Introduction to Our Cookie Policy
Welcome to Vote AK, a trusted source for information about voting and the law in Alaska. As part of our goal of transparency and empowering you as a lawyer or member of the public, we think it’s important to disclose our use of cookies and similar technologies on our site. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how Vote AK uses cookies, how third-parties we may partner with-like analytics or advertising companies-may use cookies on the service, how you can control the cookie settings, and more. Whether this is your first time here or you’re a returning visitor, learning about how Vote AK uses cookies can help you make informed decisions about privacy and your online activity.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small data files placed on your computer or other device (like a smartphone or tablet) whenever you visit a website. Cookies are commonly used to facilitate the efficient operation of a website, enhance the user’s experience of using websites, and deliver certain information to the website operator. Cookies can be session cookies-which expire once you close down your browser-or persistent cookies-those that stay on your computer for a specified period. Cookies can also be first-party cookies, meaning they are set by the website you are visiting, or third-party cookies-set by separate providers of services to that website.
Why Vote AK Uses Cookies
At Vote AK we’re committed to empowering the Alaskan voter with transparent and easily accessible information. In order to fulfill this commitment, we use cookies for the following reasons:
- To improve overall site functionality and performance, ensuring resources are downloaded efficiently
- To remember your personal preferences, like region or language, to help you customize your experience for easier return visits
- To analyze how our sites are being used so that we can optimize content and features through real user behavior
- To protect the integrity of the site and its users from malicious interactions with online resources
We don’t use cookies to collect any sensitive personal information or for ad targeting. All data collected through cookies is handled with strict confidentiality and in accordance with the provisions outlined in our Privacy Policy.
Types of Cookies We Use
On Vote AK, we use the following types of cookies:
- Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are required for the operation of our website. They allow you to navigate pages and move around our website securely and access features or services like page displays, search functions, or submission of request forms.
- Performance and Analytics Cookies: They store the information received by your browser regarding the way you use our website, including peer referrals and time spent per page. These cookies are only used by Vote AK to gather basic, anonymous visitation statistics via Google Analytics.
- Functionality Cookies: These cookies store the choices you have made (for example, region of preference or screen display settings) in order to provide you with improved personalized features. These cookies may also be used to provide services you have requested of us, like opportunities to save a copy of the resource library page for future reference.
- Security Cookies: These cookies are used to help detect processing anomalies and block malicious behavior.
We do not use advertising or marketing cookies and are not currently sharing our cookie information with advertisers.
How We Use Analytics and Third-Party Services
To improve and enhance our services on an ongoing basis, Vote AK utilizes analytics tools such as Google Analytics, which uses cookies to collect anonymized usage data. This helps us understand which articles or resources are most valuable, diagnose navigation problems, and improve our content strategies. We also may include third-party services like an embedded map (to help you find your local electoral office), or share buttons for social media platforms. These third-party tools sometimes set their own cookies in accordance with their own privacy policies.
We review all third-party providers for compliance with privacy and security standards. No personally identifying information is ever disclosed to any third parties in relation to these cookies. All analytics data is reported at the aggregate level and only used by Vote AK to enhance the Vote AK platform.
Managing and Controlling Your Cookie Preferences
Your privacy and control over how your data is used is significant to us. As a user of Vote AK, you can manage your preferences relating to cookies at any point. These preferences can be managed in a variety of ways:
- Browser Controls: Most web browsers provide a way for you to see, delete, or block cookies through their “Help” feature or other menu under browser settings. You can opt to be notified when a cookie is being set, or reject all cookies outright. Please be aware that rejecting strictly necessary cookies may negatively impact site functionality.
- Vote AK Cookie Consent Banner: We use a cookie consent banner on Vote AK to allow you to accept or reject the use of non-essential cookies (such as those used for audit or analytical purposes). Your preferences can be revisited at any time by clearing the cookies stored in your browser or opening our Cookie Preferences page, where you will be able to verify and update selections.
- Google Analytics Opt-Out: Users can also opt out of the collection of browsing data by Google Analytics by downloading and installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available for most commonly used browsers.
- Mobile Devices: On mobile devices, it is possible to manage your preferences for stored cookies through your device browser or privacy settings.
We hope that these methods allow management of preferences in a manner that is easy and straightforward. In case of any questions or issues related to cookie preference management, please contact us at [email protected].
How We Protect Your Data
At Vote AK, protecting your data is a core principle. Cookies-derived data is kept securely and used in strict accordance with our Privacy Policy. Industry-standard encryption and data protection measures are used to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Our team regularly examines security policies and updates them to reflect new safety concerns. We don’t sell or share cookies-derived information with advertisers or unrelated third parties. You’re trusting Vote AK to deliver reliable, impartial election data and we work hard to earn that trust.
Cookies and Your Legal Rights
If you are a resident of Alaska-or a user generally-you have legal rights in relation to your personal data and data privacy online. For example, depending on where you live, you may have a right to:
- Request access to the data we hold about you
- Request correction or deletion of your data
- Withdraw your consent to our use of non-essential cookies at any time
- File a complaint with an applicable data protection authority
Vote AK honors these rights and strives to be transparent about our data practices. If you wish to exercise any of your rights, or ask us about the cookies we use, just send us an email to [email protected] or ring us at (646) 507-8852.
Children’s Privacy and Cookies
Vote AK is committed to making content available to all Alaskans, including youth and students. We will not knowingly collect personal information via cookies or other online mechanisms from children under the age of 13. If we learn that a child has provided us with personal information without the permission of their parent or guardian, we will take reasonable measures to remove the information from our active systems.
Updates to This Cookie Policy
Technology and legal obligations are always changing, and therefore this Cookies Policy may change from time to time. We can make changes to this Cookies Policy at any time and all revised versions will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Cookies Policy on our website. We will notify users of any material changes by a prominent notice here on our website and revise the “last updated” date at the top of this Cookies Policy. Even though we may not provide notice of every change, we recommend that you review this page periodically for the latest information on our privacy practices.
Contact Us for More Information
Your comments and questions are welcome. If you would like more information about our use of cookies, would like to see more options on how you manage them, or have a concern about your privacy, please contact us at:
Vote AK
200 W 57th St Fl 42, New York NY 10019
(646) 507-8852
[email protected]
https://vote-ak.com/
If you require legal advice or have a highly specific question about your rights, we recommend that you contact a lawyer. Thank you for choosing Vote AK as your source for Alaska voting and other legal information.