Candidate Verification & Publication Policy

Version 1.0
Effective Date: 1^st August 2026
Last Reviewed: 3^rd August 2026
Next Review Date: 1^st October 2026

Vote Smart KE is committed to providing voters with clear, structured and responsibly presented information about electoral candidates and public leadership.

This Candidate Verification & Publication Policy explains how Vote Smart KE may:

• Receive candidate information
• Review candidate submissions
• Verify relevant information
• Request clarification or supporting information
• Prepare candidate profiles
• Publish candidate information
• Update, correct, suspend or remove profiles

The policy is intended to promote accuracy, fairness, consistency, transparency and public trust while recognising that candidate information may change over time.

This policy applies to:

• Candidates and aspiring candidates who submit information to Vote Smart KE
• Candidate representatives and authorised campaign teams
• Vote Smart KE editors, researchers, administrators and contributors
• Candidate information collected through registration forms
• Information obtained from publicly available and reasonably reliable sources
• Candidate profiles published on the Vote Smart KE website
• Candidate information displayed in the directory and comparison tool

This policy applies to information submitted directly to Vote Smart KE as well as relevant information obtained from public sources for editorial, verification or profile-completion purposes.

Vote Smart KE will seek to apply the following principles throughout the verification and publication process.

Vote Smart KE will maintain editorial independence from candidates, political parties, campaign teams, donors and other external interests.

A candidate’s political affiliation, popularity, financial position, public profile or relationship with Vote Smart KE will not determine whether information is treated more favourably.

Vote Smart KE does not endorse, recommend or campaign for political candidates or parties.

Publication of a candidate profile does not mean that Vote Smart KE supports, approves of or recommends the candidate.

Vote Smart KE will make reasonable efforts to ensure that published information is accurate, relevant and presented clearly.

However, verification does not guarantee that every item is complete, permanently accurate or free from error.

Candidates should have a reasonable opportunity to:

• Submit information
• Clarify information
• Provide supporting material where appropriate
• Request correction of factual errors
• Request updates when relevant information changes

Vote Smart KE will seek to explain its verification, editorial and publication processes clearly.

Where appropriate, the platform may indicate that information was:

• Submitted by the candidate
• Confirmed through supporting information
• Obtained from a public source
• Under review
• Not provided
• Unable to be independently verified

Vote Smart KE will seek to use similar verification and editorial standards for candidates in comparable circumstances.

Information collected for verification, communication or administrative purposes will not automatically be published.

Vote Smart KE will distinguish between:

• Information intended for public display
• Information submitted for verification
• Private contact or administrative information

The platform will prioritise information that helps voters understand a candidate’s background, experience, vision, priorities and public commitments.

Vote Smart KE will generally use the following process:

Submission → Initial Review → Verification → Clarification → Editorial Preparation → Publication Decision → Publication → Updates and Ongoing Review

The stages may overlap or vary depending on the completeness and nature of a submission.

Candidates or authorised representatives may submit information through an official Vote Smart KE registration form or another approved channel.

A submission may include:

• Candidate’s full name
• Electoral position
• County, constituency, ward or other electoral area
• Political party or affiliation
• Profile photograph
• Academic qualifications
• Professional background
• Leadership and public-service experience
• Electoral experience
• Candidate vision
• Key priorities
• Proposed approaches to public issues
• Official campaign information
• Public contact or communication channels
• Supporting information or documents
• Publication declarations or consent

Candidates and representatives are expected to provide information that is accurate and not misleading to the best of their knowledge.

After receiving a submission, Vote Smart KE may conduct an initial review to determine whether:

• Required information has been provided
• The candidate’s name is clear and complete
• The electoral position is identified
• The electoral area is identified
• The information is suitable for the intended profile structure
• The submission contains incomplete, inconsistent or unclear information
• Supporting information may be required
• The submission appears to contain potentially misleading, defamatory, unlawful or inappropriate material

An incomplete submission may be returned for clarification or held for further review.

Submission does not guarantee publication.

Vote Smart KE may use reasonable and proportionate methods to review candidate information.

