New Mexico’s top elections official yesterday reported to a legislative committee about the administration of last week’s ballot, and at one point, said that a state lawmaker had made her the target of online attacks.
Those attacks occurred on the social platform, X, where Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced on Saturday through her private account that she intends to quit the social media site as a result, citing what she called quote “hostile, disrespectful, and toxic feedback.”
During yesterday’s meeting before the Courts, Corrections, and Justice committee, Toulouse Oliver didn’t give the name of the legislator, but the Associated Press later reported that Toulouse Oliver accused Republican state Rep. John Block, of Alamogordo, of “helping to foment the anger and some of the nasty comments online.” She did not cite specific posts.
Block was sitting about ten feet from Toulouse Oliver at yesterday’s meeting when she brought up the issue while discussing proposed measures to protect election workers on all levels.
“I am currently experiencing threats . . . harassment," said Toulouse Oliver.
"From even some members of this committee—online, and I want to say that thankfully we do have a law in place that protects me from this behavior, but unfortunately that is not the case for all staff and poll workers.”
Toulouse Oliver told lawmakers at the hearing that she'll advocate for new security measures for state and local election workers to keep their home addresses confidential on government websites.
A law enacted in 2023 offers that confidentiality to elected and appointed public officials.
A 2023 state law made it a fourth-degree felony to intimidate a state or local election official.
Toulouse Oliver said after the hearing that she had been trying, on X, to address some of what she called conspiracy theories about election administration.
In response, she said she was accused of committing treason and told she was "in the crosshairs."
During the hearing, representative John Block had an opportunity to address the accusation, saying that he, too, has been a target of online attacks.
“When it comes to asking people about their political position, I feel like that is something that is okay, not in harassing way," said Block.
"But if it gets to violent threats like you've described that you got, I apologize that that has happened to you and I think that's something that we as a body, hopefully, it can address in the future.”
Toulouse Oliver said she plans to contact law enforcement about the threats.
Portions of this story were adapted from an Associated Press article by Morgan Lee.
