Voter data Trump claimed China obtained is easy to get in most states
President Trump called China's acquisition of voter information "the largest compromise of election data in history." In 20 states, anyone can get this information with a simple public request.
President Trump made the alarming claim Thursday that China conducted what may be "the largest compromise of election data in history" with its "illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files." But voter data is accessible across all 50 states.
Twenty states and Washington, D.C., will provide voter data with a simple public request, purchase or online download.
Fifteen states allow access to voter rolls, but users must state a political or research purpose, have state residency, be a registered voter in the state, or sign a use agreement.
Ten states primarily provide records through local election offices or supervised inspection, rather than an open statewide file.
Five states limit voter-file access to specified groups, such as candidates, political parties, committees, news organizations or government officials.
Voter data that is released to the public often includes registered voters' names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and political parties. Some more sensitive information is typically kept confidential, including Social Security numbers.