FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
14 July 2026
Contact:
Lindsey Bachman
Director of Communications, Legislative and Executive Affairs
New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office
Federal Judge Dismisses U.S. DOJ’s Lawsuit Seeking New Mexican’s Private Voter Data
SANTA FE – U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera dismissed a lawsuit on Tuesday brought by the United States 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 NVRA [National Voter Registration Act] or HAVA [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,” said New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. “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 today, 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.
###