President Donald Trump (R) addressed the nation in a speech on July 16, 2026, during which he said that China gained illicit access to 220 million U.S. voter files, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and political party preferences.
Each state is legally required to maintain voter files, or digital databases of information about registered voters. States can sell voter file information to individuals or groups, and each state has its own guidelines for who is eligible to purchase that information and what the voter file can be used for.
As of July 2026, twenty-one states and Washington, D.C., have open availability of voter files, meaning there are effectively no restrictions on who can request or purchase the voter file, and the only restrictions on how the voter file can be used are commercial use restrictions.
