Contact Sharing Guide

Before You Share

The Massachusetts Political Directory lets members comment and vote without sharing contact details. A member who wants to continue a discussion outside the directory may share their verified account email address and, optionally, a phone number. The directory provides no private messaging.

The registration form and your account settings offer separate email and phone sharing choices. The email choice uses the address currently verified on a member’s account, while the optional phone choice uses the saved number. A contact request reveals only the details that both members’ current choices permit.

A member who views your shared email address or phone number can copy it, contact you without permission, or pass it to someone else. The directory limits access, but it cannot retrieve a copied detail after you stop sharing. A saved detail can still lead to unwanted messages or calls.

How Members Match

A match exists when two members share a municipality in the same state, share a ZIP code, or have each published a comment or reply on the same politician or board page. A shared municipality qualifies for the matching bonus even when the ZIP codes differ. A shared ZIP code qualifies even when it crosses municipal boundaries. A shared discussion requires a comment or reply from each member on the same politician or board page; a visit or vote alone does not establish the connection. A member can use the ordinary allowance without any of these connections.

The Access Rules

A member must share the verified account email address, publish at least 1 directory comment or reply, and maintain a cumulative Up-minus-Down score of +1 or higher to view any shared contact details. The member must also share a saved phone number to see another member’s shared phone number. The phone choice is available only while email sharing is on.

The member whose details are requested must permit sharing. A phone number is optional, and an eligible member may view shared email addresses without sharing one. The directory checks the 10-digit format of a saved phone number but does not verify its owner.

The 7-day wait for email access starts after registration, a state, municipality, or ZIP code change, or a return to email sharing. A separate 7-day wait for phone access starts when phone sharing begins or resumes. An email opt-out ends all new and repeat views immediately; a phone opt-out ends phone views while leaving email access available to an otherwise eligible member.

The Rolling Windows

The rolling windows measure the preceding 24 hours and 7 days. A reveal stops counting toward each limit once it falls outside the corresponding window. The clock continues across midnight and the start of a calendar week.

An email address and a phone number on the same profile count as 1 contact reveal. A repeat view within the 7-day window uses no additional allowance, provided the viewer remains eligible and the profile owner continues to permit sharing. The reveal limits don’t impose a quota on comments or replies.

The ordinary allowance covers up to 3 distinct profiles in a rolling 24-hour period and 15 in a rolling 7-day period. The matching bonus covers up to 6 additional matched profiles in 7 days. The weekly maximum is therefore 21, while the daily limit remains 3.