# Voter Supplement Missingness

**URL:** <https://forum.ipums.org/t/voter-supplement-missingness/6066>\
**Category:** CPS\
**Created:** [August 27, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/voter-supplement-missingness/6066 "2024-08-27T23:32:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Benjamin\_Gelman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Benjamin\_Gelman](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Benjamin_Gelman)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/voter-supplement-missingness/6066/1 "2024-08-27T23:32:51Z")

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I am interested in tracking voter turnout by income over the years. When I download the VOTED variable from the Voter Supplement, even when I select for multiple years, all the responses are NA unless they are from the year 2022. Additionally, there appear to be no observations that have neither total family income or turnout as NA. Why is this? It feels like it is maybe an issue with how I am downloading the data? I am downloading it as a .sav file and reading it into R using the haven package.

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**Author:** ![Isabel\_Pastoor](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.ipums.org/isabel_pastoor/32/788_2.png) [@Isabel\_Pastoor](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Isabel_Pastoor)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 7:04pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/voter-supplement-missingness/6066/2 "2024-08-28T19:04:25Z")

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The variable [VOTED](https://cps.ipums.org/cps-action/variables/VOTED#codes_section) is [available](https://cps.ipums.org/cps-action/variables/VOTED#availability_section) in the [CPS Voter Supplement](https://cps.ipums.org/cps/voter_sample_notes.shtml). IPUMS CPS offers data from the Voter Supplement from 1976-2022. The Voter Supplement is fielded every other year in November. Only samples from November of even years between 1976 and 2022 will include Voter Supplement data. To include Voter Supplement data in your IPUMS CPS extract, be sure to include samples from November of even years between 1976 and 2022. In your most recent IPUMS CPS extract, I see you have included several samples. Just one of these samples, November 2022, is from November of an even year between 1976 and 2022. For the other samples you selected, the Voter Supplement was not fielded during those months. In the extract system, to select other samples that do include the Voter Supplement, click select samples (this button will say change samples if you have already selected samples).

 ![Screenshot 2024-08-28 at 10.28.41 AM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/ipums/original/1X/f00760147ddeeb402b86d5703596b68e5d701f04.png)

Then, click basic monthly → click supplement topics → click voter.

 ![Screenshot 2024-08-28 at 10.29.36 AM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/ipums/original/1X/fe2d48ee9c58bb797263ef247757dc3680f44809.png)

You will see a menu to select IPUMS CPS samples that include data from the Voter Supplement.

 ![Screenshot 2024-08-28 at 10.30.49 AM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/ipums/original/1X/c33b1812bffe9da83774369d6f31243df1e8490b.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Benjamin\_Gelman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Benjamin\_Gelman](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Benjamin_Gelman)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 3:31am UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/voter-supplement-missingness/6066/3 "2024-08-29T03:31:09Z")

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Thank you!