The Virginian-Pilot
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RICHMOND
Some might consider it the political equivalent of the keys to the castle.
Faced with a constitutional challenge over who should have access to this treasure trove, a key group of lawmakers decided Thursday that no one should.
Their decision, if it holds up, will have far-reaching ramifications for candidates, political parties and campaign consultants from Norfolk to Norton.
A House of Delegates subcommittee voted 5-1 to close off all access to voter history lists. Those lists, maintained by the State Board of Elections, show which elections every Virginia voter has participated in over the years.
They don't reveal which candidate anyone voted for. But they do show a voter's level of participation at the polls and, since they include primary elections, can be a good indicator of party preference.
That makes them a handy tool for candidates to use for targeted mailings and robocalls.
Under current law, they can be given only to elected officials, candidates and political party chairs.
A nonprofit group called the Know Campaign sued the Elections Board in December, arguing that the law is unconstitutional. The group had planned a mass mailing days before the Nov. 3 election using a voter history list, saying it wanted to boost voter turnout by implying to voters that if they didn't go to the polls, their neighbors would be informed.
The mailing was halted at the last minute amid indications that the list had been obtained illegally.
The lawsuit has been settled, contingent on a change in the law allowing the lists to be released to nonprofit groups.
A bill to accomplish that, SB624, led to a consensus among the House panel that the lists should either be made available to everyone or no one.
"Whether voting is a public or a private act - that's what it's getting down to," said Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County.
In the end, the panel came down on the side of privacy.
"I think citizens feel their voting history is their business and nobody else's," said Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake.
The subcommittee vote does not end the matter. If ratified by the full committee and the House, it will still be subject to negotiations with the Senate.
If the panel's decision holds up, it will put Virginia in a lonely if not unique position.
"I know of no place in the United States where voter history isn't public," said Mark Grebner, a Michigan political consultant who pioneered the type of voter mailing that the Know Campaign attempted last fall. "I've never heard of anybody trying to make it secret."
Quentin Kidd, an associate professor of government at Christopher Newport University, said most states are moving in the opposite direction, widening access to voter information. Some are putting it online.
Voter history lists are valuable in campaigns because they allow candidates to target the voters who are most likely to support them rather than wasting money blanketing whole neighborhoods, Kidd said.
If the lists are placed off-limits, he said, "it would make the cost of running for office much higher. And you and I would start getting a lot more political junk mail."
Kidd said he believes that in closing off access to the lists, "the cause of open democratic governance is harmed."
Who would gain? Incumbent officeholders, Kidd suggested. T hey would lose access to the lists themselves, b ut they enjoy the natural advantages of incumbency.
"If everything is cut off right now," he said, "they're advantaged and everybody else is disadvantaged."
Bill Sizemore, (804) 697-1560, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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I think there certainly is an issue,here.
Whether or not I voted is as much someone else's business as whether or not I've had a colonoscopy.
Let's leave it up to the individual whether or not his or her voting information can be shared (so they can be targeted by campaign managers).
A simple "YES" or "NO" block checked on a list at the polls will tell the state whether or not I wish to have my voting record made public.
If you don't mind ... fine ... check "YES."
I'll be checking "NO."
Too simple?
Threatening to tell my neighbors. . . .
A group was seriously going to threaten to tell my neighbors if I didn't vote at an election?
I do vote every chance I get, but this kind of abuse needs to be shut down immediately. I wish I could meet the clown that came up with this idea, and see how he would like it if I aired all of his dirty laundry to all of his neighbors.
I encourage everone to vote (and hopefully, be a responsible voter that has taken the time to educate themselves about the issues with information from a variety of sources), but if you choose not to, that is your choice, and nobody else's business. I think the subcommittee has got this one right.
TO SDOUGAN
Sdougan, if it would make you feel better, you can let us all know who you voted for after each election - since that is your right. However, its also my right NOT to disclose who I voted for. Yea, Yea, I know the list doesn't show who you voted for. However, since the list does show which primaries you voted in, the list might as well show what party you are more likely to vote for (doesn't allows hold true, but we all know most people vote by party). And as far as politcal mailings and robo calls - I can't think of a single time that either of those ever even slighly swayed my voting decision. So the best way for canidates to save money is to just forget them and have more debates.
amen!
There's no good that come of the government having access to private matters. Now if they would only take down those intrusive red light cameras.
Voting
Good call folks! I hope it holds up.
Wow! Another protection, E-Verify now this!!
It was refreshing to hear our information would be allowed for all or nobody, preferably nobody!! It is suppose to be a secret ballot.
Good!
The protection of the secret ballot is one of our nation's strengths and should NEVER be violated or abused in anyway. It is good to see lawmakers make the right decision on this.
Misunderstanding
I think a lot of people are misunderstanding this. It's probably due to the really bad reporting and false headlines on the part of the Pilot. What you put on your ballot is secret and is not recorded with your name in any way. That information simple doesn't exist.
What they're talking about here is no one can check up on who is registered and who voted in the election. We're just supposed to blindly trust politicians to tell us the election was done properly. That's a serious conflict of interest as their jobs hangs in the balance. The government should never be able to keep secrets from the people especially with something as fundamental as voting.
No, the Pilot reported
No, the Pilot reported correctly.
Currently, your voting history of IF you actually voted is available it no longer will be.
Additionally, it keeps your party affiliation private. This can be determined by primary voting history, which you voted in, ala, you are outed so to speak.
Secret State
"I know of no place in the United States where voter history isn't public," said Mark Grebner, a Michigan political consultant who pioneered the type of voter mailing that the Know Campaign attempted last fall. "I've never heard of anybody trying to make it secret."
Lack of transparency means no accountability. Just another safeguard for Liberty and Democracy gone. This doesn't say HOW you voted, but that you voted. People see their neighbors at the poll. What's the issue here? Seems to me like their is none.
"Quentin Kidd, an associate professor of government at Christopher Newport University, said most states are moving in the opposite direction, widening access to voter information. Some are putting it online.:
Virginia wants to move in another direction, secrecy.
I have lived and worked on both coasts and in between for decades. (Yea, I'm that old) Voter transparency has always been part of the system in every state I lived in.
Chilling.