Terms and Conditions
Introduction
Welcome to Citizens Draft, a platform designed to democratize the legislative process by enabling citizens to view, create, and collaborate on legislative proposals. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, which constitute a binding agreement between you and Citizens Draft.
Platform Services
Citizens Draft provides the following services:
- Bill Access: View and interact with Historic bills (already passed legislation), Current bills (legislation being debated), and Future bills (community-created proposals).
- Voting System: Express opinions on bills through our three-option voting system: Support, Needs Changes, or Oppose, with the ability to provide reasoning for your vote.
- Collaborative Drafting: Create and edit Future bills, with optional public editing enabled at the creator's discretion.
- Analytics: Access statistics and insights about bill engagement and public opinion.
Use of the Platform
You may use our platform for lawful purposes only. You agree not to:
- Use the platform in any way that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair it
- Interfere with any other user's enjoyment of the platform
- Create or submit content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable
- Attempt to manipulate voting statistics or create multiple accounts to influence bill outcomes
- Misrepresent the status or content of any legislation
User Content and Bill Creation
When you create or edit bills on Citizens Draft:
- You retain ownership rights to your original content
- You grant Citizens Draft a license to display, distribute, and use your content in connection with providing our services
- For Future bills with public editing enabled, you acknowledge that other users may suggest changes to your content
- As a bill creator, you maintain control over which suggested changes to accept or decline
- Citizens Draft does not guarantee that any bill created on the platform will be submitted to or considered by legislative bodies
Voting and Feedback
When participating in the voting system:
- You may vote anonymously or as an authenticated user
- Anonymous votes are tracked through device fingerprinting to prevent duplicate voting
- Vote statistics are publicly visible, though individual votes may remain anonymous
- You agree to provide constructive feedback when using the "Needs Changes" option
- Citizens Draft reserves the right to remove abusive or inappropriate voting feedback
Upcoming Features
Citizens Draft may introduce new features, including but not limited to:
- Email templates for contacting legislators about Current bills
- Submission-ready draft preparation for popular Future bills
- Additional analytics and tracking tools
These features will be governed by these terms and conditions when implemented, with any necessary amendments communicated to users.
Intellectual Property
The platform and its entire contents, features, and functionality (excluding user-submitted content) are owned by Citizens Draft and are protected by international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws.
Termination
We reserve the right to terminate or suspend your access to the platform at any time, for any reason, including if we reasonably believe that you have violated these terms and conditions. Upon termination, your right to use the platform will immediately cease.
Limitation of Liability
In no event shall Citizens Draft be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the platform. Citizens Draft does not guarantee the accuracy of information in Historic or Current bills, nor does it guarantee that Future bills will be adopted by legislative bodies.
Governing Law
These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law.
Changes to the Terms
We reserve the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting the updated terms on the platform. Your continued use of Citizens Draft after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new terms.