Privacy Policy

Louisiana Democracy Initiative (“LDI,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect information when you visit our website, communicate with us, sign up for updates, submit an inquiry, register for an event, make a donation, or otherwise interact with LDI online.

LDI builds civic participation infrastructure for Louisiana, including voter education tools, grassroots organizing infrastructure, and convenings such as the My Louisiana Policy & Action Summit. Because our work involves civic participation, public trust, and community relationships, we take privacy seriously.

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through LDI's website and related online forms or communications that link to this Policy. Some LDI tools, applications, events, or services — including MyBallot, Atlas, donor platforms, or event registration systems — may have additional privacy notices, terms, agreements, or consent language. If a separate notice applies, that notice will control for that specific tool, service, or interaction.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in a few ways: information you provide directly, information collected automatically when you use our website, and information we may receive from trusted service providers or partners.

Information You Provide Directly

You may provide information to us when you:

• Sign up for email updates or newsletters;
• Complete a contact, partner, volunteer, sponsorship, or interest form;
• Register for an event, training, webinar, meeting, or Summit-related program;
• Make a donation or sponsorship payment;
• Request information about MyBallot, Atlas, the Summit, or another LDI initiative;
• Communicate with us by email, phone, social media, or another channel;
• Submit feedback, survey responses, or other information to help improve our work.

Depending on the interaction, this information may include:

• Name;
• Email address;
• Phone number;
• Mailing address;
• Organization, employer, title, or affiliation;
• Parish, city, ZIP code, or general location;
• Areas of interest;
• Event registration details;
• Donation amount, donor status, and transaction-related information;
• Communication preferences;
• Any message, comment, or other information you choose to submit.

Please do not submit sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for the specific purpose of your communication or we specifically request it with appropriate context.

Donations and Payments

If you make a donation, sponsorship payment, or other payment, your transaction may be processed by a third-party payment processor. We may receive limited information about the transaction, such as your name, contact information, donation amount, date, and payment status. We generally do not receive or store full credit card numbers or full bank account information.

Payment processors and fundraising platforms may have their own privacy policies and terms. We encourage you to review them before submitting payment information.

Event and Summit Information

If you register for or attend an LDI event, including the My Louisiana Policy & Action Summit, we may collect information needed to manage registration, attendance, accessibility requests, communications, sponsorships, programming, security, and follow-up.

We may take photos, video, or audio recordings at public LDI events. If an event is being photographed or recorded, we may provide notice where practical. Images or recordings may be used for documentation, promotion, reporting, archival, or educational purposes. If you have a concern about being photographed or recorded, contact us at info@lademocracy.org.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically by our website, hosting provider, analytics tools, or security tools. This may include:

• IP address;
• Browser type;
• Device type;
• Operating system;
• Pages viewed;
• Referring website or source;
• Date and time of visit;
• Approximate location derived from IP address;
• Interactions with website features;
• Cookie identifiers or similar technologies.

We use this information to understand how people use the site, improve performance, protect against abuse, measure outreach effectiveness, and maintain security.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, or similar technologies. These tools may help us:

• Keep the website functioning properly;
• Understand website traffic and usage;
• Improve content and user experience;
• Measure the effectiveness of outreach or communications;
• Protect the website from spam, fraud, or abuse;
• Remember certain preferences.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking cookies may affect how some parts of the website function.

If we use analytics or advertising-related tools in the future, we should configure them in a privacy-conscious way and provide appropriate notice and opt-out options where required.

2. How We Use Information

We may use the information we collect to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve our website;
• Respond to questions, requests, and inquiries;
• Send newsletters, updates, event invitations, and other communications;
• Manage partner, volunteer, sponsor, donor, or community relationships;
• Process donations, sponsorships, registrations, or payments;
• Plan, administer, and improve events and programs;
• Provide information about MyBallot, Atlas, the Summit, and other LDI initiatives;
• Understand how users interact with our website and communications;
• Improve accessibility, usability, and public education resources;
• Protect the security and integrity of our website, systems, data, and organization;
• Prevent fraud, spam, abuse, unauthorized access, or other harmful activity;
• Comply with legal, tax, accounting, reporting, and regulatory obligations;
• Enforce applicable terms, policies, agreements, or rights;
• Carry out any other purpose described when the information is collected.

