Washington DC — A federal court on Friday found that New Mexico's voter data use rules violate the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), ruling that the right-wing group Voter Reference Foundation has the right to obtain voter information. was lowered. Some of the claims in the lawsuit are expected to proceed to trial.
The group has a video on its website with a voiceover shouting, “American elections are not secure.” This is not a fringe conspiracy, but a fact,” and that access to voter information is needed to “provide public access to official government data on elections, including voter registration rolls.” claims.
In 2021, the Voter Reference Foundation, an organization dedicated to public voter information, provides information on registered voters in New Mexico, including their name, registered address, date of registration, year of birth, party affiliation, registration status, precinct and vote. Information has been posted online. Participation history. Shortly after, Deputy Secretary of State Sharon Pino wrote a letter to the New Mexico Attorney General asking for possible prosecution for violations of New Mexico law governing how voter data can be used.
The group then filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of State, arguing that the potential criminal prosecution violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and violates its right to free speech. Today, the court concluded that the Secretary of State's refusal to provide this information violates the NVRA.
A 329-page summary judgment order issued Friday determined that the group is entitled to information that the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office previously refused to disclose. The court ruled that the public inspection provisions of the National Voter Registration Act preempted state law and that the Secretary of State violated the NVRA by denying the Voter Information Foundation access to voter information. The question of whether the Secretary of State's office unconstitutionally targeted the group for “considered political ideology” will proceed to court.
The decision comes in the wake of a growing number of right-wing lawsuits seeking access to states' voter rolls ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Just last month, the Voter Reference Foundation filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania challenging the state's ban on sharing voter list information.
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