Staff Reports
SANTA FE — U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera dismissed a lawsuit on July 14 brought by the U.S. Department of Justice that sought to obtain the protected personal information of New Mexico’s voters.
The court found that “the DOJ’s Demand Letter fails because it altogether lacks an identifiable ‘basis.’ Nowhere does the DOJ articulate any factual suggestion that New Mexico has violated the National Voter Registration Act or Help America Vote Act, indicate the State has a pattern or practice of noncompliance with the same, nor does it explain how the unredacted PII is necessary to evaluate compliance with the NVRA and HAVA.”
“I am pleased with the court’s decision to dismiss this case. Federal and state legal guardrails on social security numbers and dates of birth exist for the identity protection of every voter in our state,” New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said. “I absolutely will not risk any disclosure of voters’ private data, as it could carry very real and severe consequences for the personal lives of New Mexicans participating in our democratic process.”
As of July 14, the federal U.S. Department of Justice has failed to receive any unredacted voter data through similar lawsuits, with the courts blocking 14 similar cases in other states.
