Rules & How It Works
The ground rules for voting and for claiming a state as its Boss.
Voting rules
One device = one vote per day
Each browser/device can cast one free vote every 24 hours (UTC day). You can vote for any state — it doesn't have to be the same one as yesterday. Come back tomorrow to vote again.
No login required
Voting never asks for an email, a password, or an account. It's a single click.
Free and transparent
Voting costs nothing. Vote counts and rankings are shown live on the map and in the state list for every visitor to see.
Boss claim rules
Every state starts at $1
The very first time anyone claims a given state, it costs $1 — no matter the state.
+$1 to outbid a newcomer
Once a state has a Boss, the price for the next person who has never held that state before is always exactly $1 more than the last newcomer paid. Prices only ever go up for newcomers.
Returning Bosses pay the difference, not full price
If you've been Boss of a state before, you don't pay from scratch to get it back. You only pay the difference between today's price and what you personally paid last time (minimum $1). Reclaiming never changes the price for future newcomers.
No login — your email is your identity
There's no account system. The email you enter at checkout is what we use to know you've held a state before (for rule 3) and where we send outbid/claim notifications. Use an email you actually check.
Content review, no refunds
Anyone can report a Boss's brand name, logo, description, or link. A report hides that content immediately pending our review — no refund is issued either way, and content that's illegal, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate can be removed at any time without notice. Your Boss status and the price mechanics above aren't affected by a review.
It's just a game
"Boss," "claim," and "dethrone" are playful game terms. Claiming a state on StateBoss.com is a novelty and a way to advertise a link — it grants no real ownership, authority, or legal status over the actual state.