Voter registration data is manually entered by poll workers, county recorder and county clerk staff, and temporary workers hired during busy election seasons. In the process of data entry, typos are made that can lead to voter registration records presenting inaccurate information.
In some cases, clerks intentionally use dates like 1/1/1900 as a date of birth when the date of birth on a registration is missing or illegible.
It is a best practice for a voter registration office to implement a standard data check on a regular calendar basis to check for such typos or missing information and ensure the records are properly updated.
On VoteRef.com we display the data exactly as it was received from the election official. Our site allows users to sort by age, and when doing so the types of issues discussed above are readily apparent:
Another common typo issue is one in which the voter registration date is incorrect. In the examples below, pulled from the raw data files provided by the NC Board of Elections, there are voters recorded as registering before they were born.
Here is a voter with a date of birth of January 1, 2001, who is listed as having registered to vote on June 1, 1919:
We reached out to the NC Board of Elections office on these issues. They responded promptly, on October 14, 2021:
In conclusion, to quote the NC elections office, the data in voter registration records are not perfect. These records are subject to data entry error and system limitations. The goal of VoteRef.com is to present these records exactly as received to the public so that errors may be reported to election officials and the records may be corrected.
The entire elections process relies on accurate voter registration records and in our government of the people, by the people, it is the people who must help maintain the accuracy of the system by ensuring their voter registration records are correct.
To view voter registration records on VoteRef.com click here.
If you finds an inaccurate record you wish to report you may contact the election official of the jurisdiction, or email us at info@voterreferencefoundation.com and we will provide you with the contact information needed to report any discrepancy.
