How to Search the Electoral Roll

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1Searching Voter Registration in the United States

2Searching Electoral Rolls in the United Kingdom

3Searching to See Whether Someone Has Voted

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Tips and Warnings

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References

Many countries keep a list of registered voters. In the United States, those lists are generally maintained by the state; similarly, in the United Kingdom, you'll find the lists in your local area. You may want to search these lists for any number of reasons, including to see if you are registered to vote before an upcoming election.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Searching Voter Registration in the United States

1. 
   1
   Find your state's website.

   • You may be able to access your state's electoral roll in person or by phone, but it depends on your state. For instance, Oklahoma only has the records available on the internet.
2. 
   2
   Enter the appropriate information. Each state has its own requirements for what information you need to search for a registered voter. Generally, states may require the following information:

   • The person’s first and last name.
   • The person’s date of birth.
   • The county and/or the zip code where the person is registered to vote.
   • The person’s voter id number.
   • The person’s driver’s license number.
3. 
   3
   Conduct the search. Once you have identified and gathered the required information, you can conduct your search of the voter registration lists. In order to be successful in your search, you must provide very specific information that may be difficult to obtain if you are searching for the registration status of someone other than yourself.

   • If you know the first and last name of the person you are searching for, you may be able to locate where they live through a simple internet search for their name. For some states, this is enough information to use in searching for a person’s voter registration status.
4. 
   4
   Search through the results. While it depends on each state’s search requirements, it is unlikely that your search will provide you multiple people with the same name. It is much more likely that your search will not come up with any matches for the information that you provided.

   • If you did not find the person that you were looking for, review the information that you gathered and determine whether the person lives in a different location, double-check the spelling of the person’s name and other identifying information.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Searching Electoral Rolls in the United Kingdom

1. 
   1
   Locate your local Electoral Registration Office. In the UK, local Electoral Registration Offices maintain electoral rolls. You can locate the appropriate Electoral Registration Office on the following website: https://www.gov.uk/get-on-electoral-register. Once on the website, you will be prompted to enter the local postcode for the person for whom you are searching.
2. 
   2
   Contact your local Electoral Registration Office. This office has all the information on voters and voting in your area. They will tell you where you can view the electoral register for the area, which contains the names and address for all people registered to vote and who allowed there information to be published in the open register.
3. 
   3
   Visit the office that has the electoral register. Often, you will be able to view the electoral roll at a nearby library. It may be a physical or electronic copy, and it will only contain the information about voters in your area.

   • When viewing an electoral register, you can only search by street name and not by a person’s name.
   • You may review the register for research purposes and you are allowed to make handwritten notes about what you find.
   • You may not review the register for commercial purposes, or for any purpose other than research.
   • You may not take digital images or make photocopies of the register.
   • If you need a historical understanding of the electoral rolls, you can view the entire electoral register at the British Library, located at 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB, United Kingdom.
   • The British Library has partial records going back to 1832 and full records from 1947. However, the records are delayed by 10 years, meaning you cannot view the most recent records. You must apply for a reader’s pass and make an appointment to view the documents.
4. 
   4
   Search by name. There are some online for-pay services that allow you to search the electoral rolls by name. To locate these services, conduct an internet search for “search UK electoral roll.” You can search by a person’s name and then you will be able to narrow down the list by the person’s address.

   • You should note that not everyone is listed on the electoral register. Though you can be required to register or pay a fine in the UK, some people elect to not be on the open register, meaning their names will not be displayed in the record you are able to view.
5. 
   5
   Search The National Archives for older results. You can also search the UK's National Archives to find information about historical voters. However, the information is not online; you will need to order a paper copy of the information.

   • You will need the person's name, address, and a date range to narrow your results.
   • The National Archives are located at Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Searching to See Whether Someone Has Voted

1. 
   1
   Determine why you want to locate someone’s voter information. You may want to find out whether someone has voted, or if someone is registered to vote, in order to target that person for a political campaign. Journalists may also be interested in learning where people are registered to vote.

   • Some organizations may also be able to help you determine whether members of your organization are registered to vote.
2. 
   2
   Decide on your search terms. You can search by a particular district, by a state, or by demographic data such as gender or income.

   • You can also ask for specific types of lists if you are a political candidate running for office. Types of lists include a "Street List" (voters listed alphabetically by name) or a "Walking List" (voters listed by the street on which they live).
3. 
   3
   Find a data source. Most states have a search feature, but these features usually require you to provide a specific name. If you're looking for larger data sets, there are many organizations that will help you search to see whether someone has voted or is registered to vote in an election.

   • One such organization is voterlistsonline.com, which will require you to register for a free account to view such data.
   • Many things, such as campaign finance reports and contribution databases, and election results, are a matter of public record. Searches are widely available at sites such as onlinesearches.com.
4. 
   4
   Contact your state's Secretary of State's office. In some cases, you may need to contact your state's Secretary of State's office or local elections bureau to get a list of registered voters in an area.

   • You may also be able to find some information from the SoS's website. For example, you can find Virginia's registration statistics for 2015 at the Virginia Department of Elections website.
   • If you are a political candidate in a local election, you can usually get a voter list by contacting your local courthouse or City Clerk.
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Tips

• If you're having trouble finding the information you need, try less official sources, such as ancestry websites.
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