We try to collect and use information in ways that are reasonably related to our mission, operations, civic participation work, and relationships with supporters, partners, and the public.

3. Civic, Voter, and Campaign-Related Data

LDI's work may involve civic participation, voter education, public election information, campaign infrastructure, organizing tools, or public data sources.

For the general LDI website, we do not intend to collect sensitive voter preference data simply because someone visits the site. If a specific tool or program collects ballot planning information, voter education preferences, campaign data, or field organizing information, that tool or program may be governed by additional privacy notices, terms, consent language, or user agreements.

For Atlas, campaign or organizing data should be handled under separate agreements and policies. As a general principle, campaign data should belong to the campaign or organization that provides or generates it, subject to applicable law and the terms of any agreement. LDI should not publicly disclose, sell, or repurpose campaign data in ways that violate user agreements, reasonable expectations, or applicable law.

For MyBallot, information collected to provide ballot education or planning features should be limited to what is necessary to provide the service, improve usability, maintain security, and support civic participation. If MyBallot allows users to save, share, or personalize voting information, additional privacy disclosures should explain what is collected, how it is stored, and what choices users have.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information for commercial marketing purposes.

We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We may share information with trusted vendors, contractors, and service providers who help us operate our website, send emails, manage events, process donations, host data, provide analytics, secure systems, or support organizational operations. These providers are only authorized to use information as needed to provide services to us or as otherwise permitted by law.

Examples may include:

• Website hosting providers;
• Email newsletter platforms;
• Donation and payment processors;
• Event registration platforms;
• Analytics providers;
• Form and database tools;
• Security and spam-prevention services;
• Professional advisors, such as accountants, attorneys, or consultants.

Partners and Co-Sponsors

If you register for an event, program, or initiative that is co-hosted, sponsored, or coordinated with another organization, we may share relevant registration or participation information with those partners when necessary to administer the event or program. Where practical, we will identify those partners or provide appropriate notice.

We may also share aggregated or de-identified information with partners, funders, or the public to describe program reach, participation, engagement, or impact. Aggregated or de-identified information is not intended to identify a specific individual.

With Your Consent or Direction

We may share information when you ask us to do so, authorize us to do so, or intentionally use a feature that involves sharing information.

Legal, Safety, and Compliance Reasons

We may disclose information if we believe it is reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with applicable law, court orders, subpoenas, public records obligations, or legal process;
• Protect the rights, safety, property, or security of LDI, our users, our partners, or the public;
• Detect, investigate, prevent, or respond to fraud, abuse, security incidents, or unlawful activity;
• Enforce our policies, agreements, or legal rights;
• Meet tax, accounting, reporting, nonprofit, grant, or regulatory requirements.

Organizational Changes

If LDI undergoes a merger, restructuring, fiscal sponsorship transition, asset transfer, or similar organizational change, information may be transferred as part of that process, subject to appropriate safeguards and continued protection consistent with this Policy.

5. Donor Privacy

LDI values donor trust. We do not sell, rent, or trade donor names, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, or donation histories to third parties for commercial marketing purposes.

We may use donor information to:

• Process donations;
• Send receipts and acknowledgments;
• Maintain tax and accounting records;
• Communicate about LDI's work;
• Invite support for future programs or events;
• Comply with legal, reporting, or regulatory obligations.

We may publicly recognize donors, sponsors, or institutional supporters when appropriate, but we will make reasonable efforts to honor anonymity requests where legally and operationally feasible.

Some donation platforms may provide users with their own communication choices. Those choices are governed by the platform's policies and settings.

6. Communications Choices

If you receive emails from us, you may unsubscribe using the link included in the email or contact us at info@lademocracy.org.

Even if you unsubscribe from general communications, we may still send transactional or administrative messages, such as donation receipts, event registration confirmations, security notices, or responses to direct inquiries.

If we offer text messaging in the future, we will seek consent where required and provide opt-out instructions, such as replying “STOP.” Message and data rates may apply.

7. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live and how you interact with us, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These rights may include the ability to:

• Request access to personal information we maintain about you;
• Request correction of inaccurate information;
• Request deletion of certain information;
• Request a copy of certain information in a portable format;
• Opt out of certain uses of personal information, such as targeted advertising, sale, or sharing where applicable;
• Limit certain uses of sensitive personal information where applicable;
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• Appeal a decision we make regarding a privacy request where required by law.

