Current:Home > ScamsFederal judge decries discrimination against conservative group that publishes voters’ information-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Federal judge decries discrimination against conservative group that publishes voters’ information
View Date:2024-12-24 10:41:08
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge says New Mexico election regulators and prosecutors discriminated against a Republican-backed group in refusing access to voter registration rolls.
The Friday ruling bars the state from refusing to turn over voter data to Voter Reference Foundation, bolstering the group’s efforts to expand a free database of registered voters so that groups and individuals can take it upon themselves to try to find potential irregularities or fraud.
State prosecutors plan to appeal the ruling, said Lauren Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Justice.
The VoteRef.com website recently restored New Mexico listings to its searchable database of registered voters — including street addresses, party affiliations and whether voters participated in recent elections.
Election officials in several states and privacy advocates have raised alarms about a push by several conservative groups to gain access to state voter rolls. They say the lists could find their way into the hands of malicious actors and that voters could be disenfranchised through intimidation, possibly by canceling their registrations to avoid public disclosure of their home addresses and party affiliation.
But Albuquerque-based U.S. District Court Judge James Browning ruled that state election regulators engaged in viewpoint-based discrimination and free speech violations in denying the Voter Reference Foundation access to voter data and by referring the matter to state prosecutors.
The foundation’s VoteRef.com database includes voter information spanning more than 32 states and the District of Columbia. It is run by Gina Swoboda, chair of the Arizona Republican Party and organizer of former President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign in Arizona.
Browning previously ruled that New Mexico authorities violated public disclosure provisions of the National Voter Registration Act by refusing to provide voter rolls to the same foundation, overriding a provision of a state law that restricts the use of voter registration data.
The VoteRef.com site doesn’t list whom people voted for. It preserves confidentiality under a program that shields victims of domestic violence or stalking.
Addresses also remain confidential for more than 100 publicly elected or appointed officials in New Mexico, including Democrats and Republicans, enrolled in a separate safety program enacted in the aftermath of drive-by shootings on the homes of local lawmakers in Albuquerque in December 2022 and January 2023.
veryGood! (126)
Related
- Demure? Brain rot? Oxford announces shortlist for 2024 Word of the Year: Cast your vote
- Can Iceberg Surges in the Arctic Trigger Rapid Warming at the Other End of The World?
- As Extreme Fires Multiply, California Scientists Zero In on How Smoke Affects Pregnancy and Children
- Summer of '69: When Charles Manson Scared the Hell Out of Hollywood
- Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters
- In the Crossroads State of Illinois, Nearly 2 Million People Live Near Warehouses Shrouded by Truck Pollution
- Today's Jill Martin Shares Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- All the Tragedy That Has Led to Belief in a Kennedy Family Curse
- Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue and Billy Porter to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
- Here's the Reason Why Goldie Hawn Never Married Longtime Love Kurt Russell
Ranking
- Taylor Swift's Mom Andrea Gives Sweet Nod to Travis Kelce at Chiefs Game
- Carlee Russell's Parents Confirm Police Are Searching for Her Abductor After Her Return Home
- A New Battery Intended to Power Passenger Airplanes and EVs, Explained
- Vanderpump Rules' Raquel Leviss Leaves Mental Health Facility After 2 Months
- What that 'Disclaimer' twist says about the misogyny in all of us
- On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities
- From the Frontlines of the Climate Movement, A Message of Hope
- On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities
Recommendation
-
NYC bans unusual practice of forcing tenants to pay real estate brokers hired by landlords
-
States Test an Unusual Idea: Tying Electric Utilities’ Profit to Performance
-
On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities
-
SunZia Southwest Transmission Project Receives Final Federal Approval
-
What Happened to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Character? John Dutton’s Fate Revealed
-
America’s Forests Are ‘Present and Vanishing at the Same Time’
-
Bracing for Climate Impacts on Lake Erie, the Walleye Capital of the World
-
Stanley Tucci Addresses 21-Year Age Gap With Wife Felicity Blunt