Voter List Access
Who can access the voter list?
Anyone can request access to a voter list, but the rules vary by state and usually limit how the information can be used. In many places, voter lists are available to political campaigns, candidates, journalists, academic researchers, and sometimes members of the public, but the data is typically restricted to basic details like name, address, and party affiliation. States also often require that voter lists be used only for purposes related to elections, political activities, or research, and they may prohibit using the data for commercial or harassment-related purposes.
Here are some examples of organizations that could qualify to receive the voter list and why they could be granted access:
| Types of organizations: | Why they can access it: |
Government Agencies
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Political Campaigns and Candidates
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Journalists and News Organizations
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Academic and Research Institutions
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Nonprofit Civic Organizations
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Individuals (in some states)
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Some states treat voter lists as public records that any resident can request, but with restrictions on:
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Most states prohibit access for:
- Marketing companies
- Data brokers
- Businesses seeking commercial gain
- Individuals intending to publish personal voter data online
Using voter lists for commercial purposes is illegal in many states.
| State | Who Can Request the Voter File? |
| Alabama | Political parties are provided with a state list, and counties may choose to make information available to others. |
| Alaska | Anyone can request a copy of the list or an electronic format. |
| Arizona | Political parties are provided with a list. The list is also available for public inspection at local election offices. |
| Arkansas | Anyone can request a list for a fee. |
| California | Candidates, parties, ballot measure committees, and to any person for election, scholarly, journalistic, or political purposes, or for governmental purposes, as determined by the Secretary of State. All voter information is confidential except for those listed above that may request lists. |
| Colorado | Available to the public upon request. |
| Connecticut | Lists are made available for public inspection and copies are available upon request by municipal registrars. |
| Delaware | Political parties, candidates, any state agency, county or local government for use in conducting government business may request voter lists for free. Others may request lists for a fee. Registration records are open to inspection by the public. |
| District of Columbia | Any person may receive a voter list upon request. |
| Florida | Available to the public. |
| Georgia | Available to the public. |
| Hawaii | Some information is public, and other information is provided only for election or governmental purposes. |
| Idaho | Any person may request it. |
| Illinois | State political committees and government entities may receive the statewide voter list, at a cost. The list must be made public except for the 27 days before an election. The list is also available for public view on a computer screen at the State Board of Elections office during normal business hours, but the person viewing the list may not print, duplicate, transmit, or alter the list. |
| Indiana | Political parties, independent candidates, a member of the media for publication in a news broadcast or newspaper, the chief justice of the supreme court and clerks of U.S. district courts for administering the jury management system, the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives, the president pro tempore and the minority leader of the senate. |
| Iowa | May be requested by anyone, upon payment of the cost of preparation. |
| Kansas | Any person may examine (under supervision) the voter registration books and active voter lists or request a written copy. |
| Kentucky | County election officials must permit any citizen to inspect or make copies of any registration record without a fee, and any citizen may request a copy of the registration records (which costs per page). The State Board of Elections must furnish (at a reasonable cost) any and all precinct lists to candidates, political party committees or public question committees. The State Board of Elections may also furnish the precinct lists to other persons at the board’s discretion, at a reasonable price to be determined by the board. |
| Louisiana | Voter lists are open records and available for inspection at local election official offices. 25 or more qualified voters may request a copy of the list in writing. |
| Maine | Political parties, organizations engaged in “get out the vote” efforts, current officeholders, governmental or quasi-government entities for authorized activities, a law enforcement officer or agency that makes a written request for bona fide law enforcement purposes. |
| Maryland | Registered voters in Maryland. |
| Massachusetts | State party committees, statewide candidate committees, state ballot question committees, the jury commissioner, adjutant general, and any other individual, agency, or entity that the state secretary designates. |
| Michigan | Any person may request the voter file. |
| Minnesota | A public information list is made available for public inspection. Any registered voter in Minnesota may receive a copy of the voter list. |
| Mississippi | Available to any person in accordance with the Public Records Act. |
