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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Do political campaign workers typically have access to lots of personal data about voters?

By Eric Smith
YES

Anyone working for a political campaign with access to voter file database software can access personal voter data.

Voting records are generally publicly available, with access and the extent of detail varying across the states. As data collection and analysis have become more sophisticated, political campaigns have begun to target and track voters, adding information about a voter's party affiliations, religion, race, education level, finances and lifestyle. This information helps campaigns direct messages to different voter demographics.

Campaigns often obtain or buy the information from a variety of sources, including the census, phone books, credit data and social media. However, the data provided to campaigns is not always entirely accurate, especially on variables like education or household income.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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