BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) -
If you're registered to vote in Alabama your information is for sale for as little as one penny.
The information, excluding your Social Security number, can be bought by anyone including private citizens, companies and political candidates. That includes your name, address, telephone number, birthday, sex and race, and even your voting history.
It's not only legal but commonplace. According to a recent Fox News report, 47 out of 50 states sell voter registration information and some even make it available for free by considering it a matter of public record.
For some people FOX6 News spoke with, it's no big deal but others are shocked and outraged.
"That's ridiculous. It really is. I am outraged about that, you know," Debra McClain said.
Most voters we spoke with feel like McClain. Lorrie Stephens says she thinks it's an invasion of her privacy. Longtime voters had no idea this was possible, but some have a more prosaic view.
"It's in the phone book except for your birthday. It's out there on the Internet. You can go look yourself up and you'll be surprised what info is there for you," Chris Pounders said.
The Alabama Secretary of State's Office points us to a 1989 Alabama law that was updated in 1994. While it doesn't say why the law was enacted, it does say the Secretary of State must give the information to anyone who requests and pays for it.
The majority of those requests come from political candidates and parties wanting to reach out to voters in specific districts.
Aside from keeping a record of those requests, the law doesn't require the Secretary of State to have safeguards in place to make sure the information isn't abused.
However, officials say they haven't received complaints of misuse other than voters who have complained about receiving calls from campaigns.
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Source: mgnonline.com
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