Editorial: Online voter data – transparency vs. privacy concerns – By Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board (Albuquerque Journal) / Aug 3, 2022
The Voter Reference Foundation says its searchable online voter database is “to ensure fair elections by providing voters with full transparency and easy access to voting records, which historically have been difficult to obtain.”
That’s true. You’ve pretty much had to be a political insider to access voter registration lists, which required a written request for the information and a signed affidavit it would only be used for government/election purposes.
But not anymore. If you were registered to vote in New Mexico in April 2021, your name, address, birth year, party affiliation, registration status and date and voting precinct are a few keystrokes away, online at VoteRef.com — as well as whether you voted in the 2020 general election. (The online records do not say for which candidates people voted.)
For critics, that’s way too much personal information aggregated in one spot. And N.M.’s election regulators say it’s already having a chilling effect on voter engagement.
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