Voter Registration

Our Voter Registration records are compiled from state election offices and Secretaries of State across the United States. These records are public information under state election laws and are used to verify voter eligibility, support election administration, and enable civic engagement research.

• Coverage 17 States including FL, NC, PA, GA, OH, CO, NV, OK, NJ, UT, WA, AK, RI, KS, LA, WY, AR
• Records 98+ Million voter registrations
• Sources State Election Offices, Secretaries of State, Boards of Elections
• Legal Basis State public records laws, National Voter Registration Act

What Is Voter Registration Data?

Voter registration data is the collection of records maintained by state and local election officials that documents every person who has registered to vote in their jurisdiction. When a citizen registers to vote -- whether at the DMV, through a mail-in form, online, or at a voter registration drive -- their information is entered into the state's voter registration database. This database serves as the official roll of eligible voters and is used by election workers to verify voter identity at polling places, issue absentee ballots, and administer elections.

In most states, voter registration records are considered public information. This means that, subject to certain restrictions that vary by state, members of the public can request and obtain copies of the voter file. The rationale for making voter data public is rooted in the principle of electoral transparency: citizens should be able to verify that voter rolls are accurate, that eligible voters are not being improperly purged, and that the election process is operating fairly. Political parties, candidates, nonprofit organizations, journalists, and academic researchers all rely on access to voter files for legitimate purposes.

The scope and detail of voter registration data varies significantly from state to state. Some states provide comprehensive files that include party affiliation, full voting history (which elections the person voted in, though not how they voted), date of birth, phone numbers, and email addresses. Other states provide more limited information, omitting certain fields or restricting access to specific categories of requesters. A handful of states impose strict limitations on who can access voter data and what it can be used for.

What Information Is in Voter Files?

Voter registration files contain a range of personal and administrative information. While the exact fields vary by state, most voter files include the following categories of data.

Name and Personal Identifiers: Every voter file includes the registrant's full legal name, including first name, middle name or initial, last name, and any suffix. Some states also record name changes, maiden names, or previous names under which the voter was registered. Date of birth is included in most states' public voter files, though a few states redact it for privacy reasons.

Residential Address: The voter's residential address is a core field, as it determines which districts and precincts the voter is assigned to. This is the address where the voter is legally domiciled, which may differ from a mailing address. Some states include both residential and mailing addresses in their voter files, accommodating voters who receive mail at a PO Box or other location different from their home.

Party Affiliation: In states with closed or semi-closed primaries, voters must declare a party affiliation in order to participate in a party's primary election. This party registration is recorded in the voter file. Common designations include Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, and various state-specific parties, as well as "Unaffiliated," "Independent," or "No Party Preference" for voters who decline to affiliate. In states with open primaries, party affiliation may not be recorded or may be optional.

Registration Date and Status: The date the voter first registered (or most recently re-registered) is typically included. Voter files also indicate the voter's current registration status -- active, inactive, suspended, or canceled. Voters who have not participated in recent elections or who have not responded to address confirmation mailings may be moved to inactive status. Voters who have moved out of the jurisdiction, died, or been disqualified may have their registrations canceled.

District Assignments: Each voter is assigned to multiple overlapping political districts based on their residential address. These include congressional districts, state legislative districts (both senate and house/assembly), county commission districts, city council districts or wards, school board districts, and voting precincts. These assignments determine which candidates and ballot measures the voter is eligible to vote on.

Voting History: Many states include a voter's participation history -- a record of which elections the voter participated in. This typically includes the election date, election type (general, primary, municipal, special), and sometimes the method of voting (in-person on Election Day, early voting, absentee/mail ballot). Crucially, voting history records only whether the person voted, not how they voted. The secrecy of the ballot is a fundamental principle of American elections, and no voter file contains information about specific candidate choices.

Why Voter Data Is Public

The public availability of voter registration data is grounded in longstanding legal principles and practical considerations related to democratic governance. Several overlapping legal frameworks support the disclosure of voter information.

