VRF UNVEILS ELECTION TRANSPARENCY SCORECARDS
Release: March 30, 2023
DOWNERS GROVE, IL – The Voter Reference Foundation (VRF) is releasing new, proprietary ratings of each state’s public election data transparency.
The goal is to give voters a quick opportunity to visualize the transparency of election records in their state — an important piece in gaining back trust and ensuring the integrity of our elections.
States are scored based on several broad categories: accuracy of the data, completeness of records, and accessibility of information. The states are ranked here. A more detailed explanation of the methodology used is here.
Figure 1 (Ohio’s Completeness of Data Scores)
States are ranked with scores ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 being the most transparent. New Hampshire, Indiana, and North Dakota have the lowest score of 0. States with the best transparency scores include North Carolina, Colorado and Nevada with scores of 97, 87 and 85 respectively.
Figure 2 (Top State Scorecards)
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.
The scores provide key insight into each states’ ability to deliver on this requirement of the law.
Voter Reference Foundation Executive Director Gina Swoboda says that part of the goal is for states to review and actively improve their scores.
“We encourage state election officials to review this analysis and take steps to better comply with the NVRA,” Swoboda said. “The only way to help restore faith in our elections is through increased transparency and meticulous record keeping.”
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About Voter Reference Foundation and VoteRef.com:
Voter Reference Foundation was created by Restoration Action, an educational 501c4 organization founded by West Point graduate and successful entrepreneur Doug Truax. A former U.S. Senate candidate in Illinois, Truax is deeply interested in election integrity, as expressed in this 2021 op-ed in American Greatness and 2022 follow-up op-ed in Real Clear Politics.
VoteRef.com is a permanent reference source where the voter rolls will be stored and updated for review with each election. Those who access the website can search by name or address for registered voters. They also will be able to examine voter histories — a list of elections that voters participated in, as well as other important election data obtained via official sources.