New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, today (June 30) released the following statement about President Donald Trump’s bogus “election integrity” committee:
“My office has not yet received the letter from President Trump’s election commission requesting the personal information of New Mexico voters. That being said, I will never release the personally identifiable information of New Mexico voters protected by law, including their social security number and birth date. Further, I will not release any other voter information like names, addresses or voting history unless and until I am convinced the information will not be used for nefarious or unlawful purposes, and only if I am provided a clear plan for how it will be secured. As New Mexico’s Chief Election Official, I will continue to ensure the integrity of our elections while protecting the voting rights and personal privacy of our voters.”
When Trump announced his Advisory Commission on Election Integrity earlier this year, Toulouse Oliver said:
“If President Trump truly wants to boost Americans’ confidence in the integrity of our elections, he should stop making false claims of rampant voter fraud. President Trump’s voter fraud allegations are simply not true and they are doing real damage to our democracy. I fear that Trump’s Commission will be nothing more than a Trojan Horse used to justify partisan efforts making it harder to vote.”
Toulouse Oliver may have difficulty controlling the release and usage of the public records, however. The New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act requires that she release public voter records upon request (but not those protected by law as her statement outlines). It also prevents public officials from asking those making requests what they intend to do with the records.
But, to use her words, that being said she can still make it difficult on those seeking the records, such as requiring them to pay in advance a “reasonable” charge for assembling the records and putting them on a CD. It’s possible she could also refuse to send the information by mail and require that it be picked up in person at her office.
Toulouse Oliver could also ask the state’s Attorney General, also a Democrat, whether the request coming from a federal government commission represents a constitutional infringement on state’s rights since voting procedures and policies are left to the states.