ERIC: Behind America’s Voter Rolls
In the shadows of America’s elections lies a system you’ve probably never heard of: the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC. It operates with little transparency, claims bipartisan support, and is responsible for maintaining the voter rolls of more than half the states in the country. If you care about election integrity—and I do—then it’s time to shine a light on this obscure but powerful network.
What Is ERIC?
ERIC was founded in 2012 with a seemingly noble mission: help states improve the accuracy of their voter rolls by cross-referencing registration data and DMV records. In theory, that’s exactly what most Americans would want—clean rolls, fewer duplicates, and a mechanism to catch people registered in multiple states.
But theory and practice are two very different things.
The Red Flags Are Mounting
In the interviews I’ve conducted, one recurring theme has emerged: ERIC operates behind a veil. The public can’t see how the matching is done, which voters are flagged, or why participation seems to tilt toward encouraging new voter registration rather than cleaning the rolls. States that join ERIC are required to contact eligible but unregistered residents—essentially using government resources to boost voter registration. But they are not required to purge ineligible voters with the same enthusiasm.
This imbalance matters. Why? Because the supposed “clean-up” efforts often lag or fail to keep pace with actual population movement, deaths, or changes in eligibility. If you’ve ever wondered how someone who moved out of state or passed away is still receiving voter mail, ERIC may be the reason.
Funded initially with backing from left-leaning foundations and structured with little oversight, ERIC’s governance model is peculiar. There is no true public accountability mechanism. The data shared between states and ERIC includes sensitive personal information—driver’s license numbers, last four digits of Social Security numbers, full addresses—and is housed in systems most Americans will never access or audit.
Should we trust a third-party nonprofit to handle this kind of data, with this kind of power?
It’s no coincidence that a growing number of states have decided to withdraw from ERIC in recent years. From Louisiana to Missouri to Florida, leaders have begun to question ERIC’s opaque procedures and unbalanced priorities. They’re asking the same question I am: Why does a system supposedly built to ensure voter roll integrity seem more focused on expanding registration than removing ineligible voters?
And why, in a system that should be nonpartisan, do we see patterns of influence, funding, and advocacy that trace back to one side of the political spectrum?
We Need Transparency, Not Techno-Bureaucracy
I’m not against modernization or using data to improve elections. In fact, I believe robust, clean data is the foundation of trust in any democratic process. But the problem is centralization without oversight. ERIC acts as a gatekeeper, not a tool. And that’s dangerous.
If we believe in federalism—if we believe that states should run their own elections—we must resist efforts to centralize that power in opaque networks. The solution isn’t no technology. The solution is accountable technology. Transparent systems, open algorithms, clear reporting mechanisms. Systems where citizens—not just bureaucrats—can follow what’s going on.
This isn’t about conspiracy theories. It’s about common sense. Every citizen—left, right, or center—should want voter rolls that reflect reality. Every state should demand the ability to verify what data is being used, how it’s being processed, and what actions are being taken as a result.
That’s not radical. That’s reasonable.
If we’re going to restore confidence in elections, we have to start by restoring confidence in the systems that support them. And that means putting ERIC under the microscope—not rubber-stamping its authority.
We deserve better. And we’re not going to stop asking questions until we get it.