Knowing voter preferences is vital to how politicians shape their campaigns. Brokers who possess the digital information of voters are, therefore, highly sought by public figures vying for office. They are often ready to pay huge sums of money to these brokers for information on voters. An article by Taylor Giorno published by OpenSecrets looks at the recent developments as the midterms approach. Here is an excerpt:

As midterm elections ramp up, the barrage of texts, emails and other forms of digital outreach have too. Companies that supply campaigns with mountains of personal data on potential voters are a unique facet of American elections, and campaigns and super PACs spend millions of dollars each cycle for intel on voters they hope to reach.

In 2020, federal campaigns, super PACs and special interest groups paid data brokers over $23 million to access veritable treasure troves of data on millions of Americans. As the 2022 midterm elections gear up, OpenSecrets has already tracked about $6 million in payments to brokers from federal candidates and super PACs.

Increased pressure on state and federal legislators to implement regulations to protect user data and restrict the sale of user information could pose a serious roadblock to political groups relying on data brokers to build their campaigns. Politicians and operatives from across the political spectrum rely on data provided by brokers to craft campaign strategies, a strong disincentive to regulate the tool that could give their campaign an edge in the near-constant race for reelection.

Read the full article here.