New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is once again at the center of a major election-integrity controversy — this time after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit accusing her of illegally blocking access to the state’s voter registration database. Instead of complying with federal law, Toulouse Oliver — who is campaigning for lieutenant governor — is now attacking the DOJ and framing basic election-integrity oversight as a political assault.
Toulouse Oliver responded on X immediately after the lawsuit was announced, claiming the federal action is “part of the Trump administration’s assault on free and fair elections” and accusing “a weaponized Justice Department” of demanding voter information she insists is protected under state law.
“We have already made available to them the public data federal law requires,” she wrote. “They are seeking access to sensitive data that’s simply not needed to comply with voter list maintenance and which is protected by state law.”
But the DOJ’s complaint — filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico — tells a very different story. As Piñon Post previously reported, the federal government is seeking New Mexico’s full statewide voter registration list (SVRL) as part of an investigation into whether the state is complying with long-standing federal requirements under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
Federal law, the DOJ emphasizes, imposes a “sweeping obligation on election officials” to preserve and provide election records upon request. The complaint cites 52 U.S.C. § 20703 directly: “Any record or paper required… shall, upon demand in writing… be made available for inspection, reproduction, and copying.”
The DOJ says it issued precisely such a demand on September 8, 2025, requiring Toulouse Oliver to provide an electronic copy of the complete voter file — including the name, date of birth, address, and, as required under HAVA, either the voter’s driver’s license number, last four digits of their Social Security number, or other identifying information. That very data, DOJ notes, is explicitly exempt from Privacy Act restrictions when used for election administration.
The Justice Department also made clear in writing that all records would be secured under standard federal privacy safeguards: “The requested records will be maintained consistent with Privacy Act protections.”
Despite those assurances, Toulouse Oliver rejected the lawful request on September 23, claiming state law forbids her from sharing the information. The DOJ states bluntly: “Secretary Toulouse Oliver refused to provide the records requested.”
Federal officials say this refusal directly violates federal election law — and undermines oversight intended to ensure New Mexico is accurately maintaining its rolls and removing ineligible voters. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, announcing the lawsuits filed against New Mexico and five other Democrat-run states, warned that too many states have slipped into “noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon was even more direct:
“Our federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly. States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results. At this Department of Justice, we will not stand for this open defiance of federal civil rights laws.”
The lawsuit seeks a court order finding Toulouse Oliver in violation of federal law and compelling her to turn over the complete voter list within five days of the ruling.
In her public defense, Toulouse Oliver continues to insist that New Mexico runs “the most secure, accurate, and voter-focused” elections in the country — a claim her spokesperson Alex Curtas repeated to local media despite providing no documentation to support it. He argued the state is “legally prevented” from releasing the voter data and that the Secretary “will not compromise the safety of New Mexico’s voter data.”
But the DOJ flatly rejects those talking points, writing that federal statutes override any conflicting state provisions. “The written demand contained a statement of the basis and the purpose therefor,” the complaint states, and as an “officer of election,” Toulouse Oliver is required to comply.
Ultimately, this lawsuit highlights a now-familiar pattern: Toulouse Oliver resisting transparency, fighting federal oversight, and elevating partisan narratives over basic election-integrity obligations. If the court sides with the Justice Department, New Mexico may be forced to turn over the voter registration list immediately—an outcome that would expose just how far Toulouse Oliver went to defy federal law in the name of political posturing.
If she didn’t have anything to hide she wouldn’t be worried and would comply.she has made herself look guilty. HA HA SHEBIS NOT TO SMART
Nailed it!
Busted