Members routinely submit their Voter Registration Data and licensing and identification data from motor vehicle departments (MVD Data) to ERIC through a secure process. ERIC is also certified to use official death data from the Social Security Administration, called the Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF). ERIC’s technical staff combine and compare these data using matching software, and then provide various reports to its members.
Below are summary statistics for the four “list maintenance” reports and the Eligible but Unregistered Report. For more information on these reports, see How Does It Work or our FAQ. For more information on how the data used in these reports, and the reports, are protected, see our Security page.
Accurate Voter Rolls
ERIC provides the following four “list maintenance” reports:
Identifies voters who appear to have moved from one ERIC member to another using voter registration data and MVD Data. This report is generated by comparing the requesting state’s voter registration data to all other members’ voter registration and MVD Data. Individuals included in this report appear to have more recently registered to vote in another state or obtained a driver’s license or ID card in another state.
Identifies voters who appear to have moved within the state using voter registration and MVD Data. This report is generated by comparing the requesting member’s voter registration data to its MVD Data. Individuals included in this report appear to have a more recent address or contact information on their MVD record, indicating they may have moved and updated their MVD record, but not their voter registration.
Identifies voters with duplicate registrations in the same state using voter registration data. This report is generated by analyzing the requesting member’s voter registration records to identify two or more registrations that appear to be for the same person.
Identifies voters who have died using voter registration data and the Social Security Administration’s Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF). This report is generated by comparing the requesting member’s voter registration data to the LADMF. Registered voters who appear to match a deceased individual are included in this report.
Once a member has a list maintenance report, after validating the data, they take steps to act on the report in compliance with applicable federal and state laws. For example, when a member receives a Cross-State or In-State Movers Report, the member at a minimum initiates contact with the voters identified in the report to correct the inaccuracy or obtain information sufficient to inactivate or update the voter’s record. When a member receives a Duplicate or Deceased Report, the member may resolve all duplicate registrations or remove all deceased voters identified in these reports.
The table below provides the total number of out-of-date or inaccurate records identified by report type and year since ERIC began offering list maintenance reports in 2013.
| Year | States | Cross-State Mover's | In-State Updates | In-State Duplicates | Deceased |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Seven States | 92,322 | 534,814 | 13,857 | 21,823 |
| 2014 | Eight States | 186,791 | 1,235,023 | 19,996 | 50,571 |
| 2015 | 10 States + DC | 269,824 | 742,266 | 14,030 | 61,278 |
| 2016 | 12 States + DC | 476,111 | 1,363,629 | 42,882 | 37,374 |
| 2017 | 18 States + DC | 801,926 | 2,374,418 | 31,570 | 35,327 |
| 2018 | 19 States + DC | 696,501 | 1,690,113 | 177,118 | 37,219 |
| 2019 | 22 States + DC | 1,089,041 | 1,555,378 | 90,450 | 73,906 |
| 2020 | 23 States + DC | 1,524,301 | 1,249,344 | 135,387 | 72,986 |
| 2021 | 28 States + DC | 3,490,162 | 4,911,198 | 249,572 | 112,564 |
| 2022 | 31 States + DC | 2,433,532 | 7,305,675 | 203,210 | 65,437 |
| 2023 | 28 States + DC | 1,396,119 | 3,687,300 | 88,166 | 26,405 |
| Total | 31 States + DC | 12,456,630 | 26,649,158 | 1,066,238 | 594,890 |
As of September 30, 2023
Access to Voter Registration Information
ERIC provides members with an Eligible but Unregistered Report (EBU Report). This report identifies individuals who may be eligible to vote but who are not yet registered by comparing voter registration data against MVD Data. Individuals who have a driver’s license or ID card, but who do not have a voter registration record are included in the EBU Report.
EBU Reports contain only limited MVD Data. There is no political party affiliation, age, or racial data in these reports. The report also does not include Social Security, Driver’s License, or state-issued ID card numbers.
Once a member has the EBU Report, using other official data source or records they filter out individuals they believe are not eligible to vote. For example, they remove ineligible felons, persons deemed mentally incompetent to vote, and known noncitizens.
Members typically mail a postcard to individuals left on the report after their filtering process. The postcards clearly state the voter eligibility requirements, as determined by law, including that the applicate must be a U.S. Citizen to register.
The table below provides the total number of potential new voters ERIC has identified by year since ERIC began offering the EBU report in 2012.
| Year | States | Potentially Eligible but Unregistered |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Seven States | 5.7 Million |
| 2013 | One State | Nearly 400,000 |
| 2014 | 11 States + DC | 5.5 Million |
| 2015 | Two States | Over 400,000 |
| 2016 | 19 States + DC | Over 14 Million |
| 2017 | Three States | Nearly 440,000 |
| 2018 | 23 States + DC | Nearly 7.5 Million |
| 2019 | Three States | Over 350,000 |
| 2020 | 29 States + DC | Over 17 Million |
| 2021 | Five States | Over 1 Million |
| 2022 | 29 States + DC | Over 4.4 Million |
ERIC improves voter registration by providing information for member states to contact potentially eligible but unregistered voters with instructions on how to register. ERIC members contact potential voters at least every two years, ahead of any federal general election.
Seven states 5.7 million records
One state nearly 400,000 additional records
11 states + DC 5.5 million additional records
Two states over 400,000 records
19 + DC over 14 million records
Three states nearly 440,000 records
23 states + DC over 7.5 million records
Three states over 350,000 records