A federal judge has thrown out a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to force New Mexico to hand over unredacted voter data. State officials called this a big win, saying the demand put voter privacy at risk.
With this ruling from U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera on Tuesday, New Mexico has stopped the federal government from obtaining sensitive personal information, such as full Social Security numbers and birth dates.
In her decision, Herrera wrote that the federal government’s demand “fails because it altogether lacks an identifiable ‘basis.'” She pointed out that the Department of Justice did not show any evidence that New Mexico broke federal voting laws, such as the National Voter Registration Act or the Help America Vote Act. She also said the department did not explain why it needed unredacted personal information to check for compliance.
For people in New Mexico, this dismissal means their private information will stay protected by current state and federal laws.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who strongly opposed the federal lawsuit, said the decision pleased her. “Federal and state legal guardrails on Social Security numbers and dates of birth exist for the identity protection of every voter in our state,” Toulouse Oliver said. She added that she would not risk sharing private data that could have “severe consequences” for voters.
New Mexico is now the 14th state to secure a dismissal in similar federal voter-data cases. The state’s Department of Justice worked with the Secretary of State’s Office to fight the lawsuit.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the ruling shows the federal demand had no legal basis. “New Mexico voters can rest easy knowing their personal information will stay out of this administration’s hands,” Torrez said. He said the state’s elections are conducted with integrity and promised that officials will continue working to protect voter privacy.
