Revision history

Changes to the CDF documentation are listed here.

August 5, 2025

• Update Feed documentation and Validator support for FeedType of voter-information.

July 23, 2025

• Add additional values to VoterInformationWebsiteType.

July 11, 2025

• Added RetentionContest to the available Contest types.

July 7, 2025

• Updated Metadata Feed documentation and validator to clarify canceled election events don't need to be considered when determining a Feed inactive date.

June 25, 2025

• Added whatsapp as a platform for AnnotatedUri.

June 16, 2025

• Updated Voter Information documentation for VoterInformationWebsite and ElectoralCommissionWebsite to reflect definitions in the CDF schema.

May 29, 2025

• Replaced NoSourceDirPathBeforeInitialDeliveryDate validator rule with SourceDirPathMustBeSetAfterInitialDeliveryDate.

May 27, 2025

• Added Validator support and basic checks for Voter information feeds.

May 22, 2025

• Published a guide to aid in determining officeholder term dates.

May 13, 2025

• Updated the feed types guide to include Voter information feeds.

May 7, 2025

• Added elements to support Voter information including VoterInformation, VoterInformationWebsite, VoterInformationWebsiteType, ElectoralCommission, and InternationalizedUri.

• Refactored information about LanguageString into the International considerations guide.

May 6, 2025

• Update PersonHasOffice rule to check new OfficeHolderTenure schema.

April 18, 2025

• Added clarification that FullName elements of People shouldn't contain the person's title.

April 10, 2025

• Added new schema for office / officeholder tenure split.

March 12, 2025

• Added judge, cabinet member, general purpose officer, and special purpose officer to office roles and added logic in validator to allow two combinations of roles: head of government & head of state and cabinet member & general purpose officer.

March 4, 2025

• Updated ElectionDateType with details on how StartDate and EndDate will be interpreted for bounded elections.

February 26, 2025

• Updated Metadata feed to add note about waiting 60 days after FeedInactiveDate to remove a feed from metadata feed.

January 29, 2025

• Created new Title syntax guide to standardise election and contest titles.

January 27, 2025

• Updated Contest guidelines to add PassageThreshold definition to BallotMeasureContest

January 15, 2025

• Updated guidelines for the FeedInactiveDate property of the metadata Feed entity.

November 19, 2024

• Added documentation for GovernmentBody

November 11, 2024

• Added documentation requiring feed filenames to remain static

November 1, 2024

• Update EmptyText validator rule to raise an error instead of a warning.

August 26, 2024

• Update the OfficeLevel enum to add detailed descriptions.

July 17, 2024

• Added documentation for new PartyLeadership entities and associated PartyLeadershipType enum.

July 10, 2024

• Adding recommendations for the 'FeedInactiveDate' and SourceDirPath

June 24, 2024

• Update PartyId to allow for multiple PartyIds for Candidate and Person entities.

June 21, 2024

• Update the documentation for OfficeHolderSubFeed entity to share a detailed example.

May 14, 2024

• Clean the PartyContest entity to only include the relevant elements PartyContest.
• Added updated definitions for ElectionDateStatus enum values, particularly, tentative and changing.

May 1, 2024

• Clarified the definition for the IsIndependent element for Party.

April 29, 2024

• Update FeedType enum and FeedLongevity enum to use lower case values in their respective reference pages.

April 17, 2024

• Added an IsIndependent element to the reference page for Party.

February 12, 2024

• Added documentation throughout the site for the new Metadata feed.

January 9, 2024

• Add support for Tiktok accounts as an AnnotatedUri

January 3, 2024

• Updating Internal Considerations with a bit more nuance about how and when to translate or transliterate data.

July 24, 2023

• Added Committee type for Political Committees and a corresponding feed type

January 20, 2023

• Added a Slogan element to the reference page for Party.
• Added a CampaignSlogan element to the reference page for Candidate.

November 17, 2022

• Added guide for Process to update OCD IDs

December 30, 2021

• Added a PartialDate section to the Simple Data Types page, as well as updating some of the table fields.

December 27, 2021

• Modified content within the CandidateContest section of the Contest page to support only one office per contest, as well as updating some of the XML examples.

October 15, 2021

• Added ExternalIdentifier section to the reference page for Candidate.

August 20, 2021

• Created an OfficeSelectionMethod page, added the SelectionMethod element to the Office. Elements table, and updated codel examples.

February 26, 2021

• Added an example to the Term reference page on how to represent the tenure of reelected officeholders in an Officeholder feed.

February 24, 2021

• Added information about party-chair-id to the Party reference material.

February 18, 2021

• Added a diagram to the CandidatePreElectionStatus reference material that illustrates the timing of statuses.

December 14, 2020

• Added Guides pages that describe the available feed types. Updated the Reference pages to provide best practices to follow for most entities.