Terms of Service

Please read these terms carefully before using CharterVote

Last Updated: January 28, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using CharterVote ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Service.

These Terms apply to all users of the Service, including administrators who create and manage elections ("Administrators") and individuals who participate in elections ("Voters").

2. Description of Service

CharterVote is a free, web-based voting platform that enables organizations to conduct secure, anonymous elections. The Service includes:

  • Team and administrator account management
  • Election creation and configuration
  • Voter registration and approval workflows
  • Secure token-based voting
  • Real-time results and reporting
  • Enterprise transparency features including cryptographic sealing and audit trails
  • Public ballot verification through the bulletin board

3. Account Registration

3.1 Administrator Accounts

To create elections, you must register for an administrator account and create or join a team. You agree to:

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

3.2 Team Approval

New team registrations are subject to approval. We reserve the right to reject or revoke team access at our discretion if we determine the team violates these Terms or uses the Service inappropriately.

3.3 Voter Registration

Voters register for specific elections using access codes provided by Administrators. Administrators are responsible for verifying voter eligibility before approving registrations.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree NOT to:

  • Use the Service for any illegal purpose or to violate any laws
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service
  • Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
  • Attempt to manipulate election results or voting processes
  • Create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions
  • Use the Service to harass, abuse, or harm others
  • Impersonate any person or entity
  • Collect or harvest user data without authorization
  • Use automated systems to access the Service without permission
  • Transmit viruses, malware, or other harmful code
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer cryptographic hashes or ballot receipts to identify voters

5. Election Integrity

5.1 Administrator Responsibilities

Administrators are responsible for:

  • Ensuring elections comply with their organization's bylaws and applicable laws
  • Verifying the eligibility of voters before approval
  • Configuring elections accurately and fairly
  • Communicating election details clearly to voters
  • Maintaining the confidentiality of election access codes
  • Reviewing and utilizing transparency features appropriately
  • Sealing voter rolls and election configurations before voting begins when required

5.2 Voter Responsibilities

Voters are responsible for:

  • Providing accurate registration information
  • Keeping their voting tokens secure and confidential
  • Voting only in elections they are eligible to participate in
  • Not sharing or transferring their voting tokens
  • Safeguarding their ballot receipt codes for personal verification purposes

6. Enterprise Transparency Features

6.1 Cryptographic Sealing

CharterVote provides cryptographic sealing capabilities for voter rolls and election configurations. When an Administrator seals these elements:

  • A SHA-256 hash is generated and recorded with a timestamp
  • The hash serves as proof that the data existed in a specific state at a specific time
  • Any subsequent modifications would produce a different hash, making tampering detectable

6.2 Tamper-Evident Audit Log

All significant actions within the Service are recorded in a hash-chained audit log. Each entry includes:

  • A cryptographic hash linking it to the previous entry
  • Timestamp and action details
  • Actor identification where applicable

This chain structure makes it computationally infeasible to alter historical records without detection.

6.3 Ballot Receipts and Public Bulletin Board

After casting a vote, voters receive a ballot receipt code. This code:

  • Allows voters to verify their ballot was recorded on the public bulletin board
  • Does not reveal how the voter voted
  • Cannot be used to prove voting choices to third parties
  • Is generated using cryptographic techniques that preserve anonymity

6.4 Deterministic Tally Export

Administrators can export election data for independent verification. Exports include:

  • Anonymized ballot records
  • Cryptographic hashes for integrity verification
  • Verification scripts for independent tally computation

6.5 Transparency Limitations

While CharterVote provides enterprise-grade transparency features, users should understand:

  • These features provide tamper-evidence, not tamper-proof guarantees
  • Cryptographic sealing proves data integrity at a point in time
  • The system does not currently implement end-to-end encryption or homomorphic tallying
  • Transparency features complement, but do not replace, proper election governance

7. Notice Delivery and Communications

CharterVote sends email notifications to voters and administrators for various election events. The Service maintains a delivery log for compliance purposes that records:

  • Recipient information and timestamps
  • Delivery status (sent, delivered, bounced, failed)
  • Notice type and subject

This log helps ensure proper notice was provided to all eligible voters and supports compliance with organizational bylaws.

8. Privacy and Data

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your information. By using the Service, you consent to our data practices as described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Intellectual Property

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

You retain ownership of any content you submit to the Service (such as election descriptions and candidate information). By submitting content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, display, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of providing the Service.

10. Service Availability

We strive to maintain high availability of the Service but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to:

  • Scheduled maintenance
  • Emergency repairs
  • Circumstances beyond our control

We will make reasonable efforts to notify users of planned maintenance that may affect active elections.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

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.

We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any defects will be corrected. While we implement industry-standard security measures and cryptographic transparency features, we cannot guarantee absolute security or integrity of election processes.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CHARTERVOTE AND ITS OPERATORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

Our total liability for any claims arising from your use of the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid to use the Service (which, as a free service, is zero).

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless CharterVote, Plusky IT Solutions, and their officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the Service
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any third-party rights
  • Elections you create or participate in through the Service
  • Your use or misuse of transparency features and exported data

14. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice, for any reason, including if you breach these Terms.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service will cease immediately. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, and limitations of liability.

15. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the updated Terms on this page with a new "Last Updated" date.

Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms.

16. Governing Law

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

17. Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If negotiation fails, disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with applicable arbitration rules.

18. Severability

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

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and CharterVote regarding your use of the Service and supersede any prior agreements.

20. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

By using CharterVote, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.