Herrera Highlights NM Balloting Standards in D.C.

A Congressional Subcommittee has chosen New Mexico as model of efficient provisional and overseas balloting.

New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Herrera is heading to Capitol Hill on Wednesday. She's been invited to testify about New Mexico’s provisional balloting process and overseas voting process.

Herrera will appear in front of the House Subcommitte on Elections. The hearing begins at 2pm and can be viewed on a streaming video feed here.

Provisional ballots, in the state, ultimately decided the 2008 Democratic Presidential caucus in New Mexico. That vote was certified by the SOS one day before the deadline.

The trip comes just one week after Heath Haussamen reported the Secretary's website was restored after crashing.

The hearing, titled “Examining Uniformity in Election Standards” intends to obtain as much information as possible about the New Mexico program in order to develop a more robust Federal system.

Herrera said New Mexico’s laws and administrative rules have been recognized as the standard for the development of Federal voting-related laws and guidelines:

It is truly an honor for New Mexico to be considered a model for provisional ballot and overseas balloting procedures.

Herrera said she will continue to pursue legislation that assures every New Mexican the ability to vote.

Our legislation has streamlined provisional balloting and simplified the voting process for our citizens who are out of the country during elections.

Prior to the 2008 General Election, The Secretary of State’s Office issued Uniform Administrative Rules through the New Mexico Administrative Code which standardized the qualification and counting of ballots.

In 2008, The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office procured a partnership with the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) to design a streamlined voter registration/ballot delivery program.

FVAP simplifies the process for Uniformed Service Members and their Families and other United States Citizens residing overseas to complete their voter registration application and absentee ballot request form.


Photo Credit: Mark Bralley

Democrats Re-elect Entire Slate of State Officers

DPNM Chairman Brian Colon

On Saturday, members of the state's Democratic Party Central Steering Committee met at the Kiva Auditorium. By 3pm, they had re-elected each of the party's leaders, including Chairman Brian Colon.

"I'm humbled and honored," said Colón who was nominated for a second term by State Auditor Hector Balderas. Watch Colón's emotional acceptance speech here.

"It's a great day for the Democratic party. They elected the entire slate of statewide officers. They gave them another term. That means they like the direction of the party, they like the direction the country is going to move in under President Obama."

Colón told me the party's leaders will be focused on the 2010 election, and stressed they want a Democrat to win back the one state office held by a Republican. Land Commisioner Pat Lyons, is term-limited and can't run for re-election.

"We know it's a very important office and we want to make sure a Democratic is in it and make sure we protect New Mexico's lands and provide education opportunities our children deserve.

Former Land Commissioner Ray has already confirmed he'll seek the office next year. Powell, who had the post in the early '90s, lost his bid to regain the office in the 2006 Democratic Primary to former Land Commissioner Jim Baca.

Listen to Colón's remarks here:



The elephant in the room, and there have been a lot of elephants and in Albuquerque this week (read about them here and here), was the resolution on Marriage Equality that gay activists have wanted to include in the party's platform.


"It passed," said Democracy for New Mexico blogger Barbara Wold with a big smile on her face. "There was a movement to vote on it on its own, but that was overthrown; so we were happy with that. There was a language change and now it's called Marriage Equality. That's what we wanted. It won by a huge amount to keep it in with the packet and to have everything together."

Southern New Mexico's Al Kissling, who has a background as a minister and who ran for the congressional seat Harry Teague now holds, wanted to keep the resolution out of the platform, but Democrats voted 309-35 to keep it.

"In this case my fellow Democrats support me and respect my relationship with Mary Ellen [Broderick] of twenty years, and respect us as human beings," said Wold.

Wold told me she doesn't think the stronger resolution language will undermine their efforts in Santa Fe, but wouldn't make any predictions on what legislators will do during a special session or during the 2010 legislature.

Wold says Marriage Equality isn't a religious issue, but Kissling says, "the state shouldn’t push a religious rite.”

She attributes the bigotry in New Mexico to the Catholic Church and tradition.

"There's some perception that this will take away from heterosexual marriages. I don't see it that way," said Wold. "It's not about a sacred sacrament. It's about the license and the piece of paper."

"It gives us some legal rights that other people have in their relationships. Hopefully, at some point in the future, we hope to get the same rights on the Federal level," said Wold.

Listen to our interview here:

[For more on the days events and to look at the specifics of the resolution, read Barbara Wold's blog post here]

Colón told us the Democrats sent a message that everyone should be treated equally and fairly.”

Colón said it's time to rethink whether or not government should even be involved in talking about about marriage. That should be a religious institution he said.

"At the end of the day, we need to understand what's religion, and we need to understand what's a governmental entity," Colón told me. "We've blurred that line, when it comes to marriage, because of our history. But, not all of our history is good."

Later, we asked Colón to talk about what NM's Washington delegation should do after this morning's ABQ JOURNAL story on the New Mexico National Guard's Flying Taco's losing their mission after the F-22 Raptors are mothballed.

Colón, along with NM Secretary of State Mary Herrera, will oversee next year's state wide election. We asked him if he's concerned about the legislature failing to fund money for ES&S voting machine upkeep and ballot printing.

"My goal is to make sure every vote counts in New Mexico," said Colón. "And whatever it takes to make that happen is what we should be doing."

He thinks the legislature may have rejected the funding measure as a way to negotiate a better maintenance contract with Herrera and county clerks.

