FAQ: "Google" Your Voter Registration
Q. Why should I "Google" my voter registration?
Because you may think you're registered and go to vote on Election Day only to be told that you're not registered and will not be allowed to vote. This could be for one of several reasons:
- You moved but forgot to register at your new address
- You sent in a registration form but it was lost or rejected
- You were "purged" from the voter list in an act of fraud by election officials, as was done by Katherine Harris in Florida in 2000
Q. How do I "Google" my voter registration?
You must login with your voting address, then click "check your voter registration."
Q. Why do I have to create a login?
A. So we can protect your privacy and everyone else's. Without a login, anyone could search the registrations of lots of other people. By requiring a login, we can restrict the number of searches per user and ban users who abuse the system. For more details read our login FAQ.
Q. Isn't my voter registration private?
Your voter registration data is a "public" record, so anyone can buy a list of every registered voter from county election offices. Democrats.com does not own a list of all voters; we license one from a reputable company only for the purpose of allowing voters to search for their own registration data.
Q. What if my spouse and I share the same email address?
You cannot create multiple logins with the same email address. If you want to "google" your voter registration, complete a search for yourself, then change your first name to your spouse's (and last name and address if necessary) and then do another search.
Q. I live overseas - what address should I use?
You must use the U.S. street address where you are registered to vote.
Q. I recently moved - what address should I use?
Start with your new address, then check your previous address. If you are registered at your previous address - but not your new address - you must re-register at your new address. Do it now - don't delay!
Q. I don't know my Zip code - how can I find it?
Enter your street address here:
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp
Q. Why doesn't the search match my first name?
Do not include your middle name or middle initial with your first name.
Q. Why doesn't the search match my zip?
We only search valid 5-digit US zipcodes:
- do not enter non-US zips
- do not enter zip+4
- make sure you use number 0 (zero) not letter O
- make sure you use number 1 (one) not letter L
Q. Why doesn't the search match my birthdate?
Several states do not collect birthdates: DC, HI, WY. Several only collect year of birth: AZ, MI, MN, NM. The rest have between 12% and 100% of birthdates. (Here is the full list.) Obviously if your state's voter file doesn't have your birthdate, we won't be able to match to it. But if your other data matches (last, first, address), you're definitely registered - unless you have a family member with the same name at the same address who was born in a different year.
Q. Your search can't find my registration but I'm sure I'm registered and I typed everything correctly.
Our data may be missing or old; check the "state file dates" block on the left:
- Our state files were updated at different times, so it's possible you registered after we got your state's file. If your state is marked with +, you can search a newer file by clicking that state's link.
- A few counties (in states marked with ~) do not provide any voter registration data so we can't search those counties.
Or you may be the victim of a Republican voter registration purge.
If you want to know for sure, call your County Election Office.
Q. How recent is our voter registration data?
Look in the left column for the date we obtained each state's data. Note upcoming updates in AL, CA, MS, and WV. In some states (marked with ~), file dates differ by county.
Q. Why is the data so old in MA, ME, VT, and WI?
Because those states (or counties within those states) are very restrictive in the sale of their voter files. In those states, you can search these counties directly:
Q. Is newer data available at other web sites? Q. Are Republicans going to abuse this service?
Possibly. In the "state file dates" block on the left, the highlighted states marked with "+" allow you to search their official voter lists. A growing number of counties also provide this search.
We hope not. They already have their own copy of all voter files (as do the Democrats and most candidates who run for office from third parties) so they don't need ours. In any event we monitor the use of our system and block anyone who abuses it.