| Missouri | May be requested by any member of the public. All candidates and political committees are entitled to receive the list in even-numbered years. All requestors are subject to fees. |
| Montana | Any individual may request a copy of the official precinct registers, a current list of legally registered electors, mailing labels for registered electors, or other available extracts and reports for a fee. |
| Nebraska | Any person may request a list of registered voters for a fee. A list of voters is provided to the clerk of the U.S. District Court and to state political parties for free. |
| Nevada | Anyone may request the list for a fee. A copy is provided to political parties upon request without charge. |
| New Hampshire | Political parties, party committees and candidates may receive one free electronic copy of voter registration lists. Any person may view the statewide voter registration database at the state records and archives office, but the person may not print, duplicate, transmit, or alter the data. |
| New Jersey | Any voter who requests the list and pays the fee. Political parties receive the lists for free. |
| New Mexico | Provided upon written request. Individuals who may request the data is not specified. |
| New York | After the close of registration, the board of elections publishes a complete list of names and residence addresses of the registered voters for each election district and makes these available to public inspection and makes copies available to be purchased. |
| North Carolina | Any person upon request and for a fee. Free lists are provided upon request to political parties. |
| North Dakota | Note: North Dakota does not have voter registration but maintains a central voter file. A candidate, political party, or a political committee may request information from the central voter file. |
| Ohio | Open to public inspection at all times when the office of the board of elections is open for business. |
| Oklahoma | U.S. citizens who are bona fide residents of the state, official representatives of political parties in the state, candidates for office in the state (or their representatives) or other persons authorized by law may access the voter registration list. |
| Oregon | Political parties may receive a list for free. Any person may request a list for a fee. |
| Pennsylvania | Subject to public inspection during ordinary business hours. Street lists (names and addresses of all registered electors) shall be distributed to political parties and candidates upon request. Copies are available to any registered elector of the Commonwealth for a fee. |
| Rhode Island | Voter registration records are public. Upon request (but not more than once a month) local boards shall furnish candidates and parties with the names and addresses of newly registered voters, and voters who have been removed or placed in the inactive category. Upon request, the secretary of state provides political parties and candidates with state lists of registered voters. |
| South Carolina | Open to public inspection. |
| South Dakota | The county master registration file shall be open to public inspection during office hours. |
| Tennessee | Available to any person who certifies that such list will be used for political purposes, for a fee. Records are available for public inspection. |
| Texas | Any person may request it. |
| Utah | Qualified persons, including government officials/employees, a health care provider, an insurance company, a financial institution, a political party, or any person who agrees to certain confidentiality measures. |
| Vermont | Town clerks must make copies of voter lists available to the chair of each political party in the municipality and any other person upon request, at cost. |
| Virginia | Lists may be provided at a reasonable fee to candidates, political party committees, political action committees, and incumbents for political purposes, and members of the public or a nonprofit organization seeking to promote voter participation and registration by means of a communication or mailing without intimidation or pressure exerted on the recipient, for that purpose only. Lists are also available for public inspection at county election offices. |
| Washington | A record of all voters issued a ballot and all voters who returned a ballot are open for public inspection in county offices. Any political party, committee, or person may request a list of all registered voters who have or have not voted in an election. Such requests shall be handled as public records requests. |
| West Virginia | Anyone may request a digital or printed list of registered voters for a fee. A public terminal is also available for any person to examine active, inactive, rejected and canceled voter registration records. |
| Wisconsin | Open to public inspection and electronically accessible by any person. |
| Wyoming | Candidates, campaign committees, political party committees, elected officials, political action committees, individuals promoting or opposing a ballot issue or candidate, and organizations that promote voter participation. |
Sources include NCSL’s Access to and Use of Voter Registration Lists – last updated July 2025
What is the cost for a voter list?
The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) allows states to charge reasonable, cost-based fees for providing voter registration lists. The law requires states to make the lists available for public inspection and copying, but it does not require that they be provided for free. States may charge only the actual, reasonable cost of copying or producing the list.
The actual cost to obtain a statewide voter list varies from state to state. Some states provide the lists for free, but that is a state policy choice-not an NVRA requirement. The price of the statewide voter file ranges from $0 to $38,000, for a one-time voter list purchase.
