Orange County Registrar of Voters sells voter registration information to candidates, campaign committees

 Registered voters who marked and mailed their ballots earlier this month might have noticed they are receiving fewer election-related mailers and computer-generated telephone calls as the Nov. 5 election date approaches.

That's because candidates and their campaign committees can purchase data regarding mailed-in ballots from the Orange County Registrar of Voters office for reasonable prices, ranging from $49 for a standard request to $98 for a special request.

Among the data available for purchase is a listing of returned ballots by specific contests. Candidates and committees can use this information to adjust mailings and phone calls to concentrate on voters with outstanding ballots.

Other data for sale includes a printable street index for a precinct, district or city, which is often described as a “walking list” that is used by door-to-door canvassers for candidates.

More data available for purchase are files of registered voters by county, district or city, with or without voting history, and voting records, with up to 10 specific voter registration records allowed per application. Costs range from $25 to $98.

Requests for data can only be made by “authorized recipients” of voter information who “are responsible for the security of all voter registration information provided through this request,” according to procedures outlined by registrar office officials.

Authorized recipients of the data are determined by a detailed application submitted by the person requesting the data. The applicant must explain how the information will be used, a requirement governed by state law.

“Any application that fails to refer to a specific, detailed intended use, will be rejected,” noted officials. A significant prohibition is “using the data to harass any voter or voter's household.”

Other prohibitions: sharing or transferring data to another party without submission of a new application and permission from the registrar's office; using data for any commercial, advertising or marketing purposes; and leaving data unsecured or publicly available.

According to the state's election code, misusing the data is a misdemeanor offense that is subject to significant fines.

Deadline to file a statement of write-in candidacy for a non-partisan office was Tuesday, Oct. 22. Write-in votes for candidates who did not file a statement will not be tabulated.

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Red Ribbon Week runs through Thursday, Oct. 31. A resolution by Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified District trustees noted the week “is the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program, designed to...foster a drug-free community....”

Trustees further recognized participation in the week's various school-related activities “as a critical component of the district's comprehensive prevention and health education program.”

Yorba Linda's City Council members also issued a proclamation recognizing the week.