Searching Voter Rolls For Dead Voters? Try The Social Security Death Master File!

 

By Brock Simmons

Are you one of the many citizen sleuths crosschecking voter data bases with death data bases to see how many dead people voted in the 2020 election? While a number of tools are being used, perhaps one of the most largest and most powerful data bases is the federal Social Security Death Master File, which contains basic information on everyone who has died over the last two-plus centuries. Of course the information gets more accurate as the years wear on, but it has records going back to the 1700’s.

There are a few different ways of accessing this information. For the most up-to-date information, you can blow $1855 by ordering it through the Social Security office. In These Unprecedented Times™ you can rest assured they will drag their feet for months before handing over the files.

One of the best free resources is a search database created by Steve Morse. It allows you to search a variety of different ways, be it by name, birth date, death date, city, and state. It quickly brings up the information using a search engine of your choice from databases. Here’s a screenshot of ol’ Grampa Simmons listed:

Another free resource was posted by a guy who paid his money for the files but wanted the public to have access it. He migrated the database into a searchable web format on ssdi.info. You can search by name or SSN. It will give you the name, SSN, and year of death. It may also tell you where the person was born and whom the person may have married. You can also download the raw files, but they may be a little hard for certain applications to interpret. The info is only current up to 2014, so it’s a little outdated, but considering many of the Michigan voters died decades ago, there’s still a good chance you’ll find what you’re looking for. Here’s what it shows for ol’ Grampa Simmons:

You can also use FamilySearch.org, but it makes you sign up for an account.

Geneologybank.com is another one that has searchable information, but you need to sign up for an account to get anything beyond basic information, which they may or may not have.

For those of you using Paste Bin to share info, they are removing data that people post about dead voters. If you find documents on Pastebin, you can download the information after signing up for an account, which is quick and easy to do.

Happy sleuthing!