Transparency fosters trust. That’s why we read food labels and check out the deed to the house we’re buying. And, in New Mexico’s election system, it’s why the law allows you to inspect voter registration records.
Recently, federal Judge James Browning ordered New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Attorney General Hector Balderas to stop threatening an election transparency organization that was giving New Mexicans the ability to verify the accuracy and integrity of state voter records.
I’m the President of Restoration Action, which created the Voter Reference Foundation. We sued to vindicate your rights and we’re heartened that the judge ruled as he did.
But we had more than just state law on our side. The National Voter Registration Act is a federal law requiring every state to allow public inspection of records involving voter registration.
Sadly, Secretary of State Oliver thinks she’s special – she can see the records, not the public. Secretary Oliver believes that she and she alone should determine who can view voter registration records. It’s wrong and it’s illegal. And it’s no way to lead.
I was raised here in New Mexico. Later, as a cadet at West Point, I lived by the honor code that said, "A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." Later, as a U.S. Army officer, I learned that people are more likely to follow leaders who act with integrity, which includes being transparent whenever possible.
Why is transparency in elections important? In our divided nation, trust in government is vanishing faster than morning fog on a hot summer day. We expect transparency from the people who administer elections and who manage the voter rolls. And we want voter records to be as accurate.
Being able to confirm voter registrations online allows you to see if your registration is still valid and that your name and address are listed correctly. But there’s more.
Imagine you live next door to a widow who takes your packages in when you’re not home, sends over soup when you’re sick, and laments how isolated she feels living alone in the house where she and her late husband raised their kids. With the ability to review the public records of voters in your neighborhood, you check one day and see that seven people unrelated to your neighbor are registered to vote at her address. That’s voter fraud. It’s not a myth – it really happens. You can report it to election authorities.
Our organization asks for voter files from each state and then posts the information on our website. The transparency of these records fosters trust in the system. You don’t have to take the government’s word for it – you can check all the information for yourself.
Since our work began in 2021, we’ve published voter rolls in 30 states, representing more than half the U.S population. It’s unprecedented. National tech and economic writer Jeffrey Carter characterized our work as a “killer election reform,’’ allowing the public to “crowdsource” the lists to make them more accurate.
The project is managed by an elections professional who previously worked in the election division of the Arizona Secretary of State's office. She ensures that victims of domestic violence and others protected by law have their information removed. And how someone voted is always a secret. We only post what was already public and politicians should’ve done it years ago.
In New Mexico, our court victory is just the beginning. More politicians will fight to keep voters in the dark. They’ll use your tax dollars to file appeals, even though the law is on our side.
Ranger School is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer. When I graduated and earned the Ranger tab, I knew I could overcome odds and withstand adversity. That’s exactly what we’ll do in the effort to bring transparency to voter records.
Because transparency breeds trust.
Doug Truax is the Founder and President of Restoration Action, the sponsor of the Voter Reference Foundation. This article was originally published at www.riograndesun.com.