Verification methods may include:

• Reviewing information supplied by the candidate
• Requesting clarification from the candidate or authorised representative
• Reviewing official public records where available
• Reviewing official political-party information
• Reviewing official campaign websites or verified public communication channels
• Reviewing publicly available professional or institutional information
• Reviewing reputable media reports
• Reviewing educational or professional information where reasonably available
• Comparing submitted information with other relevant sources

Verification methods may vary depending on:

• The nature of the information
• The availability of reliable sources
• The public importance of the information
• The level of uncertainty or inconsistency
• The resources available to Vote Smart KE

Vote Smart KE may prioritise verification of information that is particularly relevant to voters or likely to affect public understanding of a candidate.

Vote Smart KE may use internal verification statuses such as:

Status	Meaning
Submitted	Information has been received but has not yet undergone initial review
Under Review	The submission is being assessed for completeness and relevance
Clarification Required	Additional information or explanation is needed
Verification in Progress	Relevant information is being reviewed
Ready for Editorial Review	The information has progressed to profile preparation
Approved for Publication	The profile has been approved for publication
Published	The profile is publicly available
Update Required	Published information requires review or updating
Temporarily Unpublished	The profile has been removed from public view while a significant issue is reviewed
Archived	The profile is no longer active but may be retained for historical or administrative purposes
Declined	The submission does not currently meet the platform’s requirements

These statuses are primarily for internal workflow. Vote Smart KE may choose which status information, if any, is displayed publicly.

Vote Smart KE may contact a candidate or authorised representative when:

• Information is incomplete
• Information appears inconsistent
• A claim requires clarification
• A public source conflicts with the submitted information
• A profile requires additional context
• Supporting information may help resolve uncertainty

Candidates may be asked to provide:

• A correction
• Additional information
• A supporting document
• A public or official source
• Confirmation of a submitted statement

Vote Smart KE may set a reasonable response period. If no response is received, the platform may:

• Continue reviewing available information
• Publish only information that can be responsibly presented
• Mark relevant information as not provided or under review
• Delay publication
• Decline publication until clarification is received

After the relevant review process, Vote Smart KE may edit information for:

• Clarity
• Grammar
• Spelling
• Consistency
• Readability
• Length
• Neutral presentation
• Compatibility with the profile format

Editorial editing should not intentionally change the meaning of a candidate’s statement.

Vote Smart KE may:

• Condense lengthy responses
• Remove repeated wording
• Use headings or structured sections
• Standardise titles and formatting
• Correct obvious typographical errors
• Present information in a consistent format

Where a substantive change could alter the meaning of a candidate’s statement, Vote Smart KE may seek clarification before publication.

Vote Smart KE may distinguish between:

These may include:

• Candidate vision
• Key priorities
• Proposed approaches
• Personal leadership statements
• Campaign commitments

Candidate statements may be presented as the candidate’s own views or proposals. Publication does not mean Vote Smart KE has independently verified that a proposal is feasible, achievable or likely to produce a particular outcome.

This may include:

• Electoral position
• Electoral area
• Education
• Professional experience
• Leadership history
• Public records
• Election-related information

Where appropriate, factual information may be reviewed against available sources.

A candidate profile may be approved for publication when Vote Smart KE reasonably determines that:

• The candidate is sufficiently identified
• The electoral position and area are clear
• The profile contains enough information to be useful to voters
• Relevant information has undergone appropriate review
• Significant inconsistencies have been addressed or responsibly presented
• The content is suitable for public publication
• The profile complies with applicable Vote Smart KE policies

Vote Smart KE may publish a profile even where some information is unavailable, provided that the profile remains useful and does not create a misleading impression.

Missing information may be labelled:

• Not provided
• Information unavailable
• Under review
• Not independently confirmed

The use of these labels does not necessarily imply wrongdoing by the candidate.

Vote Smart KE may delay or decline publication where:

• The candidate cannot be sufficiently identified
• The electoral position or area is unclear
• The submission is materially incomplete
• Significant information is inconsistent and remains unresolved
• Information appears false or misleading
• The submission contains unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory, threatening or abusive content
• The candidate or representative refuses to clarify significant concerns
• Publication may create an unreasonable risk of harm
• The profile does not meet the platform’s editorial or operational requirements

Where practical and appropriate, Vote Smart KE may explain the reason for a delay or request additional information.

Only profiles that have been approved and published by Vote Smart KE should appear in the public candidate directory or comparison tool.

