Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 1, 2023

Your privacy is important to us at Commonwealth Communications (“we,” “us,” or “our”), and we are committed to safeguarding, preserving, and respecting your privacy rights.  This online privacy statement (the “Statement” or “Policy”) describes how we collect, use, disclose, and secure the personal information we gather about you through our website, vote.pa (the “Site”), when you submit your information through one of our forms, or when you interact with us in any other way (collectively, the “Services”). 

For purposes of this Statement, personal information means data that classifies as personal information, personal data, personally identifiable information, or similar terms under applicable data privacy and security laws and regulations.  It does not include data excluded or exempted from those laws and regulations.  Nothing in this Statement will constitute an admission or evidence that any particular data privacy or information security law or regulation applies to us generally or in any specific context.

1. You Consent To This Statement

You should read this Statement carefully, so that you understand our privacy practices.  By accessing, browsing, downloading, or otherwise using the Services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed with this Statement.  If you do not agree to this Statement, you may not use the Services.

This Statement applies regardless of how the Services are accessed and will cover any technologies or devices by which we make the Services available to you.

We may provide you with additional privacy notices where we believe it is appropriate to do so. It is important that you read this Statement together with any other privacy notice or terms we may provide on specific occasions, so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data.  If you have any questions or concerns about our personal information policies or practices, you can contact us in the methods described in the “Contact Us” section below.

2. What Types Of Information Do We Collect?

We collect information you voluntarily provide directly to us, information that we collect automatically when you interact with the Services, and information collected from third parties.  The categories of personal information that we collect and the purposes for which we collect that information are described below.

Categories for Personal Information We Collect

The following list describes the categories of personal information we collect.

• Analytics Information.  We collect certain analytics information automatically as you navigate our Services.  This includes cookies, tracking pixels, tags or similar tools, which may collect information about your device, geolocation, and interactions with the Services.  For more information, please view the “How Do We Use “Cookies” and Other Tracking Technologies?” section below.
• Contact Information includes name, zip code, email address, and phone number. We collect this information when you provide it directly to us, through publicly available sources, or from other public action committees or political organizations.
• Donor or Purchase Information includes contact information, payment information, and any other information you may provide in connection with donating to or making a purchase from us.
• Participation Information means information relating to your use of the Services, such as when filling out a form, registering through us, or otherwise participating in connection with a campaign or engagement.  This information may vary depending on the circumstances, but it may include contact information, demographic information, government identification numbers or portions of those numbers, political affiliation, language preferences, and voting preference information.
• Social Media Information includes information that you post by sharing on a blog, through a testimonial, or another social media platform.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us.  Please note that your comments will be visible to the public, so you should never share personal information that you would like to keep private.

How We Use and Share Personal Information

We reserve the right to collect, use, or share personal information for the following purposes:

• Presenting our Site.  We will use personal information to present our Site and its contents in a suitable and effective manner for you and your device.
• To Provide the Services.  We will use your personal information to provide the Services, to improve operations and offerings, and for security purposes.
• Political Activities.  We may use your personal information in connection with our political efforts and activities.
• For Legal Purposes.  We reserve the right to cooperate with local, provincial, state, federal and international officials in any investigation requiring either personal information, reports about lawful or unlawful user activity on this Site, or otherwise.  We also reserve the right to share your personal information to establish, exercise, or defend our legal and property rights, including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention.  We may also share your personal information with any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that personal information where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that personal information.
• Transactions or Mergers.  We reserve the right to share your personal information to third parties as part of any potential business or asset sale, merger, acquisition, investment, or similar type of transaction.  Additionally, if we are entering into a corporate transaction with a third party, we may receive personal information in connection with the diligence.  If we close a transaction, the third party may transfer personal information, which we would use as described in this Policy.
• Bankruptcy or Insolvency.  In the event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or dissolution proceedings, we may share your personal information with third parties as part of the sale or reorganization process.
• Service Providers.  We use service providers to perform various functions on our behalf.  Such service providers will be under contractual obligations to safeguard your personal information and only process it in accordance with our instructions, or as otherwise permitted by applicable laws.  We may also receive personal information from service providers.
• Third Party Partners.  We will share your personal information with partners, affiliates, or third parties, such as other political organizations with similar goals.

