Data Transparency Scores – How Scores are Calculated

Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to make all records pertaining to the implementation of accurate voter registration lists available for public inspection. Voter Reference Foundation Transparency Scores provide insight into how each state ranks in their ability to deliver on this requirement. We score each state based on how easy it is for a member of the public to obtain the voter lists, and how complete and accurate the data is. Below is a table outlining a breakdown of each score.
The scoring on each category is from 0 to 5.
Availability & Accessibility
Possible
Request Process
Automatic Process for Any Citizen +5, Approval Required +3, State Resident only +1, State PAC only 0
Price
Free = +5, Under $500.00 = +3, $500-$1000 = +1, Over $1000 = 0
Delivery Method
Downloadable = +5, Physical USB or Disk = +3, Paper = 0
Update Frequency
Daily = +5, Monthly = +3, On request = +1
Historical snapshots
Daily = +5, Monthly = +3, No snapshots/Live data only = 0
Use Restrictions
Can freely Publish & Share = +5
Completeness of Data
Possible
Full Name (First, Middle, Last, Suffix)
Yes = +5, No = 0
Registered Address
Yes = +5, No = 0
Mailing Address
Yes = +5, No = 0
Voter Eligibility Status (Active, Inactive, Canceled, etc.)
Active only = +1, Active and Inactive = +2, All Statuses including canceled/Removed etc. = +5, No Status = 0
Voter Status Reason (Data identifying why a record is inactive or canceled, e.g. Deceased, Moved, NVRA, etc.)
Yes = +5, No = 0
Age or Date of Birth information
Full DOB = +5, Month and Year = +3, Year = +2, Age as number = +1, NO DOB = 0
Registration Date
Yes = +5, No = 0
Modified Date (last update to record)
Yes = +5, No = 0
Jurisdiction Information (County, Precinct, Congressional, Legislative)
Yes = +5, No = 0
Record of Voting
Yes = +5, No = 0
All Current and Removed Records
Yes = +5, Current only +2, No = 0
NVRA Exempt States
Certain states are exempt from NVRA requirements. Those that choose to provide data to the public despite having no statutory obligation are given 5 bonus points for their commitment to transparency.
Documentation & Quality
Possible
Fields Clearly Described
Yes = +5, No = 0
Coded Fields Translated ( e.g. voter status values are A=Active, I=Inactive, R=Canceled,S=Suspense)
All coded values defined = +5, Some coded values defined = +1, No coded values defined = 0
Protected Records Accounted For
Yes = +5, No = 0