VOTE support & methodology.

What does a vote do?

It adds your opinion to this independent global poll. It has no effect on the official U.S. election. The catalog includes federal, state, territorial and local contests. Nationwide coverage is incomplete; consult the coverage report for gaps and verify official election information with the relevant election authority.

Can I change a submitted ballot?

Selections can be changed before submission. Once submitted, the ballot is final and results and country comparisons unlock; race research and saved watchlists remain available. Contact support for a data correction or removal request.

Do I need location access?

No. You can vote without a country or map pin. For a country-center pin, choose a country and opt into the pin. Approximate device location is another optional choice and is rounded before sending.

A candidate or photo needs correcting

Send the state, candidate’s name, and a reliable source. Official election certifications take priority. Photograph credits and roster references are listed on the sources page. We will not substitute a different person’s photo or generate a candidate’s face.

Why are ballot and candidate-choice totals different?

One ballot may contain choices in multiple selected contests. Ballot totals count submissions; candidate-choice totals count every selected race on those ballots. Party-share charts describe candidate choices, while the default atlas shows neutral participation clusters with one optional pin per ballot. A race filter shows party preferences for that particular contest.

What is the iPhone Perspective Lab?

Choose one race and two participant groups. Each candidate share uses the number of ballots that answered that race in that group. Differences are reported in percentage points. Multiple-preference contests can have candidate shares totaling more than 100%. Empty groups have unavailable shares, rather than invented 0% results.

Countries are self-reported, not verified citizenship or voter eligibility. “Outside the United States” excludes participants who did not share a country. Groups can overlap. These are self-selected opinions, not representative polling, official election results, forecasts or tests of statistical significance.

Saved races and PDF reports

The native iPhone app stores a personal race watchlist on the device. Saving or sharing a race briefing never submits a vote. After voting, Create perspective report generates a local PDF containing the chosen race and groups, sample sizes, shares, percentage-point gaps, retrieval time and methodology. Sharing uses the iOS share sheet only when you choose it.

Why is the comparison guide labeled an illustration?

The pre-vote sliders teach how a percentage-point difference is calculated. Those adjustable values are educational examples and never enter the participant database. The guide is deliberately separate from participant results.