Florida voters' birth dates, voting history online

State sells information to third parties that put it online

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you are a registered voter in Florida, your name, date of birth and voting history are all online.

And if you're willing to pay for it, you can also get at least a partial address on any voter in the state.

At least two commercial websites buy the information from the state -- it only costs $5 -- and puts information online that you probably think should be private.

It doesn't show who you voted for, but it does give party affiliation and whether you voted in the last few elections, and how: in person or absentee.

The political parties have know how to access this data for years -- that's where they get the information for the barrage of political mail in the weeks before an election -- but now it's there for anyone to see.

A spokesman from the Florida Division of Elections told us the information is sold to third parties, and those companies put it online for everyone to see.

Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland has always known the information is public, but it troubles him that all that information is available.

"We are concerned because of identity theft," Holland said. "Especially the birth date. If nothing else, at least let us protect the birth year."

Other information, like Social Security numbers and signatures, is kept private.

Robert and Janet Sikes, who updated their voter registrations Wednesday, we not surprised to learn information about them was online, but they don't think it should be.

"That is how people steal identities, I think," Janet Sikes said.

Holland said the information will remain public unless Florida law is changed.

"Unless the legislature protects it, we have to provide it," Holland said.


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Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.