VoteSafe.org is drawing scrutiny over how it collects and uses Americans’ personal and political information. The site presents itself as a source of voting information, but its own disclosures show that it is operated by America PAC, the political action committee associated with Elon Musk. Its privacy policy says certain personal and political information may be shared with business partners or used for targeted marketing.
That distinction matters because VoteSafe.org should not be confused with Vote.gov, the federal government’s official voting-information website. Vote.gov is managed by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and describes itself as a source of accurate, official government voting information.
What Is VoteSafe.org?
VoteSafe.org describes itself as a website providing information connected with voting and elections.
“Paid for by America PAC. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.”
The site also warns that voting information it provides comes from third parties and “may not necessarily be accurate.” Those disclosures are important because VoteSafe.org is not a government website.
America PAC was backed heavily by Musk during the 2024 presidential campaign. WIRED reported in 2024 that Musk had put $75 million into the PAC by that October.
What Information Can VoteSafe.org Collect?
The privacy issue becomes clearer when reading America PAC’s own privacy policy, which says the organization may collect several categories of information, including:
- Names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers
- Political party affiliation and political opinions
- Information about political candidates or issues that interest a user
- Employment information
- Age, birth date, ZIP code and other demographic information
- IP addresses and device identifiers
- Browsing and search activity
- Pages viewed and links clicked
- Location-related information
- Information used to build profiles or make inferences about users
The policy also says political information can include whether someone is registered to vote and other information associated with voting behavior.
For several categories, America PAC states that information may be shared with business partners for targeted marketing or may be sold to business partners where permitted by law.
The Site Can Build Detailed Profiles
The privacy policy goes beyond basic contact information. America PAC says it may create what are known as inferences from collected information.
Those inferences can include a profile relating to a person’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, abilities and aptitude. The policy says these inferences can be used to understand users’ interests and for marketing purposes.
Reporting Found Major Changes to the Privacy Policy
Journalist Judd Legum of Popular Information reported that VoteSafe.org previously had language limiting how America PAC could distribute personally identifying information.
According to Legum’s review of an archived version of the policy, earlier language said information collected through VoteSafe.org would not be shared with advertisers, political organizations or unaffiliated third parties. That language was later removed.
The current policy explicitly says several categories of information may be shared with or sold to business partners for targeted marketing where permitted by law.
VoteSafe.org and Vote.gov Are Very Different Sites
The names sound similar, but the organizations behind them are fundamentally different.
- VoteSafe.org says on its own website that it is paid for by America PAC.
- Vote.gov is an official federal government website managed by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
There is another important clue in the web addresses themselves. Only verified U.S. government organizations are permitted to register and operate a .gov domain. The federal .gov registry verifies organizations requesting those addresses.
A Correction to the Viral Warning
Some social media posts sharing warnings about this issue have referred to “VoteSafe.gov.” That appears to be incorrect. The site documented in America PAC’s privacy policy and current reporting is VoteSafe.org. I cannot verify the existence of an America PAC-operated “VoteSafe.gov.”
Is VoteSafe.org a “Fake” Website?
Some online commentators have called VoteSafe.org a fake voting website. That description needs context.
The website itself exists, identifies America PAC as its sponsor and provides election-related information. It also contains a disclaimer telling visitors that its information comes from third parties and may not always be accurate.
The documented concern is who operates the site, what information it collects and what its privacy policy permits the organization to do with that information.
The Broader Issue: Political Data Has Value
This controversy highlights a bigger issue that cuts across party lines. Americans routinely provide personal information to websites without reading lengthy privacy policies.
A site connected to a Republican political organization deserves the same level of scrutiny that would be appropriate for one operated by a Democratic organization. Transparency should not depend on party affiliation.
When a politically connected organization asks Americans to enter personal information, people deserve to know who is collecting it, how it will be used and whether it could be shared with others.
Read the Fine Print Before Sharing Personal Information
Before providing sensitive information online:
- Check who operates the website.
- Look carefully at the complete domain name.
- Read the privacy policy before entering personal information.
- Watch for disclosures about advertising, profiling and third-party data sharing.
- Do not assume a civic-sounding website is a government service.
Government cybersecurity officials promote .gov domains because they help the public distinguish verified government organizations from websites that anyone can register.
Political organizations have every right to campaign, advertise and communicate their views within the law. But voters also have a right to understand who is asking for their data.
The central takeaway is simple: VoteSafe.org is an America PAC website, not the federal government’s Vote.gov site. Its own privacy policy says it collects extensive personal and political information and may share or sell several categories of that information to business partners where permitted by law.
That is information Americans deserve to know before clicking “submit.”
Featured image: Smithsonian collection via Unsplash; public domain/Unsplash license.