3. How Do We Use “Cookies” and Other Tracking Technologies?

We may send one or more cookies to your computer or other device.  We may also use other similar technologies such as tracking pixels, tags, or similar tools when you visit our Services.  These technologies can collect data regarding your operating system, browser type, device type, screen resolution, IP address, and other technical information, as well as navigation events and session information as you interact with our Services.  This information allows us to understand how you use the Services.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small files created by websites, including our Services, that reside on your computer’s hard drive and that store information about your use of a particular website.  When you access our Services, we use cookies and other tracking technologies to:

• Estimate our audience size and usage patterns;
• Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Services according to your individual needs;
• Contact you to provide you with information or services that you request from us;
• Advertise new content, events, and services that relate to your interests;
• Provide you with more personalized content that is most relevant to your interest areas; and
• Recognize when you return to our Services.

We set some cookies ourselves and others are set by third parties.  You can manage your Cookies preference as described in the “Managing Your Cookies” section below.

What Types of Cookies Do We Use and Why?

The following chart lists the different types of cookies that we and our service providers use on the Services, examples of who serves those cookies and links to the privacy notices and opt-out information of those cookie servers.

Types of Cookies	Purpose	Who Serves (for example)
Essential	These cookies are required for the operation of the Services and enable you to move around the Services and use its features. Disabling these cookies can negatively impact the performance of Services.	Google
Functionality	These cookies are used to recognize you when you return to the Services. This enables us to personalize content for you and remember your preferences. These cookies also enable your interactions with the Services such as emailing us.	Google
Performance, and Research	These cookies, beacons, and pixels allow us to analyze activities on the Services. They can be used to improve the functioning of the Services. For example, these cookies recognize and count the number of visitors and see how they move around the Services. Analytics cookies also help us measure the performance of our advertising campaigns to help us improve them and to optimize the content on the Services for those who engage with our advertising.	Google
Advertising	These cookies and pixels are used to deliver relevant ads, track ad campaign performance, or track email marketing.	n/a

We do not use Meta Pixel or disclose information to any third party that identifies a specific person as having viewed specific video materials.

How Long Do Cookies Stay on My Device?

Some cookies operate from the time you visit the Services until the end of that particular browsing session. These cookies, which are called “session cookies,” expire and are automatically deleted when you close your Internet browser.

Some cookies will stay on your device between browsing sessions and will not expire or automatically delete when you close your Internet browser. These cookies are called “persistent cookies” and the length of time they will remain on your device will vary from cookie to cookie. Persistent cookies are used for a number of purposes, such as storing your preferences so that they are available for your next visit and to keep a more accurate account of how often you visit the Services, how your use of the Services may change over time, and the effectiveness of advertising efforts.

Managing Your Cookies

It may be possible to block cookies by changing your Internet browser settings to refuse all or some cookies. If you choose to block all cookies (including Essential cookies), you may not be able to access all or parts of the Services.
You can find out more about cookies and how to manage them by visiting www.AboutCookies.org.

Do the Sites Respond to “Do Not Track” Signals?

At this time, our Sites do not respond differently based on a user’s Do Not Track signal.

5. Advertising and Marketing Choice

We respect your rights in how your personal information is used and shared. If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at [email protected] or follow the instructions at the bottom of each email, and we will promptly remove you from marketing correspondence. Please note, however, that we may still need to contact you regarding other matters.

6. How Long Is Your Personal Information Kept

We will retain your personal information until the personal information is no longer necessary to accomplish the purpose for which it was provided. We may retain your personal information for longer periods for specific purposes to the extent that we are obliged to do so in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, to protect you, other people, and us from fraud, abuse, an unauthorized access, as necessary to protect our legal rights, or for certain business requirements.

We will delete your personal information when it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or upon your request, subject to exceptions as discussed in this Statement or under applicable law, contract, or regulation.

7. Our Commitment to Data Security

The security of your personal information is important to us. We take various reasonable organizational, administrative, and technical measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. If required by law to do so, we will notify you and/or the relevant supervisory authority in the event of a data breach.

However, we cannot and do not guarantee complete security, as it does not exist on the Internet.

8. Third-Party Links

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites. When we provide links, we do so only as a convenience and we are not responsible for any content of any third-party website or any links contained within. It is important to note that this Statement only applies to our Services. We are not responsible and assume no responsibility for any personal information collected, stored, or used by any third party as a result of you visiting third-party websites. We also advise that you carefully read the privacy notice of any third-party websites you choose to visit.

9. Children’s Privacy

Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. Our Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. In the event that we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without verification or parental consent, we will immediately delete that information. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us using the information provided in the “Contact Us” section below.

10. Policy Changes

This Statement may change from time to time. If we need to change this Statement at some point in the future, we will post any changes on this page. If we make a significant or material change to this Statement we will notify you via email. You should check these terms when you use the Sites. Your continued use of the Sites constitutes acceptance of the most current version of this Statement.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at [email protected].