Skip to Content
Network for Public Health Law
Public Health Emergency: Legal Preparedness and Response

State ex. rel. Riddle v. Oliver

by

Overview

State ex. rel. Riddle v. Oliver (Supreme Court of New Mexico, May 6, 2021): Plaintiffs, 27 New Mexico county clerks, filed an emergency request to compel the Secretary of State to mail ballots to registered voters in New Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of granting this request, the court required the Secretary of State to mail absentee ballot applications to all eligible New Mexico voters. The court first expounded that the Secretary could only mail ballots after a direct request from individual voters. Nevertheless, the court found that the Secretary could, and indeed had a duty to, mail applications for absentee ballots to those eligible given her duty to “exercise her power to the fullest extent of the law to promote the safety of election workers and voters while conducting the June 2020 primary election.” Read the full decision here.

View all cases in the Judicial Trends in Public Health – July 16, 2021.

View all cases under “Public Health Emergency: Legal Preparedness & Response.”