Cost of State Voter Registration Rolls in Digital Format
There are wide differences in the cost of state (and D.C.) voter registration rolls in digital format. At the low end, Florida and Massachusetts do not require payment, Arkansas charges $2.50 (rounded in the table), Washington, D.C. $10, North Carolina and Rhode Island $25, California $30, Minnesota $46 and Maryland $53. Florida, Massachusetts and California have stringent restrictions on those eligible to obtain the information at the state level (see notes below). At the high end, Alabama charges $26,653 and West Virginia charges $16,500 in round figures. By obtaining the voter rolls from counties, costs in West Virginia may be reduced from 1.5 cents per name to a penny per name. By contrast, North Carolina voters may be found on the Internet here and here.
Techpolitics surveyed the state voter registration offices by e-mail and phone in mid May 2004. The table below, which may be sorted by state or by cost, shows the results of that survey. In 12 states, voter rolls must be obtained from each county or in some cases from towns or municipalities. North Dakota does not require voter registration.
The cost in many states of thousands of dollars for the voter rolls presents an impediment to nonprofit organizations involved with voter registration, groups which are often involved with registering low-income persons. There is no relationship between number of registered voters and cost for the voter rolls, as the comparison between $30 for the California rolls and $16,500 for the West Virginia rolls highlights. Moreover, the various restrictions in the states on distribution of the information deserve greater scrutiny to ensure availability of the information to groups seeking to register voters.
We did not survey counties or municipalities, though in some random calls found that for one New Jersey county the charge was $1000 from the private vendor who provided the service for that county. For Suffolk County, N.Y. the cost is $25 and for Clark County, Washington it is $35. Wisconsin has 1850 municipalities. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires states to have centralized voter registration rolls by January 2006.
Notes below the table show restrictions on distribution of the voter registration rolls and make several other points. While some states have no stated restrictions, the information on restrictions shown below is not exhaustive, as the question of restrictions was not raised during the survey. Some states provided the information as part of their response. Prohibition on use of the lists for commercial purposes may be universal.
For the following states voter registration rolls must be obtained from county elections officials: Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.
For the following states voter registration rolls must be obtained from town or municipal officials: Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin.
North Dakota does not have voter registration.
Data Set Sorted By state in Ascending Order
State Sort |
Voter Roll Cost (Digital) Sort |
Alabama |
$26,653 |
Alaska |
$178 |
Arkansas |
$3 |
California |
$30 |
Colorado |
$500 |
Connecticut |
$300 |
Delaware |
$250 |
District of Col |
$10 |
Florida |
$0 |
Georgia |
$500 |
Hawaii |
$450 |
Illinois |
$2,000 |
Indiana |
$5,000 |
Iowa |
$2,700 |
Kansas |
$200 |
Kentucky |
$450 |
Louisiana |
$5,000 |
Maryland |
$53 |
Massachusetts |
$0 |
Michigan |
$170 |
Minnesota |
$46 |
Missouri |
$155 |
Montana |
$6,982 |
Nebraska |
$500 |
New Hampshire |
$1,168 |
New Mexico |
$614 |
North Carolina |
$25 |
Ohio |
$938 |
Oklahoma |
$150 |
Rhode Island |
$25 |
South Carolina |
$1,975 |
South Dakota |
$2,500 |
Tennessee |
$2,500 |
Texas |
$1,195 |
Utah |
$1,050 |
Virginia |
$6,297 |
West Virginia |
$16,500 |
Wyoming |
$50 |
*Source: State elections offices, often in the Secretary of State's office
*Restrictions on distribution of state voter registration rolls. This list is not exhaustive as the question of restrictions on distribution was not asked in the survey.
Alabama - Free copies are provided to legislators and to heads of the political parties.
California - Political parties, candidates and proponents of a ballot measure for a pending election and to others for qualified scholarly, journalistic or governmental purposes as determined by the Secretary of State. May be used only by the person and for the purpose approved.
Illinois - Only those political committees registered pursuant to the Illinois Campaign Finance Act or the Federal Campaign Act are qualified to receive this data.
Kentucky - Duly qualified candidates, political party committees or officials thereof, or any committee that advocates or opposes an amendment or public question. The State Board of Elections may also furnish the precinct lists to other persons at the board's discretion at a reasonable price.
Maryland - Maryland residents.
Massachusetts - State parties and statewide candidates may obtain the lists without cost. Others may obtain the lists from individual cities and towns, for which there is a cost.
Minnesota - Must certify that the person is a registered voter in the State of Minnesota and that the information in this list of registered voters will be used only for purposes related to elections, political activities, or law enforcement.
North Dakota - Note that while North Dakota has no voter registration, a list of persons who voted in the last election must be obtained from each county.
Nebraska - An affidavit is required, though we don't have the content.
Virginia - Qualified candidate, incumbent, chairperson of a political party or clerk of the circuit court.
©Techpolitics 2004