Availability of state voter files
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Voter files are digital databases of information about registered voters that each state is legally required to maintain. States can sell voter file information to individuals or groups, and each state has developed its own guidelines regarding these sales. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) classifies the availability of each state’s voter file information as either open, mixed, or restricted, based on the type of individuals or groups that are allowed to purchase the voter file.[1]
As of June 2025,
What are voter files?
After the 2000 presidential election and the resulting Bush v. Gore Supreme Court decision, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. HAVA legislation created the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The legislation also directed every state to create “a single, uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list defined, maintained, and administered at the State level that contains the name and registration information of every legally registered voter in the State …”[2]
These digital databases are known as voter files, and they are essentially a record of the registered voters in each state. Voter files typically contain voters’ names, addresses, and a record of the elections they have participated in. They may also contain ages, phone numbers, email addresses, political party affiliations, previous political donations, and other consumer data, depending on the state.[3][4]
The information in a state’s voter file may indicate whether someone has voted in a given election or which political party a voter included in their registration (in states where this is required). However, voter files do not indicate the candidates and/or political parties that voters have cast their ballots for in previous elections. This information is not publicly available.[3][4]
State voter files are digital databases that contain information about thousands of voters, so they can be helpful resources for political parties, campaigns, pollsters, academic researchers, and journalists to study. For example, studying the demographic composition of the electorate may help to predict the types of voters that tend to vote early or by absentee ballot, the types of voters that tend to show up for primary elections, etc.[4]
Availability of voter files by state
States can legally sell or distribute voter file information to individuals or groups upon request, and each state has developed its own guidelines regarding these sales. Prices can range from free to $37,000, and the type of data included for sale varies from state to state. As of June 2025:
- Ten states and D.C. provided voter files for free upon request by an eligible entity.
- Twenty-four states charged between $1-$1000.
- Thirteen states charged between $1,001 and $10,000.
- Three states charged more than $10,000.
The types of individuals and groups who are allowed to purchase voter files can also vary from state to state. In a 2020 report, the EAC classified the availability of voter file information in each state as either open, mixed, or restricted, based on the type of individuals or group that were allowed to purchase the data.[1]
- States classified as having open availability have no restrictions on the types of individuals and groups that can purchase their voter file data.
- States classified as having mixed availability have some restrictions. Typically, certain types of individuals or groups can purchase information from the voter files that is unavailable to others.
- States classified as having restricted availability completely restrict the purchase of their voter file data to specific types of individuals and/or groups.
The majority of states have rules in place to prohibit the commercial use of voter file information. However, once a state’s voter file is purchased, it is difficult to regulate how the data is being reused, redistributed, or consolidated with other data sources.[1]
The map below provides a summary of the availability of voter files and pricing for each state and Washington, D.C. as of June 2025.
The table below provides details about the availability of voter files in each state and Washington, D.C. as of June 2025. It lists the specific information that is included and excluded from voter file data purchases.[1][5][6]
The following abbreviations are used in this table:
- SSN = Social Security Number
- DOB = Date of Birth
- DL = Driver’s License
- ID = Identification
| State | Availability | Price[7] | Information included | Information excluded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Open | $37,000 | Name, voter status, address, phone number, address, birth year, voting history, date of registration, race, sex, precinct, district, last election voted in | SSN, day and month of birth |
| Alaska | Open | $20 | Name, address, political party | DOB, SSN, DL number, voter number, place of birth, signature |
| Arizona | Mixed | $516 | Name, political party, date of registration, address, phone number, birth year, occupation, voting history, early voting information | day and month of birth, SSN, DL number, Indian census number, father’s name or mother’s maiden name, state or country of birth, signature, email address |
| Arkansas | Open | $2.50 | Name, address, precinct | Not specified |
| California | Mixed | $100 | Name, address, phone number, political party | SSN, DL number, CA identification number, signature, any other unique identifier |
| Colorado | Open | $50 | Name, address, birth year, political party, vote history, phone number, gender identity | SSN, DL number, day and month of birth, signature, email address |
| Connecticut | Open | $300 | Not specified | SSN |
| Delaware | Mixed | $25 | Name, address, birth year, political party, district, voting history | SSN, day and month of birth, DL number, telephone number |
| D.C. | Open | $0 | Name, address, birth year, political party, district, voting history | SSN, day and month of birth, email address, phone number, registration location |
| Florida | Open | $0 | Name, address, DOB, political party, phone number, email address | SSN, DL number, FL identification number, source of voter registration application |
| Georgia | Open | $485 | Name, address, race, gender, registration date, last voting date | DOB, SSN, DL number, email address |
