As of 2022, in order to make sure that we are addressing voters with a correct, complete, affirming, and properly spelled name, users with the correct security profile can edit the names of voters in the Voter File.
Read more about how to edit voter names and pronouns
Overview of changes
Prior to this change, name changes could only happen in the Voter File databases via a formal name change (either by court order or as part of a marriage or divorce) and the voter file update process. A voter would need to formally change their name and their voter registration in order for their correct name to be displayed in the Voter File. This process was the same for any and all name changes.
The process for name changes is not the same in all states and for all communities. Transgender people, in particular, face barriers to updating their name on their identity documents, including their voter registration. There are numerous, costly legal barriers to court-ordered name changes depending on individual state laws. It is unrealistic to wait for state governments to incorporate changes to the Voter File that make it possible to reflect any and all formal names changes in our system.
Conversations with voters can be difficult and we want staff and volunteers to be able to focus on the important candidates and issues on the ballot; beginning a conversation with the wrong name cannot only derail those conversations but can be actively harmful if using a deadname. Deadnaming refers to using a transgender person’s birth name or name before they began their transition. Using a deadname can be incredibly distressful for a transgender person and leaves them feeling invisible.
This process now provides an option to avoid deadnaming voters and instead use a voter’s chosen name. This work is a down payment on fully supporting names in the Voter File and we recognize that additional development is needed before we are fully supporting edited names in the project.
The goals of this development were:
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Make sure we are addressing people during voter contact by their correct name
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Update the name fields throughout our system to be more inclusive so that we use a correct, complete, affirming, and properly spelled name when addressing voters
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Collect name information and share that information with our clients and partners as appropriate
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Provide an infrastructure for our clients and vendor partners to also collect name information
This development focused on building out the infrastructure to allow for editing names in the Voter File - we know there is additional development to do here, both within our own databases and the progressive tech infrastructure at large.
With this work, once a name is changed the new name will be reflected everywhere it is displayed throughout the system. In the Voter File, this change will not be committee specific, meaning that once the name is changed in one committee it is changed in all committees. This reduces the number of times a voter has to correct their name.
When should I edit a voter’s name?
You should edit a voter’s name whenever there is another name, not listed on their voter registration, that should be the primary name used during voter contact. There are no restrictions on when to change a name and you can change a voter’s name in any circumstances, such as:
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Removing a deadname
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Reflecting a court-ordered name change before the name change has come through on the Voter File Update
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Updating a voter’s name to reflect the name they go by in all circumstances except their government-issue identity documents
What should a staffer or volunteer do if they encounter someone whose name needs to be changed?
Right now, names can only be changed by users with the correct security function in a limited number of areas. If a staff member or a volunteer talks to a voter on the phone or on the doors they should contact their state administrator or other campaign contact with the correct name information. The correct name can be added as a note on the voter record so correct spelling is accounted for. The state administrator or other authorized user will then be able to make the name change.
Suggested permissions workflow:
Volunteer/Voter Conversation → Campaign Staff Member → Voter File Manager/State Administrator makes the edits to the Voter Records
Why is the ability to change names limited?
Throughout the history of the Voter File there has always been a push and pull between opening up access to edit the Voter File vs. protecting against bad actors. For now, because the damage a bad actor could inflict by inappropriately changing names is high, the ability to change names will be limited to the most trusted users of the system. As part of future development, we are investigating opening up this ability with additional safeguards.
What happens when a name is changed in the Voter File?
When a voter’s name is changed in the Voter File, their name will be updated everywhere within our system - the source file name will never be prominently displayed.
What is Source File Name and why can’t you get rid of it?
Source File Name is the name sent to us by clients via the Voter File update process. Ultimately, it is the name that the person is registered to vote with. All name fields are populated with the Source File Name values until manually edited.
Until a name change is reflected with the voter registrar, the old Source File Name will continue to appear in voter rolls. We need to retain Source File Name so we can maintain the relationship between a voter’s name and their Source File Name. If we did not maintain that relationship, the next time a voter file update was processed the system would create a new record with the Source File Name. This means that the voter could be contacted again with the incorrect Source File Name. Source File Name is never prominently displayed, to avoid enacting harm against a voter by using the wrong name.
We also retain Source File Name in the case of bad actors so we can restore the Source File Name quickly.