Data we collect from users of the service

We make election information, polling station locations and local council addresses available to other organisations via our Electoral Commission API and lookup widget. This service is delivered in partnership with Democracy Club Community Interest Company (Company number: 09461226).

When users access election information via organisations using our API or lookup widget, the request to our API includes the user’s postcode.The Electoral Commission and Democracy Club are the “data controllers” of this personal data. This means that the Electoral Commission and Democracy Club decide what this personal data is used for, and the ways in which it is processed. As data controllers, the Electoral Commission and Democracy Club have the responsibility to comply with, and to demonstrate compliance with, data protection law. We process personal data to support the delivery of our statutory functions, in particular the duty to promote public awareness of the electoral system under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. 

Users' postcode data is not retained by the Electoral Commission but is collected by Democracy Club. Postcodes are stored anonymously, to produce important statistics about usage of the service in different areas of the UK. This data helps the Electoral Commission and Democracy Club to improve the service we offer. We recommend referring to the Democracy Club’s privacy policy for more information on how they will process your personal data.

Data we collect from API users

When you register for an API key, we ask that you provide:

  • Your name
  • Your email address
  • Name of company/organisation that you represent (where applicable)

We will hold this information for as long as you are using the API key. When you are no longer using it, we will remove this information, unless we are required to hold on to this information by law.

Cookies

We only use necessary cookies on this website for the authentication of users. This is required for the operation of the website.