To submit a privacy request, contact us at:

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. We will not discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights.

Please note that some information may be retained when necessary for legal, security, accounting, tax, reporting, operational, archival, or legitimate nonprofit purposes.

8. State-Specific Privacy Notice

Some U.S. states provide residents with specific privacy rights. Where these laws apply to LDI, we will honor applicable rights and obligations.

The categories of personal information we may collect are described in this Policy and may include:

• Identifiers, such as name, email address, mailing address, phone number, IP address, or online identifiers;
• Donation or transaction information;
• Internet or electronic network activity, such as website usage data;
• Approximate geolocation derived from IP address or information you provide;
• Professional, organizational, or affiliation information if you provide it;
• Event registration or participation information;
• Communications with us;
• Inferences about interests or preferences based on your interactions with LDI communications or forms.

We collect and use this information for the purposes described in this Policy. We disclose information to service providers, partners, and other parties as described above.

We do not knowingly sell personal information for money. We also do not intend to share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising unless we provide appropriate notice and opt-out rights where required.

If our website uses tools that may be considered “sharing,” “targeted advertising,” or “sale” under certain state laws, we should provide a clear opt-out mechanism and honor legally required opt-out preference signals where applicable.

9. Sensitive Information

Because LDI works in civic participation, users may choose to share information that could be considered sensitive, such as political interests, issue interests, demographic information, accessibility needs, or community experiences.

We do not ask for sensitive information unless it is reasonably related to a specific program, request, event, accessibility need, research purpose, or civic participation function. When we do collect sensitive information, we aim to use it only for the purpose described at the time of collection or as otherwise permitted by law.

We do not knowingly use sensitive personal information to discriminate against individuals or to deny access to LDI's public-facing civic participation resources.

10. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without appropriate consent. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to us, contact us at info@lademocracy.org, and we will take appropriate steps to delete the information where required.

If we develop youth-focused programming, we should provide additional safeguards, notices, and consent procedures as appropriate.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Retention periods may depend on:

• The type of information;
• The purpose for which it was collected;
• Legal, tax, accounting, audit, or reporting requirements;
• Security and fraud-prevention needs;
• Whether the information is tied to donations, events, contracts, grants, or organizational records;
• Whether the user has requested deletion;
• Whether retention is necessary to resolve disputes or enforce agreements.

When information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to delete, de-identify, aggregate, or securely archive it.

12. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, misuse, or loss.

No website, system, or transmission method is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we will work to use appropriate safeguards based on the nature of the information and the risks involved.

Users should also take care when sharing information online and should avoid submitting sensitive information through insecure channels.

13. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may link to third-party websites, platforms, tools, social media pages, donation processors, event registration systems, or partner sites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites or services that we do not control.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing information.

14. Social Media

If you interact with LDI through social media platforms, your interaction may be visible to others and governed by the privacy policies and settings of those platforms. We may view, respond to, or share public interactions consistent with the platform's rules and our communications practices.

Do not submit private or sensitive information through public social media comments or messages unless you understand the risks of doing so.

15. Public Records, Legal Process, and Civic Context

LDI is a private nonprofit organization, not a government agency. However, our work may involve public data, public records, election information, government sources, public meetings, or civic processes.

Some information related to elections, public officials, candidates, donors, lobbying, campaign finance, nonprofit reporting, or public events may be publicly available or subject to legal reporting requirements. This Policy does not restrict information that is lawfully public, required to be disclosed, or independently obtained from public sources.

16. De-Identified and Aggregated Information

We may use or share aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified information to understand participation trends, improve programs, report impact, support fundraising, or communicate about our work.

For example, we may report the number of website visitors, event registrants, email subscribers, partner organizations, parish-level participation, or tool usage trends without identifying individual users.

We will not attempt to re-identify de-identified information except as permitted by law, such as to test whether de-identification methods are effective.

17. International Visitors

LDI is based in Louisiana in the United States. If you access our website from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be processed in the United States or other locations where our service providers operate. Privacy laws in those locations may differ from the laws where you live.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and may provide additional notice where appropriate.

Your continued use of the website after changes are posted means the updated Policy applies to your use of the website going forward.

19. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to submit a privacy request, contact us at:

For general inquiries, you may also use our contact form.