Updated October 2026
Once early voting opens, the most useful turnout list a Republican campaign has is the one that shrinks every morning. Here is how to build it from official data, and how to avoid the mistakes that make it unreliable.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check current rules with your campaign’s counsel.
Why a chase program beats a blanket reminder
Sending every supporter the same election reminder treats people with different situations alike. Some already voted early. Some requested mail ballots but have not returned them. Others intend to vote in person or need accurate election-office information.
A chase program uses verified, lawfully available participation status to make contact relevant. It does not replace voter persuasion. It cannot reveal how an individual voted; the secret ballot remains secret.
The basic operating loop is straightforward: obtain an authorized official update, match it to the campaign’s supporter universe, remove confirmed participants from outstanding turnout assignments, and contact people who may still benefit from information. Repeat the process as official reporting changes.
Official data is not uniform across states
States and counties issue different products on different schedules. Some publish aggregate daily counts. Others have controlled-access voter-level files. Status fields may distinguish requested, mailed, returned, received, accepted, rejected or in-person participation—or offer only a subset.
Florida provides a useful example. Its Department of State hosts official county vote-by-mail and early-voting reporting pages. The state notes that vote-by-mail request information is confidential under §101.62(2), with access limited to specific eligible recipients for political purposes. The Division also says those request files are available only during each election’s reporting period, from 60 days before through 15 days after the election. Campaigns must use the authorized process, not assume the files are unrestricted public data.
Florida’s reporting pages also explain the cadence: counties file daily activity reports, and each report is cumulative. An update visible this morning may reflect activity through yesterday rather than real-time voting. California offers a different kind of tool. Its Where’s My Ballot? service, available in every county, lets individual voters track their own ballots; it is not a campaign data feed.
This kind of data planning is part of our campaign consulting work.
Know what each official status means
| Status | Useful campaign interpretation | Timing | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot requested | Voter may expect a mail ballot | Once request reports begin | Request is not a vote |
| Ballot issued/mailed | Office reports sending ballot | Mailing period | Delivery not guaranteed |
| Ballot received | Office reports return | As received files update | Receipt may not equal acceptance |
| Ballot accepted | Official processing records acceptance | After processing | Status can lag |
| Cure needed | Official process identifies an issue | During permitted cure window | Only use verified instructions |
| Early in-person vote | Participation recorded | After early-vote reports | Reveals no candidate choice |
These are conceptual categories. Map the exact codes and definitions supplied by each election office before interpreting a file.
Key takeaway: A chase program starts with identified supporters, refreshes official voting-status data, and works the people not yet recorded as voting. It never claims to know how anyone voted, and it respects access limits and reporting delays.
Four insider details about ballot chasing
1. A lagged list will include some people who voted today
Do not accuse people of failing to vote. Official files sometimes reflect a prior day’s activity or await processing. A call should allow for that uncertainty: the campaign can offer official information without asserting a person’s present status as certain.
2. Received and accepted can be different
Depending on the jurisdiction, an election office may record ballot receipt before determining it is accepted. Some states provide a defined signature or ballot-cure process. Campaigns should direct voters to current official instructions and never promise that every ballot is eligible for the same cure.
3. Loose matching can waste the final weekend
Two voters may have the same name and address. Election-office data can use identifiers different from the campaign’s file. Name-only matching risks suppressing the wrong person or contacting someone who has already voted. Prefer approved stable identifiers, route ambiguous matches to review, and audit a sample before transmitting updates.
4. Participation is not candidate support
A supporter prediction and a confirmed participation record are separate variables. Even if the campaign’s strongest supporter has cast a ballot, the file does not reveal their selection. Reports should never say the campaign “banked” a specific number of votes as if individual choices were observed.
Establish a daily operating rhythm
Assign owners for data, field contact and compliance. The data owner logs the official source, authorized use, timestamp and version of every extract. The field lead turns reliable changes into assignments. The compliance lead checks that contact plans respect calling rules, texting policies and opt-outs.
Process each update in the same order: ingest, validate, normalize, match, identify status changes, update suppression, segment, assign and report. Retain prior snapshots. A large overnight movement may reflect a corrected upload or changed reporting definition, not a sudden wave of voters.
Use different follow-up depending on the eligible voter’s actual next step. A person who has not requested mail voting may want official early-voting locations. A voter with a reported mail-ballot issue may benefit from the election office’s cure instructions. Someone already recorded as having participated should ordinarily leave the chase audience.
Do not tell anyone to submit another ballot, use another person’s ballot or bypass an election-office procedure. The program’s purpose is to help eligible supporters navigate lawful options accurately.
Short, accurate reminders over P2P texting fit this step well when the contact rules allow it.
Measure what the campaign really knows
Useful counts include identified supporters in the target universe, officially matched participation records, unresolved matches, contact attempts, completed conversations, requested help, opt-outs and the date of each official update.
A campaign should not claim every later ballot return was caused by its text or call. Some voters would have participated regardless. Proper causal analysis requires a comparison strategy, not only a before-and-after match.
Operational reports should also identify mismatches and stale records, not hide them. A smaller, accurate chase universe is more useful than a large but unreliable list. Give precinct and regional leaders a brief report showing how many outstanding supporters are reachable and what needs attention.
The target universe should change as the official record changes. Do not recycle yesterday’s full contact list merely because it is easier to load. During the final days, data freshness and clear responsibility for follow-up are critical.
Daily chase checklist
- Verify the election authority and lawful access process for each file.
- Read confidentiality and permitted-use restrictions.
- Define every status field from official documentation.
- Distinguish ballot request, issuance, receipt, acceptance and in-person voting.
- Record source timestamps and preserve previous snapshots.
- Match using reliable authorized identifiers; quarantine ambiguous matches.
- Suppress confirmed participants from unnecessary turnout reminders.
- Use only current government deadlines, polling details and cure instructions.
- Respect opt-outs and the rules applicable to the contact method.
- Audit data quality and do not imply knowledge of vote choices.
Early-vote chase FAQ
Can a campaign see whom a voter selected? No. Official participation records do not disclose choices on a secret ballot.
Does requesting an absentee ballot mean the voter has voted? No. Request, issuance, receipt and acceptance are different stages.
Are all ballot files open to the public? No. Access and use vary by jurisdiction. Florida restricts certain request data to eligible authorized recipients.
How current are official reports? That depends on the election office and often includes a reporting delay. Read the timestamp and metadata.
Official data sources
- Florida Division of Elections — Vote-by-Mail and Early Voting Reports
- Florida Division of Elections — Access Registration
- Florida Division of Elections — Public Reports
- California Secretary of State — Ballot Tracking
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission — Voter FAQs
Run well, a chase program gets more precise each day the official record grows.
Building an early-vote chase?
When official ballot data updates, we can help you move quickly with P2P texting and live calling to voters who still have ballots out. Automated calling and digital ads can reinforce the reminder through Election Day. Talk through your chase program