Excerpted from icitizen.

Executive Summary

With a growing concern about the use or misuse of data, an evolving conversation about the accessibility of data – particularly government data – has emerged. A recent Unlock the VAN poll conducted through icitizen from May 19 – June 6, 2017 found more than eight in 10 (82%) of Americans, and nine in 10 (92%) Democrats, believe that providing Democratic candidates full and equal access to voter data should be a "top" or "moderate" priority for the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

The survey of 1,003 U.S. adults also showed a strong majority of Americans (69%) agree that candidates running for office should be able to access their party’s data using the digital tools they choose. 

DNC & NGP VAN

• Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) Americans agree that candidates running for office should be able to access their party’s data using the digital tools they choose.
  • Those who agree most strongly include males (77%), those highly educated (72%), as well as both Democrats (69%) and Republicans (65%).
• Fully 82% of Americans believe that full and equal access to voter data should be a “top” or “moderate” priority for the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
  • Among its strongest proponents are men under 50 (87%), those highly educated (84%) and Democrats (92%).
• Once told that The Democratic National Committee (DNC) requires candidates seeking access to the Democratic Party’s voter data to do so through the single company, NGP VAN, a plurality of respondents (42%) said the requirement is “unfair” (27% fair, 31% unsure).
  • Of those who said the DNC’s requirement is “unfair,” 48% are men over 49, 47% are Whites and 46% are Republicans.

 “Interestingly, the poll results show there is still a lot of room to educate citizens on this debate, with 31% of the population who are still ‘unsure,’” about the fairness of the DNC’s requirement said Cynthia Villacis, icitizen’s Director of Polling. “Additionally, Democrats are largely scattered on the question about this requirement: 37% of Democrats say it is ‘fair,’ 29% say it is ‘unfair’ and 34% are left ‘unsure.’”

• Finally, a majority of Americans (52%) believe that the DNC’s exclusive, NPG VAN rule is in need of “major reform” (24% minor reform, 9% no reform, 15% unsure).
  • Among the strongest advocates of “major reform” to this rule are seniors (57%) and Republicans (61%).
  • Fifteen percent of respondents are “unsure,” including millennials (21%) and Democrats (16%). This leaves much room for education on this issue, especially emphasizing it’s bipartisan appeal.

“We’re encouraged to see that the coalition’s concerns regarding the DNC’s approach to data and technology are shared by a majority of Americans,” said Alex Stevens, an organizer with Unlock the VAN. “The DNC’s next CTO has a clear task ahead of them: hear the 92% of Democrats who believe that giving their candidates full and equal access to voter data should be a ‘top’ or ‘moderate’ priority for the party.”

Polling Methodology

The survey was conducted online from May 25 – June 6, 2017 among 1,003 U.S. adults who are registered icitizen users nationwide. In order to achieve an accurate demographic representation of the public, the data were weighted to U.S. Census benchmarks for gender, age, race, education, and national benchmarks for party identification. The margin of error for the full sample is 3.09 percentage points, and is higher for subgroups.

Crosstabs

For more information on the poll or polling methodology, please contact Cynthia Villacis, icitizen’s Director of Polling. For more details on the Unlock the VAN movement, please contact Alex Stevens, an organizer for Unlock the VAN.