*cost varies depending on the number of records in each file
Sources included EAC’s Availability of State Voter File and Confidential Information – last updated October 2020
Some states offer discounted pricing when purchasing a multi-file subscription service (usually annual or 2-year election cycle). Depending on the election system used by each state, users will receive a new voter file each week/month or they could download a new file every day (unlimited).
| State | One-time file purchase | Subscription service purchase |
| Colorado | $50 | $1,000 |
| Montana | $1,000 | $5,000 |
| Tennessee | $2,500 | $12,000 |
| West Virginia | $500 | $1,000 |
A few states offer “free updates” during a specific period once a voter list is purchased.
| State | Updates available |
| Maine | Not more than once every 30 days for 12 months after purchase. |
| Rhode Island | Three free updates upon request within the calendar year. |
Most states charge a fixed, predetermined price for the voter list, regardless of the quantity of records (voters) contained in the file. However, there are a handful of states that use an equation to determine the cost of the voter file. Here is an example of how Arizona charges per record:
| Number of Records | Flat Rate | Additional Cost per Record |
| For 1 – 124,999 records | $93.75 | $0.0005 per record |
| For 125,000 – 249,999 records | $156.25 | $0.000375 per record |
| For 250,000 – 499,999 records | $203.13 | $0.00025 per record |
| For 500,000 – 999,999 records | $265.63 | $0.000125 per record |
| For 1,000,000 or more records | $328.13 | $0.0000625 per record |
What are the purpose limitations of the voter list?
Even though parts of the voter list are often public, there are important limits on how it can be used. Sensitive information—such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and sometimes full birthdates—is kept private to protect voters from identity theft or harassment.
Many states also restrict how the publicly available portions of the list can be used. For example, it is typically illegal to use voter data for commercial marketing, data brokers, harassment or intimidation, or non‑political advertising. Some voters, such as survivors of domestic violence or certain public safety workers, may request additional confidentiality so their addresses are not disclosed.
| State | What Can the File Be Used For? |
| Alabama | Not specified. |
| Alaska | Not specified. |
| Arizona | Non-commercial purposes. Only for purposes relating to a political or political party activity, a campaign or election, for revising election district boundaries. A person in possession of information derived from voter registration forms or precinct registers shall not distribute, post or otherwise provide access to any portion of that information through the internet. |
| Arkansas | Not specified. |
| California | Non-commercial purposes. Specifically prohibited uses include: harassment of any voter or voter’s household; advertising, solicitation, sale, or marketing of products or services to any voter or voter’s household; or reproduction in print, broadcast visual or audio, or display on the Internet or any computer terminal, except for the authorized purposes described above. |
| Colorado | Not specified. |
| Connecticut | Not specified. |
| Delaware | Not specified. |
| District of Columbia | Not specified. |
| Florida | Not specified. |
| Georgia | Non-commercial purposes. |
| Hawaii | Only election or governmental purposes. |
| Idaho | Non-commercial purposes. |
| Illinois | Non-commercial purposes. |
| Indiana | Non-commercial purposes. Political activities only. |
| Iowa | Non-commercial purposes. Specifically, only to request the registrant’s vote at an election, or for another genuine political purpose, or for a bona fide official purpose by an elected official, or for bona fide political research, but shall not be used for any commercial purposes. |
| Kansas | Non-commercial purposes. Compiling, using, giving, receiving, selling or purchasing the information on or derived from voter registration lists, solely for political campaign or election purposes, shall not constitute a commercial use of voter registration lists. |
| Kentucky | Non-commercial use. |
| Louisiana | Non-commercial use. |
| Maine | May only be used for purposes directly related to policy party activities, “get out the vote” efforts, or other activities directly related to a campaign. |
| Maryland | Applicants for the copies of the registration list may specify the information to include among name, address, party affiliation, sex, DOB, voting history. |
| Massachusetts | Not specified. |
| Michigan | Not specified. |
| Minnesota | Only for elections, political activities, or law enforcement. |
| Mississippi | Non-commercial uses. |
| Missouri | Non-commercial use. |
| Montana | Non-commercial use. |
| Nebraska | Non-commercial uses. Lists shall be used solely for purposes related to elections, political activities, voter registration, law enforcement, or jury selection. |
