Public voter lists show ID, address and party, fueling debate over election privacy

Описание: Some Taylor County residents are raising privacy concerns about a Texas law that requires counties to publicly post daily early voting turnout information, including voter ID and party affiliation.

Taylor County Elections Administrator Freda Ragan said her office is required to make the information available online under Texas Election Code Section 87.121. “We are required by law to post that information on our websites, and we have to have it out there by 11 a.m.,” Ragan said.

Ragan said the county typically provides a link to the Secretary of State’s website because the county uploads the information nightly. “Every night we upload that information at people who have voted or who have returned a mail ballot, we upload that information to the Secretary of State, and they post that on their website,” she said.

The issue drew attention after a resident posted online that they learned early voting results are being posted each day on the county’s website, including voter ID number, names and addresses. The post sparked mixed reactions, with one resident saying they were proud to share their political affiliation publicly and another saying that decision should remain private.

Ragan said the information reflects participation in an election, not how someone voted. “To add that information on whether a person voted in an election is public information,” she said. “We never know how they voted because we don't even know that,” Ragan added, saying candidates and campaigns sometimes request lists of voters who have participated in certain elections. “And we provide that by law. We provide that because that is public information,” she said.

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Ragan said she understands why some voters may be uneasy about the disclosures. “I do understand people's concerns. I get that I'm a voter, you know, and I get that, a lot of times people don't want that information out there, but unfortunately, the law requires that we do that,” she said.

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She also said the information is typically removed after an election ends. “Typically we take them down once the election is over, because we have to, again, get ready for the next election, Ragan said."

February 27th is the last day to vote early, and Election Day is March 3rd.

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