Absentee Ballot Request Methodology

The absentee ballot request analysis focused on six battleground states with sufficient data for
inclusion: Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
For administrative purposes, many Secretaries of State and State Boards of Election track which
voters have submitted requests for absentee ballots regardless of whether the absentee ballot
is returned. The availability and distribution of this data varies by state according to statespecific law and usage policy.
This information, where available, is updated in varying frequencies. In every state included in
this analysis, the data is current as of September 22, 2016.
In all states except Michigan, the partisan affiliation of voters submitting applications for
absentee ballots were determined by the party affiliation listed on their registration records.
The availability and collection of information pertaining to a voters party affiliation varies by
state. Some states do not disseminate this information for public use and others do not collect
this information from voters when they register.
This analysis grouped these affiliations into three categories: Democrat, Republican and Other.
Democrats and Republicans refer to absentee ballot requestors who are explicitly affiliated as
Democrats or Republicans on their registration records.
In Florida, Other includes those listed as Green, Independent, Libertarian, No Party or Other.
In Iowa, those who were listed as Unaffiliated or Other were combined into Other. In North
Carolina, this category combines Libertarian and Unaffiliated voters. In Nevada, Other includes
those listed as Green, Independent, Libertarian, No Party or Other. In Pennsylvania, voters
listed as Green, Independent, Libertarian, Unaffiliated, Unknown, No Party or Other were
combined into Other.
In Michigan, the partisan breakdown of ballot requestors relied on modeled party data
provided by TargetSmart.

What is a voter file?

The Data Analytics Lab at NBC News utilizes voter file information provided by TargetSmarta
leading provider of political data and analytic services for a number of organizations and
campaigns. TargetSmart builds and maintains a high-quality database of voter registration files
from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, acquired from state and county sources.
Aggregated together, the national file includes more than 190 million registered voters. This
data allows experts at the Data Analytics Lab to conduct independent, non-partisan analysis on
voting behavior and turnout historically.
Voter files differ state to state, both in terms of their formats as well as the data fields they
contain. In general, voter files contain basic demographic information about registered persons
in each state such as their gender and age. Vote history information is also provided but does
not contain any details about who an individual voted for.
Though TargetSmart expertly aggregates and updates their national file for easier, faster
analysis, the timeliness and comprehensiveness of the data provided varies by state. For
example, while some states such as Florida provide updated lists of their voter registration
records almost daily during the final months of presidential election years, other states provide
far fewer updates.
In some states such as North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, racially-identifying information is
collected and disseminated as part of ones voter registration record. In most states, however,
this information is unavailable.
Voter file data is considered especially valuable because it is an actual record of every person
who turned out in an election. While survey research has traditionally been a source of valuable
voter and electorate information, it is most useful for understanding the opinions, attitudes and
motivations of voters. Voter registration data is a more comprehensive and precise source of
information regarding voter turnout as well as the demographic composition of the electorate.
Analysts at the NBC News Data Analytics Lab will utilize TargetSmart data throughout the 2016
election cycle.