| Hawaii | Mixed | $500 | Name, address, district, precinct, voter status | DOB, SSN, phone number |
| Idaho | Open | $20 | Name, address, precinct | Not specified |
| Illinois | Restricted | $500 | Name, sex, address, phone number, birth year, political party | Not specified |
| Indiana | Open | $0 | Name, address | DOB, SSN, DL number, gender, phone number, email address, voting history, voter registration ID number, date of registration |
| Iowa | Mixed | $1,500 | Name, DOB, address, political party | SSN, voter ID number assigned by the state, DL number |
| Kansas | Open | $200 | Not specified | SSN, DL number |
| Kentucky | Mixed | $2,000 | Not specified | SSN |
| Louisiana | Open | $5,000 | Name, birth year, address, political party, sex, place of birth | SSN, day and month of birth, DL number, mother’s maiden name, email address, phone number, registration location, the fact that a registered voter is entitled to assistance in voting, a voter's declination to register to vote |
| Maine | Open | $2,200 | Name, address, year of birth, enrollment status, electoral district, voter status, date of registration, date of change of the vote record, voter participation history, voter record number, and any special designation | Varies depending on purchaser |
| Maryland | Restricted | $125 | Name, address, gender, DOB, political party, voting history | SSN, DL number, declination to vote, application office location |
| Massachusetts | Mixed | $0 | Name, address | Not specified |
| Michigan | Open | $23 | Name, address, birth year | SSN, DL number, month and day of birth, phone number, a voter's declination to register to vote, application location, signature |
| Minnesota | Restricted | $46 | Name, address, birth year, voting history, phone number, voting district | SSN, DL number, ID number, day and month of birth, military ID, passport number |
| Mississippi | Open | $1,100 | Name, address, registration date, voter status, last vote date, district, voting history with party code | SSN, DOB, DL number, phone number, email address, fax number, voter number assigned by the county, registration source |
| Missouri | Open | $35 | Name, DOB, voter identification number, address, township or ward, precinct, voting history | Not specified |
| Montana | Open | $1,000 | Name, voter identification number, voter status, address, phone number, DOB, district, ward, precinct | SSN, DL number |
| Nebraska | Mixed | $500 | Name, address, phone number, registration status, voter ID, birth year, date of voter registration, political party, voter history, precinct, polling place | SSN, DOB, place of birth |
| Nevada | Open | $20,000 | Name, DOB, address, district, precinct, voter status, phone number, political party, voter identification number, registration date | SSN, DL number |
| New Hampshire | Mixed | $275 | Name, address, voter history, political party | SSN, DL number, DOB |
| New Jersey | Open | $375 | Not specified | SSN, DL number |
| New Mexico | Mixed | $5,215 | Name, address, birth year, political party, county, precinct, and district information | SSN, day and month of birth, phone number, registration location |
| New York | Mixed | $0 | Name, address, political party | Not specified |
| North Carolina | Open | $0 | Voter status, address, demographics, political party, precinct, district | SSN, DOB, registration location, email address |
| North Dakota | Restricted | $2, 120 | Name, address, voter number, voter status, precinct, district, voting history | DOB, DL number |
| Ohio | Open | $0 | Name, address, precinct, voting history | Not specified |
| Oklahoma | Open | $0 | Name, address, political party | SSN, DL number, registration application |
| Oregon | Open | $500 | Name, address, precinct, political party, voter number | Not specified |
| Pennsylvania | Open | $20 | Name, DOB, address, district, voting history | Voter number, registration location, signature |
| Rhode Island | Open | $25 | Name, address, precinct, ward, district, political party | Registration location |
| South Carolina | Open | $2,500 | Name, DOB, sex, race, address, phone number | SSN |
| South Dakota | Mixed | $2,500 | Name, address, birth year, phone number, email address, political party, last election voted in, voter history, when voter information was last updated | SSN, date and month of birth, DL number |
| Tennessee | Mixed | $2,500 | Name, address, DOB, place of birth, phone number | SSN |
| Texas | Open | $1,279 | Name, DOB, address, registration number | SSN, DL number, personal identification card number, phone number |
| Utah | Open | $1,050 | Name, address, phone number, political party | SSN, day of birth, DL number, email address |
| Vermont | Open | $0 | Name, address, birth year | SSN, day and month of birth, DL number, phone number, email address |
| Virginia | Mixed | $600 | Name, DOB, age, gender, address, district, voting history | SSN, location of registration, a voter's declination to register to vote |
| Washington | Open | $0 | Not specified | SSN, birth year, address, DL number, registration location, a voter's declination to register to vote |
| West Virginia | Open | $500 | Name, address, political party, voter status | SSN, DL number, phone number, email address |
| Wisconsin | Open | $12,500 | Name, address, district, voter number, voting history, absentee voter information | SSN, DOB, DL number |
| Wyoming | Mixed | $0 | Name, sex, address, political party | SSN, DOB, DL number, tribal number, email address, phone number |
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 U.S. Election Assistance Commission, “Availability of State Voter File and Confidential Information,” October 29, 2020
- ↑ Pew Research Center, “Commercial Voter Files and the Study of U.S. Politics,” February 15, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 CBS News, “ What is a voter file?” December 29, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Pew Research Center, “Q&A: The growing use of ‘voter files’ in studying the U.S. electorate,” February 15, 2018
- ↑ "National Conference of State Legislatures", “Access To and Use Of Voter Registration Lists,” January 17, 2025
- ↑ "The U.S. Election Project", “Voter List Information,” February 13, 2016
- ↑ In some states, prices vary depending on the number of files purchased. Unless otherwise indicated, the price here reflects the highest possible cost for purchasing records.
