Beer and Ballots Privacy Policy
Effective October 8, 2026 · Last updated October 8, 2026
Beer and Ballots ("the app", "we") is run by Michael Gaston. You can reach us at support@beerandballots.com.
The short version
- No account, name, email or phone number. You never give us any of them.
- No ads, tracking or analytics. The app contains no advertising or analytics code, and it doesn't read your device's advertising ID.
- Looking up your ballot and keeping picks happens on your device. Your reactions, highlights, notes and choices stay there unless you share them to a group.
- Groups are optional, and they do send data to our server. Opening the Groups tab creates an anonymous account. If you create or join a group, we also store your handle, your ZIP code and what you post, and the other members of that group can see it. The details are in What group mode sends to us.
- You can delete it. Your data (in the Ballot menu or the Groups tab) erases what's on your device and, separately, deletes everything you have in groups from our server.
What stays on your device
The app saves these on your iPhone or iPad only:
- Your reactions (thumbs up or down, with an optional weight and note), text highlights, ballot choices and community notes you've written.
- Your group handle (the name you type for groups) and the list of people you've blocked.
- Your privacy-screen settings (the app covers itself in the app switcher and after a period of inactivity, and can ask for Face ID or your passcode to uncover it).
Some details:
- Your ZIP code is kept in memory while the app is open and isn't saved by the app between launches. It is sent to our server only if you create or join a group.
- An address you type to narrow your district is sent to Apple to be looked up, the same way typing it into Maps works, and Apple's privacy policy applies to that lookup. The app uses the result once and doesn't store the address or send it to us.
- Face ID and passcode checks are done by iOS. The app never receives your biometric data.
- The files above are ordinary app files, so if you back up your device to iCloud or to a computer, they can be included in that backup under your own backup settings. Deleting the app removes them from the device.
What group mode sends to us
Groups let you discuss the ballot live with other people. Using them means the app connects to our backend, which is hosted by Supabase. The first time you open the Groups tab, the app creates an anonymous account: a random ID with no email, phone or password behind it. That happens even if you never create or join a group. The sign-in token is kept in the iOS Keychain on this device only.
| What | Why | Who can see it |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous account ID | Tells your posts and votes apart from other people's | Members of your groups (as the author of what you post) |
| Handle (1–40 characters, you choose it) | Shown next to what you post | Members of your groups |
| ZIP code, if you've entered one | Works out which races everyone in the room votes on | Members of your groups |
| Group name and invite code | Creating and joining groups | Members of the group |
| Chat messages and questions (up to 2,000 characters each), and upvotes on questions | The discussion itself | Members of the group |
| A link on a message to the candidate or measure it's about, with its page name and your thumbs up or down | Lets others open that spot | Members of the group |
| Your "pulse" leans (support, unsure or oppose) on races and measures | The group's read on each item and the end-of-session recap | Members of the group |
| Speaker-queue entries: the item, your stance and an optional note (up to 280 characters) | Takes turns on the item under discussion | Members of the group |
| Races the group adds to or removes from the shared agenda | Builds the room's agenda | Members of the group |
| While you present: the race or measure on screen, and your handle | Lets the room follow along | Members of the group |
| Reports you file (which message or question, the reason you picked, and your anonymous ID). Blocking someone from a post also files one | Moderation | Us |
| If your account is removed for breaking the community rules: your anonymous ID, the reason and the date | Keeping it out of groups | Us |
| Recent join attempts (your anonymous ID and time) | Stops people guessing invite codes | Us |
Things to keep in mind:
- Your leans on races and measures can reveal your political opinions. Only post or vote in a room you're comfortable with, and pick a handle that doesn't identify you if you want to stay anonymous. A handle is whatever you type, so using your real name is up to you.
- Anyone who has a group's invite code can join it and see what's in it. Share codes only with people you want in the group.
- Other members can keep what they've seen. We can delete what you posted from our server, but we can't take back what someone has already read, screenshotted or copied.
