(This page's most recent update is
July 2024)
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Voter registration records are available online and offline from all over the world and are what I consider a hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.
Here are several reasons why voter records are such a wonderful tool for researching (and finding) ancestors:
- They fill in the gaps between censuses – in the ten years between censuses – people move, they die, they get married, etc. The advantage of voter registration records is that they can tell you their address, their occupation, etc. And like city directories, they are published yearly or every couple of years.
- Naturalization information – in some records from the 1800s, the date, and place of naturalization are included, which can provide leads for obtaining their detailed naturalization records.
- Middle names – often a complete name is included in voter registration records – in fact, the only place that I ever found my great grandfather’s middle name was in several of these records. Prior to finding them, I only knew his middle name as an initial.
- You can find a spouse – after 1920 for all of America, women could vote – so at that time, their names began to show up in Voter Registration records. Some states had passed women’s suffrage laws prior to 1920, but just a few. To be complete – women in some states in the late 1700s had voting rights until they were all taken away by 1807. The given name of a woman is sometimes included in the voter registration record. If a man and a woman with the same last name lived at the same address on the registration list, one could surmise that they were married to each other, or they could be siblings or have a parent-child relationship. But there is a good possibility that they may be married to each other, providing more clues.
- Nativity – again in the 1800s, the place of birth is entered, which is especially helpful for finding naturalized immigrants.
- Physical Characteristics – in a few states, the voter registration form includes the applicant’s age, height, complexion, eye, and hair color, as well as any distinguishing marks or scars.
- Political party or affiliation – usually abbreviated as Dem or Rep, but you will find other party names as well in addition to “None”. Remember that Democrats and Republicans from years ago did not necessarily align with the same principles as the parties do today.
- Migration – a few voter registration forms include a question regarding how long the voter lived in the state, the county, and the precinct. This can be useful to determine when they moved, which can help determine their whereabouts for additional research.
Most of the voter registration records are still in paper form or have been microfilmed. There is quite a bit online though, and I am capturing those links and they are below. The paid subscription sites such as Ancestry, Fold3, My Heritage, and FindMyPast have voter registration collections also.
Below are links to voter records available online. Unfortunately, some just list the voter’s name. Although that is sparse information it can help you find a person’s residence at a certain point in time, again helpful to find where ancestors resided between the census years.
Note: There may appear to be duplicate titles in the links. This is because there are scanned images of an original typed list or scanned images of original applications, and also a transcribed copy of a voter registration list.
Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Alabama Voter Records
- Alabama (Most Counties) Voter Registration Records Database 1867
- Alabama (Most Counties) Voter Registration Records Database 1875
- Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards, 1834-1981
- Autauga County, Poll Tax Records, 1902-1930
- Autauga County, Registration Book of Voters, 1908-1918
- Baldwin County Election Returns & Voters, 1820
- Baldwin County Voter’s Registration 1916
- Baldwin County Voters List 1813
- Baldwin County Voters List 1817
- Barbour County, Alabama, Poll Tax Records, 1892-1908
- Bibb County, Record of Registered Voters, 1920-1951
- Blount County Voting Registers, 1894-1956
- Blount County, Tax Records, 1860-1960
- Butler County Election Returns and Voters 1820
- Butler County Voter Records
- Cahaba County, Election Returns & Voters 1820
- Cahaba County, Election Returns & Voters 1820
- Calhoun County Register of Voters, 1906-1942
- Chilton County, Poll Tax, 1901-1940
- Clarke County, Election Returns and Voters 1820
- Clarke County, Poll Tax Record Book, 1897-1914
- Clay County, Voting Registers, 1906-1936
- Coffee County, Registered Voters, 1908-1926
- Conecuh County, Election Returns and Voters 1820
- Conecuh County, Alphabetical Registration of Voters, 1908-1916
- Conecuh County, Poll Tax Records, 1920-1932
- Covington County Voters
- Crenshaw County Qualified Voter List 1928
- Crenshaw County, Registration Records, 1902-1933
- Dallas County, Poll Taxes, 1901-1950
- DeKalb County, Alphabetical List of Registered Voters, 1902-1930
- DeKalb County, Registration and Poll Tax Records, 1901-1969
- Elmore County Registration of Voters 1908-1926
- Fayette County Voter Registration 1908
- Fayette County, Voter Registration 1867
- Fayette County, Voter Registration 1867
- Henry County Election Records 1884, 1900
- Jefferson County List of Registered Voters, 1914-1932
- Lamar County, Voters Register, 1901-1919
- Limestone County, Registration of Voters, 1903-1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914-1916, 1919-1933, 1936-1941, 1903-1941
- Lowndes County, Voter’s Register, 1901-1933
- Madison County, Owens Cross Roads Voters List 1902-1926
- Madison County, Voter Registration Cards and Registers, 1901-1975
- Marion County Voter Records
- Mobile County Voter Records
- Mobile County Voting Records and Women Voter Lists 1920-1921
- Mobile County, Voter Registration Oath Book, V. 1, and Poll Tax Cards, ca. 1870-1981
- Monroe County, Election Returns and Voters 1820
- Morgan County Voters Registration Records 1922-1935
- Morgan County, Decatur, Voters’s Registration Records, 1902-1915
- Morgan County, Poll Tax List, 1901-1943
- Perry County, Marion Voters 1828
- Perry County, List of Registered Voters, 1902-1920
- Perry County, Poll Tax Records, 1868-1929
- Pickens County, Registers of Voters, 1908-1931
- Shelby County Voter Records
- Shelby County, Loose Court Files, Drawer 17-A, 1850-1917
- Shelby County, Loose Court Files, Drawer 41-A, 1848-1906
- Shelby County, Tax Books, 1840-1924
- Shelby County, Registration of Voters, 1908-1924
- Sumter County Voter List 1845
- Sumter County, Marriages 1839-1841, Wills 1833-1841, Minutes 1839-1841, Polls 1834-1836
- Sumter County, Records, 1833-1841
- Sumter County, List of Registered Voters, 1902-1940
- Talladega County List of Registered Voters, 1902-1927
- Talladega County, Poll Tax Records, 1901-1954
- Tallapoosa County, Registration Roll for Voters, 1902-1923
- Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Poll Tax Records, 1901-1945
- Walker County Voter Registration and Loyalty Oaths, 1867
- Washington County List of Registered Voters 1901
- Wilcox County, Voter List 1860
- Wilcox County, Poll Tax Records, 1886-1906
- Wilcox County, Register of Voters, 1908 and 1912
- Winston County Voter Registration and Loyalty Oaths, 1867
For links to other states go to the Voter Records page.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!