Voter database
Encyclopedia
A voter database is a database
containing information on voters for the purpose of assisting a political party
or an individual politician
, in their Get out the vote
(GOTV) efforts and other areas of the campaign.
In most countries, the election agency makes the electoral roll available to all campaigns soon after the election campaign has begun. Campaigns can then merge this information with the other data they have collected on voters over the years to create their database. Often basic information such as phone numbers and postal code
s are not included on the voters list, and the campaign will have to procure this data as well.
The United States has no state or federal election agency, and thus no central lists. In 2002, the United States Congress
passed HAVA
, the Help America Vote Act. HAVA required that each state compile an official state voter database by January 2006. Most states complied with HAVA by gathering the voter file
s available from each individual county. States decided what information to include, what restrictions to place on the use of their voter database, and how much the database would cost. In the United States, several companies have merged state voter information with commercially obtained data to create comprehensive voter databases that include a plethora of personal details on each voter. These companies often provide United States Voter Files to statutorily permitted or otherwise non-restricted users.
Data that may be added via commercial routes:
used the Voter Vault platform and the Democratic Party
used DataMart. Currently, the Republicans use Voter Vault 3 and the Democrats use Votebuilder from the Voter Activation Network (VAN).
used the Voter Vault software to assist them in the 2005 General Election
.
Britain's Labour Party
has used a variety of voter databases through the past two decades. Its most recent incarnation is the Labour Contact Creator system, an online tool accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. Party members and activists are provided with a username and password and voter contact details, preferences, interests, past voting behaviour, and demographic/socio-economic information are available. The system allows voters to be selected on the basis of a MOSAIC grouping, which attempts to determine the sort of interests and activities a voter or a household might display. Maps of where key voters live and information can be cross-referenced so users can find where target voters live, how often they are contacted, how they prefer to be contacted, and what responses have been provided upon making contact.
The Contact Creator system is also linked with the Labour Party's other new media tools, Print Creator and Email Creator. Print Creator allows key voters identified through Contact Creator to be targeted with direct mails and leaflets about Labour Party activity. Email Creator allows the user to collect a list of email addresses on the Contact Creator system, e-mail thousands of voters, and monitor the response rate from targets.
The Labour Party also operates 'Membersnet', which allows party members to update their registration details, inform other members and Party HQ of rival campaign activities, create events and invite others to attend, email members, create blogs, and share best practice campaign material.
The Labour Party is just about to introduce a new system to Membersnet and Contact Creator, which will allow Party Members anywhere in the UK to contact target voters and identify their voting preferences. They will then be able to enter the information gained directly into the Contact Creator system.
uses the Constituent Information Management System (CIMS), originally developed by the same company which produced Trackright, which the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
, uses to manage voter information. It is similar to the Voter Vault software. The New Democratic Party
uses their own custom database system called NDP Vote. The Liberal Party
has recently introduced "Liberalist" based on the US's Democrats' Voter Activation Network (VAN) Previously the Liberals used a system called ManagElect
.
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
containing information on voters for the purpose of assisting a political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
or an individual politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, in their Get out the vote
Get out the vote
"Get out the vote" are terms used to describe two categories of political activity, both aimed at increasing the number of votes cast in one or more elections.- Non-partisan contexts :...
(GOTV) efforts and other areas of the campaign.
In most countries, the election agency makes the electoral roll available to all campaigns soon after the election campaign has begun. Campaigns can then merge this information with the other data they have collected on voters over the years to create their database. Often basic information such as phone numbers and postal code
Postal code
A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...
s are not included on the voters list, and the campaign will have to procure this data as well.
The United States has no state or federal election agency, and thus no central lists. In 2002, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed HAVA
Hava
*Ḥavva or Ḥava is the Hebrew name for Eve of the Garden of Eden.*HAVA is an acronym for the 2002 Help America Vote Act, United States election law.*Monsoon HAVA, a video streaming device...
, the Help America Vote Act. HAVA required that each state compile an official state voter database by January 2006. Most states complied with HAVA by gathering the voter file
Voter File
A voter file is a list of all registered voters in an area. In the US most states compile this list under the organization responsible for elections. It is generally available to candidates for office and political organizations for a fee. This is sometimes also known as a Voter Roll.In the United...
s available from each individual county. States decided what information to include, what restrictions to place on the use of their voter database, and how much the database would cost. In the United States, several companies have merged state voter information with commercially obtained data to create comprehensive voter databases that include a plethora of personal details on each voter. These companies often provide United States Voter Files to statutorily permitted or otherwise non-restricted users.