- We can access the database. We use that only to review reports of abuse, to keep the service running and fix problems, and where the law requires it. We don't sell it, share it for advertising, or use it to profile you.
What we receive automatically
When the app downloads ballot updates or connects to groups, our hosting provider receives your device's IP address and standard request details such as the time and the type of device. Our sign-in service may also record the IP address and device type for each sign-in session. We don't use these to identify you, and the session records are deleted along with your anonymous account when you delete your group data.
The app has no analytics, advertising or crash-reporting code of its own. If you've turned on "Share With App Developers" in iOS settings, Apple may give us anonymous crash and usage reports. That's controlled by Apple and your device settings.
Services we rely on
- Supabase hosts the group database, the anonymous sign-in, live updates, and the downloads of ballot data. See Supabase's privacy policy.
- Apple provides the App Store and, if you use the address feature, the address lookup.
- Websites you open. Candidate websites and sources open in your browser, and their privacy policies apply, not this one.
- Sharing. If you share an invite code or a recap using the iOS share sheet, you choose where it goes. We don't see it.
How long we keep things
- On your device: until you delete it in Your data or delete the app.
- On our servers: messages and questions you post in a group, your raised hands and your pulse votes are deleted automatically 30 days after you post them, or sooner if you delete them with Delete my group data or the group is removed. Your group memberships (your handle and ZIP) stay until you leave the group or delete your group data. We don't currently delete inactive groups or anonymous accounts automatically.
Your choices
Your data, in the Ballot menu or at the bottom of the Groups tab, lets you:
- Erase what's on your device, one kind at a time or all at once. A few seconds of Undo are available after each deletion.
- Delete your group data. This permanently removes the messages and questions you posted, your votes and raised hands, your group memberships with your handle and ZIP, your reports, and finally your anonymous account. A group you were the last member of is removed with everything in it. It can't be undone. Group decisions about the agenda stay with your name removed, and groups with other members stay. Other members' screens may keep showing what you posted until they reload the room. Data saved on your device isn't affected, so erase that separately.
- Stop sharing. Deleting your group data also withdraws the consent you gave by joining a group. If you never open the Groups tab, the only thing the app sends to our servers is the request for ballot updates (see What we receive automatically). If you open it but never create or join a group, all we hold is the anonymous account, which the same delete removes.
Deleting the app removes what's on your device but not what's on our server, so use Delete my group data first if you want that gone.
Because we don't know who you are, we can't look up your data by name or email. The in-app delete is the way to remove it. If you can't use it, write to support@beerandballots.com and we'll help.
Reporting and blocking
Groups have community rules, which you agree to before you create, join or enter one. Posts, handles and group names containing blocked words are refused when they're sent.
Tap ••• on someone's message or question (or press and hold it) to report it or block its author. A post reported by two different members is hidden for everyone until we review it. We review reports within 24 hours, remove content that breaks the rules, and remove the account that posted it from all groups. Blocking hides that person's posts on your device only; it also tells us which post you blocked them from. Please don't post other people's personal information.
Information about candidates, officials and measures
The app shows public information about candidates, officeholders and ballot measures, collected from government records and other public sources. Help → Data sources & licensing lists them. This is information about public figures and measures, not about app users.
Campaign donations from individuals are shown only as totals, not by name or address, and only organizations are named. We check for this automatically, and the checks can miss a name. If you find the name or address of a private individual in the app, or any other information you think is wrong, please tell us at support@beerandballots.com. We will review it and correct or remove it.
Security
Connections to our servers use HTTPS. Group data is protected by access rules that let only a group's members read it. Your sign-in token is in the iOS Keychain. No system is perfectly secure, so we can't promise absolute security.
Children
The app isn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has used groups, contact us and we'll delete the data.
Your privacy rights
We don't sell your personal information and we don't share it for advertising. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to know what we hold, to delete it, or to correct it. The Your data screen covers deletion, and you can contact us about anything else.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change affects what we collect or how we use it, we'll say so in the app's update notes.