Voter Data
Why Voter Registration Data is Available Here
North Carolina law (General Statutes § 132-1 et seq.) provides that:
"The public records and public information compiled by the agencies of North Carolina government or its subdivisions
are the property of the people. Therefore, it is the policy of this State that the people may obtain copies of their
public records and public information free or at minimal cost unless otherwise specifically provided by law."
Voter registration records are not exempt from this law. In fact, under General Statute § 163-82.10(b), the County’s
Board of Elections is required to furnish a listing of the registered voters of the County to any person who makes a
request. If the County maintains or has its voter registration list on a computer, as Forsyth County does, the computer
listing must include: "voter name, county voter identification number, residential address, mailing address, sex, race,
age but not date of birth, party affiliation, precinct name, precinct identification code, congressional district, senate
district, representative district … and any other district information available, and voter history including primary,
general, and special districts, . . ."
Certain information in voter registration records is kept private. Electronically captured images of the signatures
of voters, full or partial social security numbers, dates of birth, and driver’s license numbers are confidential and
are not required to be released under this law. The Forsyth County Board of Elections does not collect telephone numbers
as part of the voter registration database. Additional information may be withheld under court order or under the State’s
address confidentiality program for victims of domestic violence, sexual offense and/or stalking.
The availability of voter registration information is required by State law rather than by policy of the Board of
Elections.
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