Voter data including voter tags, absentee/early vote updates and specific voter information may be uploaded into Data Center using Tools > Upload New Data. The Upload Tool processes text files and Excel workbooks in CSV, XLS and XLSX formats.
A successful upload depends on the quality of the field values used for record matching. Matching on voter identifiers including RNC ID (Client ID), RNC Registration ID (RNC Reg ID), State Voter Id and Voter Key (Data Center's Voter ID key) will result in exact matches with database records. The Upload Tool will standardize the provided name, address and phone number field values to determine the best record match.
Follow these tips for setting up new upload files:
The file must contain unique column names.
Remove any unnecessary punctuation, including commas and quotation marks, from records to prevent any parsing errors.
Remove any records which contain missing or insufficient matching field values.
If matching on RNC Reg ID, all records must contain a value in the unique identifier format.
Use separate fields for first name, last name, street address, city, state and zip code when possible.
Full names will be parsed into first, middle and last name values, but separate field values for first name and last name will yield better matching results.
In addition, specific field values may be required for uploading to different voter data.
Multiple Voter Tags
A column containing the value to be mapped by tag name must be provided.
Absentee/Early Vote
Separate columns containing properly formatted dates for Requested Absentee Ballot, Returned Absentee Ballot and Early Voted must be provided.
Email Addresses
A valid email address must be provided with each record.
Phone Numbers
A valid phone number with Area Code and Phone Number in separate columns or a full ten-character phone number must be provided.
Party ID
Only Observed Party values may be updated in a voter record, and the Party Code must match the existing Observed Party values for the state.
The Help Desk can assist you with specific issues regarding setting up your upload files and troubleshoot any errors reported in the Upload Queue after file processing.