{"id":2225,"date":"2025-12-02T13:42:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T20:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/new-mexico\/?post_type=work&#038;p=2225"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:42:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T19:42:36","slug":"u-s-v-oliver","status":"publish","type":"work","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/new-mexico\/work\/u-s-v-oliver\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. v. Oliver"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2225","work","type-work","status-publish","hentry","work_type-litigation"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"The Trump Administration has sued several states, including New Mexico, in an attempt to collect non-public voter files with sensitive voter data \u2013 now, Common Cause has been granted a motion to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of New Mexico. ","featured_image":"","work_type":183,"related_issues":false,"location":34},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<h2><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW151501256 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"Title\">Common Cause Granted Motion to Intervene in Lawsuit by DOJ Demanding\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW151501256 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"Title\">New Mexico<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW151501256 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"Title\">\u00a0Voter File<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Common Cause filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the\u00a0Department of Justice against\u00a0New Mexico\u00a0that demands it hand over its voter file. A district court has\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">granted our motion<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, meaning Common Cause is now\u00a0party\u00a0to the lawsuit, and we are\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">seeking its dismissal<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<h2>The Statutory Authority of States to Protect Sensitive Voter Files<\/h2>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">By law, states, not the federal government, have the authority to\u00a0maintain\u00a0their voter files, which\u00a0contain\u00a0sensitive information including full names, addresses, dates of birth, driver\u2019s\u00a0license\u00a0and partial Social Security numbers. However, the Trump administration has been on a quest to collect these databases to assemble their own master voter file, a move that\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">threatens the integrity of our elections<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">risks disenfranchising<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">many Americans<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<h2>Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver and the Defense of New Mexico\u2019s Secure Elections<\/h2>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Most of these states, including\u00a0New Mexico, have resisted pressure from the DOJ to hand over voter data.\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.krqe.com\/news\/politics-government\/u-s-department-of-justice-sues-new-mexico-secretary-of-state-over-disclosure-of-voter-lists\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">New Mexico\u00a0Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver\u00a0rejected the demand and stood up for the integrity of New Mexico\u2019s elections<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, calling them \u201cthe most secure, accurate, and voter-focused in the entire nation<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u201d\u00a0Now,\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0among the several states\u00a0being sued for\u00a0the voter file<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0by the\u00a0Trump\u00a0administration. In response, Common Cause has filed motions to intervene in several of these lawsuits. Our motion in\u00a0New Mexico\u00a0was granted.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<p aria-level=\"2\"><strong>What\u2019s\u00a0next in this case?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Moving forward,\u00a0the State of New Mexico, Common Cause, and its partners are seeking the dismissal of this lawsuit, which would reject the Trump administrations\u00a0attempt\u00a0to collect this sensitive data.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<p aria-level=\"2\"><strong>What is at risk if the DOJ gets ahold of state voter files?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trump has repeatedly signaled his willingness to undermine our democracy to stay in power. Whether\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fbi-georgia-elections-office-fulton-county-28e736037521b17197760d2394f0ab43\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">continuing to spread disproven conspiracies about the 2020 election<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/07\/nx-s1-5704400\/what-does-it-mean-when-the-president-calls-to-nationalize-the-voting\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">calling on Republicans to \u201cnationalize the voting,\u201d<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0he has shown\u00a0time and again\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">winning is more important to him than a fair and free democracy<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Demanding state voter files is another attempt to undermine states\u2019 statutory power to manage elections, and the disenfranchisement that the Trump administration could carry out with a master national voter file is deeply concerning.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">A list like this could be used to conduct\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">strategic and widespread purges<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0of eligible voters from voter rolls, including purges that are targeted based on factors like location, age, and gender in an effort to gain a\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">partisan advantage<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<h2>Voter Intimidation and the Impact of DOJ-DHS Data Sharing<\/h2>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Department of Homeland Security\u2019s cruel attacks on immigrants and communities of color, regardless of their citizenship status, a potential federal database like this poses even greater risk \u2013 already, the DOJ <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/stateline.org\/2025\/09\/12\/doj-is-sharing-state-voter-roll-lists-with-homeland-security\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">has acknowledged<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0that it is\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">sharing voter information with DHS<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Knowing that the federal government has collected a database of sensitive information could intimidate potential voters from these communities and prevent them from registering to vote.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_accordion","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_accordion":{"heading":"","panels":[{"panel_heading":"Why is Common Cause involved in the DOJ lawsuit against New Mexico?","panel_copy":""},{"panel_heading":"What did Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver say about New Mexico's voter rolls?","panel_copy":""},{"panel_heading":"What sensitive information is included in New Mexico\u2019s non-public voter file?","panel_copy":""},{"panel_heading":"How does a national voter database impact the 2026 midterm elections?","panel_copy":"A centralized federal voter database could facilitate <b data-path-to-node=\"24\" data-index-in-node=\"127\">targeted voter purges<\/b>. Critics believe the administration could use this data to remove eligible voters from the rolls based on demographics like age or location to gain a partisan advantage in the upcoming <b data-path-to-node=\"24\" data-index-in-node=\"334\">2026 midterm elections<\/b>, undermining the principle of a fair and free democracy."},{"panel_heading":"How does DOJ and DHS information sharing affect immigrant communities?","panel_copy":"The DOJ has admitted to <b data-path-to-node=\"25\" data-index-in-node=\"98\">sharing voter information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)<\/b>. This cooperation creates a significant risk for immigrants and communities of color in New Mexico, as the existence of a federal database may be used to intimidate legal residents and discourage them from registering to vote or participating in elections."}]}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_take_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_take_action":{"heading":"Take Action","button_text":"","manually_curate":false,"action":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_banner","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_banner":{"use_donate_banner":true,"title":"Title [highlight]with highlighting[\/highlight] and additional text.","button":null,"image":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_related_articles","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_related_articles":{"heading":"Updates","button_text":"See all Related Articles","manually_curate":false,"articles":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_resources","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_resources":{"heading":"Related Resources","button_text":"See all Related Resources","manually_curate":false,"resource":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_press","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_press":{"heading":"Press","button_text":"","manually_curate":false,"press":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_events","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_events":{"heading":"Events"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_our_experts","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_our_experts":{"heading":"","manually_curate":false,"people":null}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>U.S. v. 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