The Voter File is a shared resource. While some data stored in VAN is exclusive to the committee collecting or hosting it, other data is communal.
State Party Data Directors and Voter File Managers are the only individual users outside your committee who will have access to your data.
Certain canvass statuses, when recorded, apply to a data point everywhere it appears in VAN, meaning this is shared across committees.
These include—
Deceased: Marking a record as “Deceased” records them as dead throughout VAN across committees. These voters are removed from lists and searches. Please discourage users from marking voters as deceased unless the voter is actually deceased. Deceased voters are removed from the file periodically without manual input when states update their voter files with vital records. Often, manually recorded deaths are incorrect; each cycle, hundreds of “deceased” voters make their way to the polls, vote, and have to be “resurrected” in VAN for the next cycle, too late for campaign contact.
Do Not Call: Marking a voter as “Do Not Call” adds them in to the Do Not Call suppression in all committees when running a search.
Do Not Walk: Marking a voter as “Do Not Walk” adds them to the Do Not Walk suppression in all committees when running a search.
Do Not Mail: Marking a voter as “Do Not Mail” adds them to the Do Not Mail suppression when running a search.
Wrong Number/Not at This Number: Marking a phone number as “Wrong” marks the number as bad throughout the system.
Disconnected: Marking a phone number as “Disconnected” marks the number as bad throughout the system.
Moved / Moved Overseas: Marking an address as “Moved” marks the address as bad throughout the system.
Private Data (stays within your committee unless manually shared with another committee)
Beware Schrodinger’s Door Slam
Every person who handles voter data should be trained. All contact statuses, even those which are only applied in one committee, can affect the program of the whole team.
Pop Quiz: You’re out canvassing in your biggest, brightest VOTE [CANDIDATE] t-shirt when you knock on the first door on your list. It opens, the person on the other side takes one look at you, and the door slams in your face. What response do you mark on your packet?
The audience reading this guide should probably know to answer d: Without even verifying that the door was slammed by the name on the packet, that’s a Not Home. On a second pass, a friendlier face might answer. But a brand new volunteer might mark any of those.
Going on instinct alone, a door slam might seem like a refusal. Not being able to talk to anyone because a door was slammed might seem hostile or inaccessible. A door slam after seeing a candidate’s name might seem like a strong oppose. Training staff and volunteers on best data practices prevents these mistakes and keeps the data in your committee clean. A voter marked Strong Opposed will be removed from the next canvass, while a Not Home at the same door might mean a great conversation with a leaning supporter on the next knock.
This data also affects scores and models. It can change the prediction of a voter’s phone contactability or walkability. Accurate data entry supports robust, accurate models.
If you have any questions, please contact your State Party Director or Voter File Manager.