The comparison tool may display information in standard categories, including:

• Political affiliation
• Electoral position
• Electoral area
• Academic qualifications
• Professional background
• Leadership experience
• Candidate vision
• Key priorities
• Proposed approaches

The comparison tool does not assign political rankings or recommend candidates.

The presentation of two candidates side by side does not imply that they are equally qualified, equally popular, politically aligned, or endorsed by Vote Smart KE.

Candidates may request updates when information changes.

Examples include:

• Change in electoral position
• Change in political affiliation
• Updated qualifications
• Updated professional information
• Updated campaign website
• Updated public communication channels
• Revised vision or priorities
• Correction of factual information

Vote Smart KE may review requested changes before publication.

Updates may be recorded internally to support transparency and quality control.

Vote Smart KE aims to correct verified factual errors promptly and transparently.

A correction request should include:

• Candidate name
• Profile link, where available
• The information believed to be inaccurate
• The proposed correction
• Supporting information or a reliable source, where available
• Contact information for follow-up

Vote Smart KE may:

• Correct the information
• Request clarification
• Add context
• Decline a requested change where the existing information is supported
• Temporarily unpublish a profile while reviewing a significant issue

Editorial disagreement alone may not require a correction where the published information is accurate and fairly presented.

Vote Smart KE may temporarily remove a profile from public view where:

• A significant factual concern is under review
• The profile may contain materially inaccurate information
• There is a serious dispute concerning the information
• A security, privacy or legal concern requires review
• A technical issue affects the profile’s integrity

Temporary unpublication does not necessarily indicate that a candidate has engaged in wrongdoing.

Vote Smart KE may remove or archive a profile where:

• The profile is no longer relevant to the platform’s purpose
• The candidate requests removal and the request is considered appropriate
• Significant information cannot be responsibly maintained
• The profile was published based on materially inaccurate information
• Continued publication creates a significant privacy, security or legal concern
• The profile is being retained only for historical or administrative purposes

Vote Smart KE may retain limited internal records where reasonably necessary for administration, verification, accountability or legal compliance.

Candidates may:

• Submit information for consideration
• Ask questions about the onboarding process
• Request clarification regarding profile content
• Request correction of factual errors
• Request relevant updates
• Provide supporting information
• Authorise a representative to communicate with Vote Smart KE

Candidates and representatives are responsible for:

• Providing accurate information
• Avoiding misleading claims
• Providing clarification when reasonably requested
• Ensuring they have authority to submit information
• Informing Vote Smart KE of significant changes
• Respecting the platform’s editorial independence

Candidates do not have an automatic right to require publication of all submitted content exactly as written.

Vote Smart KE will seek to:

• Apply this policy consistently
• Maintain editorial independence
• Use reasonable verification practices
• Distinguish candidate statements from editorial information where appropriate
• Protect private information
• Provide a process for corrections and updates
• Present information clearly and fairly
• Review significant factual concerns
• Avoid implying endorsement through publication

Vote Smart KE may improve or revise its verification methods as the platform grows.

Vote Smart KE does not guarantee that:

• Every candidate profile is complete
• Every claim can be independently verified
• Candidate information will remain current at all times
• Candidate proposals will be implemented
• Candidate statements are feasible or achievable
• Public sources are always accurate or complete

Users should consider information from multiple sources and exercise their own judgment.

Concerns regarding candidate information may be submitted through:

Email: contact@votesmartke.org
Website: Vote Smart KE
Subject line: Candidate Profile Review or Correction Request

Vote Smart KE may request additional information before reaching a decision.

This policy will be reviewed periodically and may be updated as:

• The platform develops
• Candidate onboarding expands
• Verification methods improve
• New features are introduced
• Legal or regulatory requirements change
• Stakeholder feedback identifies areas for improvement

Material changes may be reflected through an updated version number and review date.

This document is an operational policy draft prepared to guide Vote Smart KE’s candidate verification and publication processes.

It is not legal advice. Vote Smart KE intends to seek appropriate legal and governance review as resources become available.

Approval

Approved by:
Name: Kennedy Isiaho
Role: Founder, Vote Smart KE
Date:  1^st August 2026

Vote Smart KE — Know Your Leaders. Make an Informed Choice.