Texas Voter Registration Info
Another Tumblr - ariadoney - has some concerns about the ready availability of voter registration information on the internet, and I suspect others may have similar concerns:
All you have to do is look up my name, and you can get my address, phone number, which site I vote at, and even my voter ID number. I’m sorry, but shouldn’t this sort of stuff be password protected or something?
First, I would point that you can only search by name in certain counties, such as Travis (e.g., if you search my name, you will find that I man not registered in Travis), because not all counties have designated election sites or have this information on the web. This information can also be viewed through the Secretary of State’s site, but you will need more than just a name. Second, once you submit your application to the Voter Registrar’s office, it becomes a public record that may be requested; the only information which will be redacted is your DL or SSN number. By putting this information online, it makes it more convenient to verify a voter’s registration without having to travel to the voter registrar’s office. Being involved in a recent election contest, such a service proved invaluable. Lastly, the only real concern one should have is the availability of the phone number. In Texas, your phone number is not required on your application, but if you put it on there, rest assured you will be receiving political calls during a given election cycle. If you have any further concern about your information being on the web, do contact your voter registrar’s office - you can find the number for your county office here.
