Only four places hand out voter files for free

A voter file is a state’s list of registered voters, usually with a record of which elections each person voted in. We checked how to get one in all 50 states and DC. Only four places let anyone download voter-level files for free, with no account, form or payment: North Carolina, Ohio, Clark County in Nevada, and Texas, through the state’s early-vote rosters and some county files. Everywhere else you pay, file a request, open an account or show that you qualify.

What it means

Most independent election analysis depends on a handful of open states. North Carolina publishes its full statewide registration file and full vote history for anyone to download. Ohio publishes its statewide voter file with every voter’s primary history. Clark County, Nevada posts its voter list with each voter’s 20 most recent elections, plus daily early-vote files.

Texas is partly open. The Secretary of State’s Early Voting Roster has a public interface with no login that lists who has voted early, by county and day, but with no party. The statewide list with vote history needs a public information request, a signed affidavit that it will not be used commercially, and a fee. Some counties post past rosters: Tarrant for 2022 and 2024 primaries and recent generals, Hidalgo for 2022 and 2024, and Dallas and Bexar for 2024.

That is why so many of our posts use North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. They are where we can check the numbers ourselves.

What it doesn’t mean

It does not mean other states are closed. Many sell files cheaply. Pennsylvania’s full voter export is $20 for any county or all of them. Alaska’s list sells for about $21, according to news reports. Colorado charges $50 per report. Arkansas offers a free history file, but only through a request form.

Some are expensive or restricted:

• Iowa charges $1,500 a year for the statewide list with updates and $450 a year for the absentee list, and limits use to political, research or official purposes.
• South Carolina sells only to registered South Carolina voters, up to $2,500.
• Minnesota sells only to registered Minnesota voters, $46 statewide.
• Illinois releases its statewide file only to registered political committees.
• Michigan requires a public records request.

“Free” does not mean frictionless. Ohio’s files sit behind a browser check that blocks scripted downloads, though a normal browser passes it. Some Texas county sites do the same.

It does not mean the data is free to use for anything. Several states limit commercial use of voter lists, and some make it a crime. Pennsylvania’s terms bar commercial use; Iowa calls commercial use a misdemeanor; Illinois a felony.

How we checked

Between Oct 22 and 23, 2026, we checked each state’s election office for a voter file, a vote-history file and an absentee or early-vote file. For each we recorded whether it was free to download now, what it costs, who may buy it and what it contains, with links to the office’s own pages.

We did not solve CAPTCHAs, create accounts, submit request forms or make purchases. A state counts as free only if a file could be downloaded directly. Prices are those published by the states, except Alaska’s, which comes from news reports.