Uses
The voter database is central to many parts of a campaign:- Fundraising: The database can determine who should receive fundraising direct mailDirect mailAdvertising mail, also known as direct mail, junk mail, or admail, is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The delivery of advertising mail forms a large and growing service for many postal services, and direct-mail marketing forms a significant portion of the direct...
or telephone calls. These letters and calls can be tailored to reflect the issues and concerns of each potential donor. Past donor history, support for related advocacy groups, magazine subscriptions, and consumer behaviour can all be used to find likely donors and maximize the returns of any fundraising efforts. - Recruitment: As with fundraising, databases, especially those with detailed past election behaviour, are essential to recruiting volunteers and also finding locations for lawn signLawn signLawn signs are used for local advertising. They can be used by business such as real estate and are popular in election campaigns in some countries. They are small signs that can be placed on the property of a business or on the lawns of a candidate's supporters...
s. - Issue tracking: A campaign can track how a certain issues are perceived across geographic and demographic lines and can show how to adjust the campaign's message for different audiences. By databasing all incoming telephone calls and e-mails as well as entering petitions and supporter lists from advocacy groups and NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) one can closely track how issues are followed by the electorate.
- Get out the voteGet out the vote"Get out the vote" are terms used to describe two categories of political activity, both aimed at increasing the number of votes cast in one or more elections.- Non-partisan contexts :...
: One of the most important parts of a modern campaign is the campaign to ensure one's own supporters go to the polls on election day, and databases are central to this. A successful voter identification campaign requires connecting with a significant portion of the electorate and recording how they are going to vote in a database. On election day this information needs to be given out with accurate contact information for each voter so that they can be pulled to the polls.
Voter information
Personal data frequently included in a voter database:- Name
- Physical address
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- Party membership or affiliation
- Voting history (including federal, sub-national, primary, municipal, or special election voting history)
- Absentee or military voter designations
- Source of voter registration, i.e., DMV/MVA, Public Assistance Office, etc.
- Ethnicity or race
- Gender
- Birth date or age range
Data that may be added via commercial routes:
- "Extreme voters" status (voters who vote very frequently)
- Homeownership
- Hunting or fishing license holders
- Boat owners
- Occupation such as physical therapist, teacher, etc.
- Charitable or political contributions
- Magazine subscription status
Voter database management software
The use of voter databases has been established in political campaigns from local school board to national elections:In the United States
In the 2004 presidential election in the United States, the Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
used the Voter Vault platform and the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
used DataMart. Currently, the Republicans use Voter Vault 3 and the Democrats use Votebuilder from the Voter Activation Network (VAN).
In the United Kingdom
In 2005, the British Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
used the Voter Vault software to assist them in the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
Britain's Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
has used a variety of voter databases through the past two decades. Its most recent incarnation is the Labour Contact Creator system, an online tool accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. Party members and activists are provided with a username and password and voter contact details, preferences, interests, past voting behaviour, and demographic/socio-economic information are available. The system allows voters to be selected on the basis of a MOSAIC grouping, which attempts to determine the sort of interests and activities a voter or a household might display. Maps of where key voters live and information can be cross-referenced so users can find where target voters live, how often they are contacted, how they prefer to be contacted, and what responses have been provided upon making contact.
The Contact Creator system is also linked with the Labour Party's other new media tools, Print Creator and Email Creator. Print Creator allows key voters identified through Contact Creator to be targeted with direct mails and leaflets about Labour Party activity. Email Creator allows the user to collect a list of email addresses on the Contact Creator system, e-mail thousands of voters, and monitor the response rate from targets.
The Labour Party also operates 'Membersnet', which allows party members to update their registration details, inform other members and Party HQ of rival campaign activities, create events and invite others to attend, email members, create blogs, and share best practice campaign material.
The Labour Party is just about to introduce a new system to Membersnet and Contact Creator, which will allow Party Members anywhere in the UK to contact target voters and identify their voting preferences. They will then be able to enter the information gained directly into the Contact Creator system.
In Canada
In Canada, the Conservative Party of CanadaConservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
uses the Constituent Information Management System (CIMS), originally developed by the same company which produced Trackright, which the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
, uses to manage voter information. It is similar to the Voter Vault software. The New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
uses their own custom database system called NDP Vote. The Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
has recently introduced "Liberalist" based on the US's Democrats' Voter Activation Network (VAN) Previously the Liberals used a system called ManagElect
.
Availability
The availability of voter files sometimes creates a need for voter list management software as opposed to, for example, using Excel spreadsheets. Political campaigns generally have three options:- Write-their-own software: A political campaign may choose to build their own database management system to handle their voter registration files. This may be accomplished in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
. This method can be time-consuming and require a certain level of technology know-how, but may be the only option for certain campaigns. - Desktop-based software: A variety of companies provide voter list management software for a desktop or laptop computer. Generally, this type of software is distributed on a per-computer basis and can therefore be expensive for larger campaigns. However, desktop-based software is easier to use than create-your-own and can provide many integrated, helpful solutions for political campaigns such as walking list generation, computer-based phone banking, and more.
- Internet-based software: Many companies provide online voter list management software. Internet-based software has many of the same benefits of desktop-based software, and has the additional advantage of being accessible from any computer (WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, MacMac OSMac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
, or LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
) with an Internet connection. Internet-based software helps campaigns eliminate the need for large campaign offices with central computer and phone banks.