Evergreen Reporter

The Voter Reference Foundation has added Washington State to its voter transparency website, VoterRef.com, the nonprofit organization said in a news release.

The goal of the online voter registration database is to increase transparency by maintaining an updated file of registered voters and their most accurate information, the news release said.

"It is the mission of the Voter Reference Foundation to ensure transparent, accurate and fair elections in the United States," Voter Reference Foundation Executive Director Gina Swoboda said in a statement. "Publishing voter registration data increases transparency which will help to restore public confidence.” 

The group also added Missouri and Rhode Island to the database. The new additions bring the total number of U.S. states on the database to to 25, plus the District of Columbia. 

VRF believes voter list transparency is a key component of restoring public trust in elections. Its database is the first of its kind to use publicly available data in an effort to shed light and track voter maintenance issues on a national scale, the news release said. 

"VoteRef.com is a permanent reference source operated by VRF," the news release said. "Those who access the website can search by name or address for registered voters. They also will be able to examine voter histories--a list of elections that voters participated in, as well as other important election data obtained via official sources"      

 With the goal of eventually including all 50 states, VRF says it hopes that states will, eventually, take on the responsibility of keeping their records up-to-date and online 24/7. Through the process of reviewing certified election data, the database has the ability to show the discrepancy between number of voters and number of votes cast. Detected discrepancies indicate the need for better record keeping and accountability, the organization said.