Glossary

A tax-exempt nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, permitted to engage in issue advocacy and some political activity as long as political activity is not its primary purpose. Often used for independent expenditure campaigns and issue advocacy. Not required to publicly disclose donors at the federal level, though state disclosure requirements vary.

Ballot Yard’s policy governing the types of content that may be served through Ballot Yard infrastructure. The AUP defines prohibited content categories (including vote suppression, election disinformation, and content violating campaign finance law) and required content standards (such as FEC disclaimer requirements). Available in the Compliance Library.

An additional charge applied to Ballot Yard lease rates for slots reserved within 60 days of a primary or general election. Reflects increased market demand for political messaging infrastructure immediately before an election.

A geographic market defined by Nielsen Media Research based on television viewing patterns. The United States is divided into approximately 210 DMAs. DMAs are commonly used as targeting units in political advertising because they correspond to local media markets. Ballot Yard supports DMA-level slot leasing.

A rhetorical structure that positions a candidate or figure as outside the viewer’s group (“He is one of them”). Exclusive frames are used in contrast and opposition messaging. Two Ballot Yard inventory domains use the exclusive frame: heisoneofthem.com and sheisoneofthem.com.

Political speech that explicitly advocates for the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, using words such as “vote for,” “elect,” “support,” “cast your ballot for,” “vote against,” “defeat,” or “reject.” Express advocacy by corporations, unions, and certain other entities is regulated under federal campaign finance law.

A federal law (22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.) requiring agents of foreign principals engaged in political activities in the United States to register with the Department of Justice and publicly disclose their activities. Ballot Yard does not knowingly provide services for FARA-covered political activity of foreign principals in the United States.

The independent regulatory agency responsible for administering and enforcing federal campaign finance law. The FEC requires disclosure of contributions to and expenditures by political committees, including vendor payments such as domain lease fees.

The practice of routing internet traffic to different destinations based on the geographic location of the visitor’s IP address. Ballot Yard’s platform uses geo-IP routing to serve different content to visitors in different geographic slots based on the lessee configuration for that slot.

The fundamental unit of a Ballot Yard lease. A geo-slot is a specific domain + geographic area + time period combination. Each geo-slot can be held by a single lessee at a time. Geo-slots are independent: activity in one slot does not affect availability or pricing of adjacent slots.

MaxMind’s commercial IP geolocation database product, providing high-accuracy IP-to-geography resolution at the country, state, DMA, city, and ZIP code level. Ballot Yard uses GeoIP2 Precision for all routing decisions. Published accuracy: ~99.5% country, ~95% US state, ~85% DMA, ~80% city.

An expenditure by a person or group that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and is not made in coordination with any candidate or campaign. Super PACs are the principal vehicles for independent expenditure activity. IE activity is reported to the FEC under specific schedules and timing requirements.

A rhetorical structure that positions a candidate or figure as belonging to the same group as the viewer (“He is one of us”). Inclusive frames are used in positive biographical and affirmation messaging. Two Ballot Yard inventory domains use the inclusive frame: heisoneofus.com and sheisoneofus.com.

The duration of an exclusive Ballot Yard geo-slot lease. Minimum term is 30 days; standard maximum is 180 days. Lease terms are defined at the time of lease execution and govern the period during which the lessee has exclusive access to geo-routing for their leased domain + geography combination.

The primary contract governing a Ballot Yard geo-slot lease. The Master Lease Agreement specifies the domain, geographic slot, lease term, pricing, content requirements, compliance obligations, and dispute resolution process. A sample agreement is available in the compliance library after access approval.

A data company specializing in IP address intelligence, including geolocation and fraud detection. MaxMind’s GeoIP2 product line is the industry standard for IP-to-geography resolution used by Cloudflare, Akamai, and major digital advertising platforms. Ballot Yard uses MaxMind GeoIP2 Precision for all geo-routing decisions.

An organization that raises and spends money to elect or defeat candidates. Traditional PACs are subject to contribution limits and cannot accept corporate or union treasury funds. Super PACs (formally known as independent expenditure-only committees) may raise unlimited funds but cannot contribute directly to or coordinate with candidates.

Ballot Yard’s term for a domain name that functions primarily as a message-delivery vehicle rather than as a brand identifier. Each Ballot Yard inventory domain is a rhetorical container: the domain name itself carries a rhetorical frame (identity claim, inclusive/exclusive framing) that primes the visitor’s interpretation of the content.

A core Ballot Yard platform guarantee: only one lessee may hold a lease for a given domain + geographic slot combination at any given time. Single-entity exclusivity is enforced at the routing layer, not just by contract.

Informal name for an independent expenditure-only committee. Super PACs may raise unlimited funds from corporations, unions, individuals, and other groups, but may not donate to or coordinate with federal candidates or their campaigns. Super PACs must disclose donors to the FEC. See also: IE (Independent Expenditure).

A technology that routes a user’s internet traffic through a server in a different location, causing the user’s IP address to appear to originate from the VPN server’s location rather than the user’s physical location. VPN usage can affect geo-IP accuracy; Ballot Yard offers MaxMind VPN detection as a configurable option for lessees.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, Level AA. The internationally recognized standard for web accessibility, covering perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness of web content for users with disabilities. The Ballot Yard marketing website is built to WCAG 2.1 AA standards.