Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), filed a lawsuit against Democrat officials in New Mexico on Monday to secure the publication of the state’s voter rolls.
The election integrity group exists to ensure “transparent, accurate, and fair elections in the United States.” A key practice to accomplishing the mission of VRF is providing online voter rolls to the public. However, the watchdog group alleges that Secretary of State Maggie Oliver, D-N.M., “made public statements that characterize VRF’s publication of the voter rolls as illegal.”
Voter Reference Foundation published the electoral register in December, but the company received pushback from Oliver and Democrat Attorney General Hector Balderas.
Furthermore, the two state officials opined that this action broke state law and is subject to a criminal investigation. Nevertheless, VRF argues that the “taxpayers of New Mexico pay for election administration, and they have an absolute right to view the records that are produced.”
Consequently, New Mexico citizens cannot obtain information pertaining to voting records as they did prior to the state’s decision. In response, Doug Truax, the founder of Restoration Action, stated that trust in the American election system is at a low point because of a “lack of transparency.”
The First Amendment lawsuit contends that the New Mexico state law violates the First and Fifth Amendments. The plaintiffs in the case state that the law is “too vague” and “fails to give notice as to what uses are permissible and which are prohibited.”
VRF has issued the electoral rolls for 22 states including Washington, D.C. since its opening in 2021. Pending litigation, VRF will remove New Mexico’s voting rolls from its website until a judge rules otherwise.
The legal battle serves as another reminder that election accountability is a major concern of voters across the nation.
