specification: API Commons Sandbox
specificationVersion: '0.1'
provider: Democracy Works
providerId: democracy-works
generated: '2026-09-07'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://developers.democracy.works/api/v2#section/Introduction/Authentication and probes
  of https://data.democracy.works/api-signup, https://www.democracy.works/elections-api
description: >-
  Democracy Works publishes NO self-service sandbox. A test key exists but is issued by a
  human after a conversation, and there is no separate test host, no test-mode key prefix,
  no published fixtures and no time simulation. This file records what the provider
  actually offers so the gap is legible.
sandbox_available: false
self_service: false
test_credentials:
  offered: true
  mechanism: request-a-test-key
  quote: >-
    "For pricing information and to obtain a test key, please contact us."
  contract_location: https://developers.democracy.works/api/v2#section/Introduction/Authentication
  contact: partnerships@democracy.works
  note: >-
    The contract's "contact us" link points at https://data.democracy.works/api-signup,
    which is now a soft-404 redirecting to the marketing homepage (probed 2026-09-07). The
    working route is the email address the same contract publishes for support, or
    https://www.democracy.works/contact.
environments:
- name: production
  base_url: https://api.democracy.works/v2
  note: The only host. There is no sandbox or staging base URL.
key_modes:
  test_live_distinguishable: false
  key_prefix: none published
  note: >-
    Nothing in the contract or the docs distinguishes a test key from a live key by shape,
    so a client cannot tell from the credential which environment it is in.
test_data:
  published_fixtures: false
  time_simulation: false
  triggers: false
  note: >-
    No test cards, fixtures, clocks or trigger tooling — none of which the domain calls for.
    What a would-be integrator would want instead is a small public sample of election data
    to code against before a key arrives, and that is not published either. The contract's
    inline response examples (real Wisconsin, Colorado and Alabama elections) are the only
    sample payloads available.
free_read_surface:
  available: false
  evidence:
  - url: https://api.democracy.works/v2/elections
    status: 403
    probed: '2026-09-07'
    note: Every operation requires a key; nothing is readable anonymously.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com