Where in the course of electoral activities, the operation of the democratic system in a Member State requires that political parties compile personal data on people’s political opinions, the processing of such data may be permitted for reasons of public interest, provided that appropriate safeguards are established.

This recital of the General Data Protection Regulation clarifies article 6 GDPR (Lawfulness of processing) and article 9 GDPR (Processing of special categories of personal data).*