Partner program terms

1. 1About these terms

   These terms are an agreement between you and Power & Politics ("we", "us") about the partner program. They sit on top of the site terms and the privacy policy, which also apply to you. If one of them conflicts with these terms about the partner program, these terms win for the program.

   You accept these terms when you apply.

2. 2Joining the program

   Anyone with an audience can apply. We review every application and may approve or decline it at our discretion. We do not have to give a reason.

   What you tell us on the application must be true and complete. You may have one partner account for yourself or your organization.

   Candidates, campaigns, political parties and political committees cannot be partners, and you may not apply on behalf of one. If that stops being true for you, tell us at once and we will end the partnership.

3. 3What you earn

   You earn 30% of each payment a referred reader makes for a Member or Pro plan, for the first 12 months of a subscription. The amount is worked out on what the reader actually pays, as reported by our payment system.

   Commissions are recorded only when a real payment is made. Our payment system is not open yet, so no commission accrues until it opens. A test or free subscription earns nothing.

   The rate and length can differ by plan or campaign. The figures shown on the program page and on your dashboard are the ones that apply to you.

4. 4How a reader is credited to you

   When someone opens your link, we save a cookie in their browser that names you. It lasts 60 days. If they subscribe in that time, the sale is credited to the last partner link they used.

   If we give you a coupon code, a reader who uses it at checkout is credited to you, even without the cookie.

   We decide in good faith which partner a payment belongs to. Our records are final unless they contain a clear mistake.

5. 5Holding period, refunds and chargebacks

   Each commission is held for 30 days before it can be paid. During that time it is pending.

   If a reader gets a refund, or a payment is reversed through a chargeback or dispute, the commission on that payment is reversed too. If we already paid it, the amount is taken off what we owe you later. A negative balance carries forward and is netted against future commissions.

6. 6Self-referrals and fraud

   We do not pay commission on payments made by you, by an account you control, or by anyone acting for you. Signing up through your own link earns nothing.

   We may hold, reverse or refuse commissions we reasonably believe came from fraud, self-referral, fake or automated traffic, or a breach of these terms.

7. 7Payouts and taxes

   We pay approved commissions once your balance reaches $50, on a monthly schedule, in U.S. dollars. Payment is by PayPal or Wise, to the email you give us, once our payment system is connected.

   We never ask for bank account or card numbers on this site.

   Before your first payout we need a completed tax form: a W-9 if you are a U.S. person, or a W-8BEN if you are not. You send it to us outside this site, and we record only whether we have received it. You are responsible for the taxes on what you earn. Where the law requires us to withhold tax, we will.

8. 8Telling your audience

   You must clearly disclose that you earn a commission every time you share your link. Put the disclosure next to the link, in plain words, where people see it before they click. "Partner link" or "affiliate link" alone is not enough in a place where people may not know what that means.

   Laws in the United States and Canada, including the Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guides and Canada's Competition Act, require this. You are responsible for following the rules where you and your audience are.

9. 9What you may not do

   Do not send spam. Send your link only to people who expect to hear from you.

   Do not bid on search terms or buy ads that include "Power & Politics", "VoteFiles" or close variants.

   Do not use cookie stuffing, hidden frames, forced clicks, or any method that sets your cookie without a reader choosing to follow your link.

   Do not make misleading claims about us or our coverage. Do not say we offer something we do not, and do not describe our reporting as endorsing or opposing any candidate, party or cause.

   Do not share your link for, or on behalf of, a candidate, campaign, party or political committee, and do not suggest that Power & Politics backs anyone.

   Do not pretend to be us, and do not register domains, handles or accounts that use our name.

10. 10Our name and logo

    You may use our name and logo only in the versions in the partner asset library, and only to promote the program in line with these terms. Do not change them. We may withdraw an asset at any time, and you must then stop using it.

11. 11Changes to these terms

    We may change these terms or the commission rules. For a change that affects what you earn, we will email you and post the new version here before it takes effect. Commissions on payments made before the change follow the old terms. If you keep promoting after the change takes effect, you accept the new terms. If you do not agree, you can stop at any time.

12. 12Ending the partnership

    You can leave at any time by telling us. We can suspend or end your partnership at any time, for example if you break these terms.

    Commissions earned before the end, on real payments that are not reversed, are still paid under these terms. We may refuse to pay commissions from fraud or a serious breach.

13. 13Independent contractor

    You are an independent contractor. You are not our employee, agent or legal partner, and you cannot make promises or sign anything on our behalf. You pay your own costs and are responsible for how you promote us.

14. 14Your information and privacy

    When you apply or sign in, we store your name, email, website or channel, the channels you use, your audience size, your country, the terms version you accepted and when, and your payout method and payout email. We store whether your tax form is on file, but never your tax ID number.

    When someone opens your link, we record the partner code, any sub-ID you added, the page they landed on, the website they came from and a scrambled one-way code made from their internet address. We do not keep the address itself.

    You see counts and amounts for your referrals. You never see the name, email or any other identity of a reader. Details are in the privacy policy.

15. 15Liability and governing law

    The program is provided as it is. We do not promise any level of traffic, earnings or that the program will continue. The limits on liability in the site terms apply to the program, and nothing here limits a liability that the law does not allow us to limit.

    These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.

    Any dispute about the program is settled the way the site terms describe under "Settling disputes": by binding arbitration in Toronto, one claim at a time and not as a class action, started within six months after it arises.

    If someone makes a claim against Power & Politics because of how you promoted us, or because you broke these terms or the law, you agree to cover the resulting losses and costs as the site terms describe.

16. 16Questions

    Ask about the program or these terms through the request desk.

Version 2026-10-21