Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chairwoman Gina Swoboda secured a favorable court ruling for her election integrity group, the Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), and will gain access to New Mexico voter roll data.
U.S. District Court Judge James Browning in New Mexico made a ruling last week in the case brought against that state by the VRF that was largely favorable to Swoboda’s group, with reports indicating VRF was given permission to post voter rolls online and was given access to voter information previously withheld by the New Mexico Secretary of State.
Swoboda (pictured above) said her organization was “very gratified that the court has upheld the right of the public to have meaningful access to vote rolls” in a statement to the media.
She explained, “The intent of the public disclosure provision of the National Voter Registration Act is clear: namely, to allow the public to view the voter lists and associated list maintenance records to ensure proper voter list maintenance is being conducted.”
Swoboda’s organization previously posted New Mexico voter rolls online in 2021, prompting Deputy Secretary of State Sharon Pino to raise the possibility of criminal prosecution in a letter to the state’s attorney general. The VRF lawsuit against the secretary of state was reportedly launched originally in response to the legal threat.
Previously, the AZOP 3rd vice chair, the chairwoman, was elected in a decisive January victory after the party’s former chairman resigned amid an alleged bribery scandal.
In February, Swoboda said her election integrity experience could give Arizona Republicans an edge in potential 2024 legal battles.
“I’m a certified election official and I’ve helped administer elections,” explained Swoboda. “I know what’s supposed to be happening, I know when things are not supposed to be happening, or when we should be doing things that we are not doing.”
Swoboda also pledged to aggressively litigate voting issues before Election Day.
“I need to litigate, we need to litigate, we need to protect ourselves from lawfare – that’s how they weakened the system in 2020 and we didn’t see them coming,” Swoboda told Steve Bannon in a January appearance on War Room.
Donors have supported the chairwoman’s progress, as the party revealed it had already raised nearly $250,000 about one month after Swoboda was elected to lead the AZGOP.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gina Swoboda” by Gina Swoboda.