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA): Enacted by Congress in 1993, the NVRA (commonly known as the "Motor Voter Act") requires states to make voter registration more accessible by allowing registration at DMV offices, public assistance agencies, and through mail-in forms. The NVRA also requires states to maintain accurate voter rolls and to make voter registration information available for inspection. While the NVRA does not dictate the exact format or detail of the data that must be released, it establishes a baseline expectation that voter rolls are public records subject to inspection.

State Sunshine Laws: Every state has its own public records law (often called a sunshine law or freedom of information act) that governs access to government records, including voter registration files. These state laws define who can access voter data, what information is included, what fees may be charged, and what restrictions apply to the use of the data. The specifics vary enormously -- some states sell complete voter files to anyone who pays a nominal fee, while others restrict access to political parties, candidates, and organizations engaged in voter outreach or election-related research.

Election Transparency: Public access to voter rolls serves a critical oversight function. Journalists, watchdog groups, and citizen activists use voter data to identify irregularities such as deceased voters remaining on rolls, duplicate registrations across state lines, or systematic purges that disproportionately affect certain communities. Without public access to voter data, this type of independent oversight would not be possible. Political campaigns also use voter files to contact voters, mobilize supporters, and conduct get-out-the-vote efforts, which are core activities in a democratic system.

State-by-State Availability

Our database currently includes voter registration records from 17 states. The variation in coverage reflects the reality that voter data accessibility differs dramatically across the country. Several factors determine whether and how we can obtain voter registration data from a given state.

States with broad public access make their voter files available to any member of the public, often through a simple online request and payment of a processing fee. States like Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, and Ohio fall into this category. Florida's voter file, for example, is one of the most accessible in the nation -- anyone can request it, and it includes extensive detail including party affiliation, voting history, race, and contact information.

States with restricted access limit who can obtain voter files and for what purposes. Some states only provide voter data to registered political parties, candidates for office, and organizations engaged in voter registration or election-related activities. Others require requesters to sign affidavits specifying their intended use and agreeing not to use the data for commercial purposes. States like California, New York, and Texas impose various restrictions that limit third-party access.

States with minimal access place significant barriers on voter data access. A few states treat voter registration information as confidential or severely limit what information is released. These states may redact key fields like date of birth, provide only summary statistics rather than individual records, or require court orders for access. Virginia, for instance, has historically been more restrictive than many other states, though policies can change with new legislation or administrative decisions.

We are continuously working to expand our coverage as states update their data access policies and as new data becomes available. The 17 states currently in our database represent a cross-section of regions and political landscapes, providing meaningful coverage for many research and civic engagement purposes.

Understanding Voter Record Fields

Voter registration records contain several fields that may be unfamiliar to users who have not worked with election data before. Here is a guide to interpreting the most commonly encountered fields.

Legal Uses and Restrictions

Voter registration data serves many legitimate purposes, but its use is subject to legal restrictions that vary by state. Understanding what is and is not permitted is important for anyone working with voter files.

Campaign Outreach: Political campaigns are the primary consumers of voter registration data. They use voter files to identify supporters, target persuadable voters, plan canvassing routes, build phone banking lists, and track which voters have already cast ballots during early voting periods. This use is explicitly permitted under election laws in every state that makes voter data available.

Civic Research and Voter Engagement: Nonprofit organizations, civic groups, and voter registration drives use voter data to identify unregistered eligible citizens, plan outreach events, and measure the effectiveness of registration and turnout campaigns. Academic researchers use voter files to study political participation patterns, demographic trends in voter registration, the effects of election administration policies, and related questions about democratic engagement.

Journalism and Oversight: Investigative journalists and election monitoring organizations use voter data to investigate allegations of voter fraud, analyze the effects of voter purges, examine registration patterns across demographic groups, and fact-check claims made by candidates and officials about voter behavior.

Restrictions: Most states that make voter data available impose restrictions on how it can be used. Common restrictions include prohibitions on using voter data for commercial solicitation (selling products or services), harassment or intimidation of voters, and redistribution of the raw data to third parties. Some states require that voter data be used only for election-related, political, or governmental purposes. Violations of these use restrictions can result in civil penalties, criminal charges, or loss of future access to voter files. Users of voter data should familiarize themselves with the specific laws of the state from which the data originates.

Frequently Asked Questions