Documentation - Description of Content
Data sources- The Statewide Database (SWDB) consists primarily of data obtained from:
1. Registered voter file (SOR)- SOR information consists of information about registered voters. Organized at the level of the individual, this data is available from individual county registrars and from the Secretary of State's Office in Sacramento. Formats of the data from the several counties tend to be different, though some standardization has occurred in recent years as software vendors have begun providing software. The data from the Secretary of State comes in a uniform format and is available for every county in the state, though its file does not contain all information that is available on the county tapes. The information for a voter typically contains his or her date of birth, sex, address, marital status, affidavit number (the number by which the Secretary of State keeps track of registered voters), registration precinct, partisan affiliation, and sometimes other information such as occupation. Not all of this information may be present for every voter. Statement of Registration data is currently available for the following elections: 1990 General, 1992 General, 1994 General, 1996 General, 1998 Primary and 1998 General. The designation for SOR is RG.
2. Statement of Vote (SOV)- SOV information consists of information pertaining to election results. This information is organized at the level of the election precinct, which is the unit by which electoral results are reported. There are three types of statewide elections, primary, general, and special. Primary elections are held in June of every even-numbered year (though in 1996 this election will be held in March) while general elections are held in November of every even-numbered year, with special elections being (rarely) held at other times. Presidential races (both primary and general) are held every four years and in the alternate even-year (the off-year) state-wide constitutional officers are elected. State offices are Assembly and State Senate. Federal offices are Congress and the United States Senate. On every ballot, there are various initiatives, ballot measures, constitutional amendments, and (rarely) referenda. Additionally, each county or municipality may put other measures on the ballot. Statement of Vote data is currently available for the following elections: 1990 General, 1992 General, 1994 General, 1996 General, 1998 Primary and 1998 General. The designation for SOV is SV.
3. Census Data- Census information consists of information describing population, ethnicity, housing, and other demographic data obtained by the decennial census conducted by the Federal government. This data is tabulated at various levels of the census geography, with some data (PL94-171 and STF1) at the census block level and other data at the block group level (STF3). Census Data is currently available only from the 1990 Census. The designation for PL94-171 data is P9. The designation for STF1 data is S1.
