Are Voter Registration Records Public Documents?

United States citizens are encouraged to become part of the political process. Registering to vote is a crucial step in that process. The information given to state authorities in the process of voter registration is technically public record. Each state may have small differences in the process.

Personal Information

Personal information in voter registration records generally includes your address, phone number (even unlisted numbers) and sometimes social security numbers. Voter records may be accessed for several years back.

Political Information

A voter record may contain the political party with which a voter is affiliated, specific elections in which the voter cast a ballot, and where/how the ballot was cast. There should be no records of who voted for which candidate.

State Policy on Voter Registration Records

Each state has different laws governing how voter registrations can be accessed. Additionally, some states regulate what can be done with the information. Usually, a specific person's record needs to be requested to obtain information; a total list of voter records is usually not made available.

References

• Voter Privacy in the Digital Age
• Electronic Privacy Information Center, Statewide Centralized Database
• Who Voted?

Resources

• Voter Registration Resources
• Online Voter Registration from Virtual Gumshoe