| Nevada | Non-commercial uses. Lists may not be used for any purpose that is not related to an election. |
| New Hampshire | Non-commercial purposes. |
| New Jersey | Non-commercial purposes. |
| New Mexico | Governmental or election and election campaign purposes only. |
| New York | Information contained within the statewide voter registration list shall not be used for non-election purposes. |
| North Carolina | Not specified. |
| North Dakota | Election-related purposes. |
| Ohio | Non-commercial purposes. |
| Oklahoma | Not specified. |
| Oregon | Non-commercial purposes. |
| Pennsylvania | Non-commercial purposes. The list may not be used for purposes unrelated to elections, political activities or law enforcement. |
| Rhode Island | For political purposes or in the furtherance of candidacy for political office, and no other purpose. |
| South Carolina | Non-commercial purposes. |
| South Dakota | Only for election purposes, may not be used for any commercial purpose, and may not be placed for unrestricted access on the internet. |
| Tennessee | Only for political purposes. |
| Texas | Non-commercial purposes. |
| Utah | Not specified, but those that may obtain month and year of birth of voters may only use the information for a political purpose |
| Vermont | Non-commercial purposes. A copy of the voter checklist may not be disclosed to any foreign government, agency, or person acting on behalf of a foreign government, or a federal entity for the purpose of registration of a voter, publicly disclosing a voter’s information, or comparing a voter’s information to personally identifying information contained in other federal or state databases. |
| Virginia | Only for campaign and political purposes and for reporting to constituents. |
| Washington | Non-commercial purposes. A violation is a class C felony. Each person furnished data shall take reasonable precautions designed to ensure that the data is not used for the commercial purposes. However, the data may be used for any political purpose. |
| West Virginia | Non-commercial purposes. Information obtained from voter data files may not be used for commercial or charitable solicitations or advertising, sold or reproduced for resale. |
| Wisconsin | Not specified. |
| Wyoming | Political purposes only (non-commercial purposes). |
Sources include NCSL’s Access to and Use of Voter Registration Lists – last updated July 2025
Does the federal government have access to voter lists?
Under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, states are required to maintain accurate voter rolls and make those records available for inspection.
- NVRA requires states to maintain accurate voter lists and produce them upon request
- HAVA mandates states modernize and safeguard voter registration systems
- Civil Rights Act of 1930 authorize the government to inspect and copy certain records, including voter rolls
Starting in May 2025, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) began sending requests for access to unredacted statewide voter lists. Some states agreed to provide access to their voter lists, however, many states refused to comply with DOJ’s request.
As of April 2026, the DOJ has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia for failing to provide the federal government with full, unrestricted access to state voter lists.
| State | Status of Lawsuit |
| Alabama | N/A |
| Alaska | N/A |
| Arizona | Pending |
| Arkansas | N/A |
| California | Dismissed by federal courts |
| Colorado | Pending |
| Connecticut | Pending |
| Delaware | Pending |
| District of Columbia | N/A |
| Florida | N/A |
| Georgia | Lawsuit filed in Middle District of Georgia dismissed
Lawsuit filed in Northern District of Georgia pending |
| Hawaii | Pending |
| Idaho | Pending |
| Illinois | Pending |
| Indiana | N/A |
| Iowa | N/A |
| Kansas | N/A |
| Kentucky | Pending |
| Louisiana | N/A |
| Maine | Pending |
| Maryland | Pending |
| Massachusetts | Dismissed by federal courts |
| Michigan | Dismissed by federal courts |
| Minnesota | Pending |
| Mississippi | N/A |
| Missouri | N/A |
| Montana | N/A |
| Nebraska | N/A |
| Nevada | Pending |
| New Hampshire | Pending |
| New Jersey | Pending |
| New Mexico | Pending |
| New York | Pending |
| North Carolina | N/A |
| North Dakota | N/A |
| Ohio | N/A |
| Oklahoma | Pending |
| Oregon | Dismissed by federal courts |
| Pennsylvania | N/A |
| Rhode Island | Dismissed by federal courts |
| South Carolina | N/A |
| South Dakota | N/A |
| Tennessee | N/A |
| Texas | N/A |
| Utah | Pending |
| Vermont | Pending |
| Virginia | Pending |
| Washington | Pending |
| West Virginia | Pending |
| Wisconsin | Pending |
| Wyoming | N/A |
More than a few states have already agreed to provide the entire statewide voter list, including access to personally identifiable information (PII) that would not normally be released to the public. Those states are:
- Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.
Sources include NCSL’s Federal Requests for Statewide Voter Lists – last updates April 2026