Understanding Voter File Download Types in RunningMate

Here, we’ll explain the different types of data included in the RunningMate export options, so users can select the option that best fits their needs.

In RunningMate, there are three types of downloads:

• Registered Data: Selecting this option will create a download that has detailed data about the voting behavior of the registered voters on the list you've filtered for - this includes their primary and general election voting history as well as the districts the person is in. It will also include name and address, date of birth, partisanship and turnout modeling scores, plus race and gender.
• Outreach - Registered Data: Selecting this option will create a download that includes any contact information included in the dataset, along with Civitech columns intended for bulk-adding tags and survey responses. It will not contain the granular voting behavior data the Registered Data download includes.
• Unregistered Data: This download type will export a list of the unregistered people included in the list you've filtered for. The format will be similar to the Outreach - Registered Data, in that it will include any contact information we have but will not include voting history.

Basic Voter Information

These fields include personal details to identify individual voters:

• id: Unique voter ID number. Do not change.
• name_first / name_middle / name_last: First, middle, and last name.
• demo_age: Age of the voter.
• demo_gender: Voter’s identified gender.
• demo_race: Race/ethnicity data (if available).
• demo_race_confidence: How confident the data source is about race/ethnicity.

Voter Registration Status and Intent

These fields show the voter’s registration and voting preferences:

• current_voter_registration_intent: Voter’s intent to register (if known).
• current_support_score: Existing support score - how supportive they are of your candidate or cause (e.g., 1–5 or support/oppose).
  • 1 is for strong support and 5 for strong opposition.
• current_tags: Tags already in the RunningMate system (e.g., “need_yard sign,” “needs_spanish_speaker”).
• demo_party: Political party affiliation (if available).
• registration_status_civitech: Current registration status (active, inactive, etc.).

Contact Information

These fields help you reach out to voters:

• addr_residential_line1 / line2 / line3: Residential address.
• addr_residential_city / state / zip_code: City, state, and ZIP code.
• county_name: County of residence.
• phone_1 / phone_2: Phone numbers.

Voting Participation History

These fields track the voter’s participation in past elections:

• participation_primary_2016–2024: Indicates if the voter participated in primary elections from 2016 to 2024.
• participation_general_2016–2024: Indicates if the voter participated in general elections from 2016 to 2024.

Voting Preferences

These fields provide more detail on voting patterns:

• vote_primary_dem / rep_2016–2024: Participation in Democratic or Republican primaries from 2016 to 2024.
• vote_other_2016–2024: Participation in other elections (non-primary/general)

Geographic and Political Districts

These fields are helpful for organizing outreach based on geography:

• congressional_name: Congressional district name.
• state_house_name / state_senate_name: State legislative district names.
• precinct_name: Voting precinct.
• municipal_name / place_name: Local municipality or city information.
• city_council_name: City council district name.
• voter_type: Currently, you'll see 'Persuasion' for voters we think might be swayed to support your campaign. As we interact with voters, we can update this column. Valid entries are persuasion, base, turnout voters.
  • Persuasion voters are those who are likely to vote, but may need to be convinced to vote for your candidate. They're often considered "swing" voters.
  • Base voters are your strong supporters who are likely to vote for you.
  • TurnOut Voters  are those who are likely to support you but might not consistently vote.

Understanding Columns

Basic Voter Information

• id: Unique voter ID number.
• name_first, name_middle, name_last: Voter’s first, middle, and last name.
• age: Voter’s age.
• gender: Gender information.

Voter Intent & Support Scores

• current_voter_registration_intent: Their current intent to register.
  • Valid responses are yes, no, or undecided.
• new_voter_registration_intent: Update this based on what you learn from outreach.
  • Valid responses are yes, no, or undecided.
• current_support_score: Existing support score - how supportive they are of your candidate or cause (e.g., 1–5 or support/oppose).
  • 1 is for strong support and 5 for strong opposition.
• new_support_score: Add a new score based on outreach (e.g., 1–5 or support/oppose).
  • Support Scores
    • 1 → Strong Support
    • 2 → Support
    • 3 → Neutral/Undecided
    • 4 → Oppose
    • 5 → Strong Oppose

Tags

Tags are used to group voters and can be added prior or during outreach. Here's how they work:

• current_tags: Tags already in the RunningMate system (e.g., “need_yard sign,” “needs_spanish_speaker”).
• new_tag_1, new_tag_2, new_tag_3, etc.: Volunteers add new tags based on outreach conversations (e.g., “needs_follow_up,” “event_invited”).

Contact Information

• addr_residential_line1/line2/line3, city, state, zip_code: Voter’s residential address.
• county_name: County where the voter lives.
• phone_1, phone_2: Voter phone numbers for outreach.

Party & Registration Information

• party_registration: Voter’s registered political party.
• registration_status_civitech: Status of their registration (active, inactive, etc.).

Precinct and Voter Type

• precinct_name: Voter’s local precinct.
• voter_type: Valid entries are persuasion, base, turnout voters
  • Persuasion voters are those who are likely to vote, but may need to be convinced to vote for your candidate. They're often considered "swing" voters.
  • Base voters are your strong supporters who are likely to vote for you.
  • TurnOut Voters  are those who are likely to support you but might not consistently vote.

Personal Information

• id. This is a unique identifier for each record in the system. It allows you to track individual voters or contacts and ensures that every entry is distinct. Do not update
• name_first, name_middle, name_last: Voter’s full name.
• demo_age: Voter’s age.
• demo_gender: Gender of the voter.
• demo_race: Race or ethnicity (if provided).

Voter Status and Support Scores

• current_voter_registration_intent: The current registration intent (values: Yes , No , or Undecided ).
• new_voter_registration_intent: Updated registration intent after outreach.
• score_support_generic_dem: A general support score for Democratic candidates.
• current_support_score and new_support_score: This is where you measure voter stance:
  • 1 = Strong Support
  • 2 = Lean Support
  • 3 = Neutral
  • 4 = Lean Oppose
  • 5 = Strong Oppose

Tags

Tags added in this file will sync back into RunningMate when you upload the data.

Example: If a volunteer discovers someone is an "Early_Voter," they can add this as a new_tag_1 .

• current_tags: These are the tags that already exist in RunningMate for this voter.
• new_tag_1 – new_tag_5: These columns allow users to to add new tags in bulk to the spreadsheet.

Contact Information

• addr_address_primary: Primary address of the client. Used for mail outreach or to segment by geographic location.
• addr_city_primary: Primary city of the client’s address. Helps with geographic segmentation for outreach or targeted communications.
• addr_state_primary: Primary state of the client’s address. Helps in segmenting outreach efforts by region.
• addr_zip_primary: Primary zip code of the client’s address.
• phone_1: Primary phone number of the client. Used for direct communication and follow-up, especially for outreach via calls or SMS.
• email: Email address of the client. Critical for digital communication, including campaign outreach, newsletters, event invitations, and further outreach efforts.