where the data lives in your browser

API responses are cached in your browser via standard Cache-Control headers and an in-memory apiCache for the duration of the tab. We don't use cookies for tracking; the only cookie we set is cl_token, used to keep you signed in (HTTP-only, SameSite=strict, see Privacy).

Found something missing?

If you spot an external dependency we've used but haven't credited here, please email hello@politicsource.com and we'll add it.