Dave Carver of New Jersey was a senior pharmaceutical executive with decades of experience in federally regulated data and software, with a gift for spotting anomalies and irregularities in data. As a longtime volunteer sports coach, he also knows how to build a multi-partisan team. These two skill sets have merged into Dave’s mission in his retirement to ensure the accuracy of New Jersey’s voter rolls.
Simple, yet genius – Dave has created a county-based system to identify inaccurate voter registrations in each New Jersey county. First, he receives a monthly voter registration report from the state. He and his team then use software to compare the state data with county voter rolls. And, surprise! The two databases never match.
The second step is to compile the inconsistent information and present it (as Cleta always says, “be right and polite”) to the local election officials. Dave and his team have intentionally created collegial relationships with these offices, and most county officials appreciate the information, resources and tools Dave provides to help the election officials do their jobs better. Dave and his fellow volunteers have produced real results, and can show that their program does work. Inaccurate registrations are being removed from the rolls in New Jersey: duplicates, dead people, and other entries that should not be included on the voter registration lists are being removed regularly.
As Dave notes to Cleta, “data tells a story.” And Dave’s story serves as a guide for increasing the accuracy of voter rolls around the country.
Dave is an inspiration to all who have toiled in the vineyards trying to make the voter rolls a true reflection of the list of voters eligible to legally vote. Plus, Dave is an inspiration to those who wonder what they can do, since ‘they are just one person…’ Dave is just one person…who is making a giant difference in election integrity.