For Pete's Sake:

Tonight, we learned, Senator Linda Lopez announced that she'll enter the 2010 Race for Lieutenant Governor. She told us while viewing John Walsh's America's Most Wanted with family members of the West Mesa Murder victims.

UPDATE: 10 pm

Santa Fe New Mexican Reporter Steve Terrell was also in ABQ to cover today's committee meeting. He posted this report on his blog Roundhouse Roundup.

Colon Photo: MG Bralley

Governor Bill Richardson Gives us "The Word."

After voting in Santa Fe on Thursday, Governor Bill Richardson is back on the road campaigning for Barack Obama.

Traveling in Nevada today, Gov. Richardson called us just after noon. It's the last day of early voting in New Mexico and he's urging voters to get to the polls today. Richardson, who believes the Presidential race is tightening, says no one should be taking anything for granted.

He also said he's confident NM Secretary of State Mary Herrera, and all 33 county clerks are ready for a big turnout on Tuesday.

We asked him about his gaffe on KOA radio in Denver yesterday and he simply says that while he was campaigning in Charlottesville, Virginia (read more about his travel schedule here) when, "I just made a mistake. I've said before that anyone making under $250,000 a year would get a tax cut." He said, he expected the Republicans to jump on it, but that it's ridiculous and a last ditch effort."

Richardson, who announced his own presidential campaign on May 21st in Los Angeles, California, agreed with us that presidential campaigns in the United States are too long. He recommends the country set a time-limit, similar to most European countries and address public financing.

We wanted to get some insight into Barack Obama the man. Governor Richardson told us, "he has sound values and listens to everyone, including the student and even the janitor backstage at a debate. He's really brilliant. Kind of a quiet elegance."


Meanwhile, the governor is also urging voters in three counties, Bernalillo, Valencia and Sandoval, to support the Regional Transit Tax Measure and a constitutional amendment giving power to the governor to appoint a replacement Lt. Governor. Currently the state's constitution is silent on the issue. It may be needed by January if Richardson accepts a cabinet role in a Barack Obama administration.

He told me he's having fun on the campaign trail, but that he and Senator Barack Obama have not addressed a role for him in a possible democratic administration.

"I anticipate being governor for two more years," Richardson said. "I love my job, but you never preclude anything."

Richardson believes Obama will be successful in the West, despite new attacks by Republicans who are challenging Obama's agriculture positions in Iowa and other rural states.

During a conference call on Friday Republican Iowa Senator Sen. Grassley said, "Obama doesn't have a very good foundation. It's ludicrous to blame farmers for obesity and pollution."

Richardson says the attacks are a last ditch effort by the GOP who he says "sense the election is slipping away from them."

"I've run two state-wide campaigns and understand rural New Mexican farmers," said Richardson. "Obama understands the family farmer, advocates family farm subsidies, and supports conservation measures in the new farm bill."

Richardson also told us he's preparing for next year's legislature and says recent revenue shortfalls are a setback, and that they're taking some steps to curb spending now.

The governor said, "I'm still determined to offer health care solutions to every New Mexicans."

Despite a 7th trip to the state by John McCain tomorrow in Roswell, the governor says he doesn't expect another visit by Obama.

Hmm.. Perhaps the Illinois Senator will take us up on our offer of a brief 5-minute telephone interview.

Photos by: MG Bralley

Secretary of State Issues Instruction to County Clerks to Let Absentee Voters Vote at Early Vote Sites

Carter Bundy just forwarded this to us:

If Voters Haven’t Received Absentee Ballots Yet, Now They Can Go Vote Early.

Election Protection is pleased to announce that Secretary of State Mary Herrera has issued an instruction to county clerks requiring them to allow people who requested but have not received their absentee vote-by-mail ballots to vote in person at early voting locations, including at county clerks’ offices around the state.

Due to the incredibly high number of requests for vote-by-mail ballots, some clerks have been working around the clock to send out ballots, but either through that process or issues with mail, some voters still do not have their ballots.

New Mexico Federation of Labor President Christine Trujillo said “We want to ensure that every registered voter in New Mexico has the chance to vote this year. This instruction addresses an issue that has been a significant problem in a few pockets of the state.”

Election Protection has established a hotline in English (866-OUR-VOTE, which is 866-687-8683) and in Spanish (888-VE-Y-VOTA, which is 888-839-8682) for voters experiencing any problems voting, either at early sites, by mail, or on Election Day. Voters regardless of party registration are encouraged to use this number if they have any questions about voting.

Here is the text of the instruction directly from the Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections Director Gerald Gonzales:

It has been called to our attention that additional guidance is needed regarding voters who requested and were mailed an absentee ballot and having never received it, wish to vote at an early voting site.

We view the goal of the Election Code as being to enfranchise voters, and as such, conclude that a voter should be allowed to ask for a replacement absentee ballot during a flexible time period and at any authorized voting location. The additional guidance for this purpose is as follows:

Voters who have applied for an absentee ballot and to whom an absentee ballot has been mailed but who have not yet received it, shall be allowed to vote at any early voting site in the following manner:


* The voter must execute, in the County Clerk’s office, or at the alternate voting site, an affidavit stating the voter has not received nor voted the voter’s mail-in absentee ballot.
* The County Clerk or designee verifies with the absentee ballot registry at the time the affidavit is submitted that the voter was sent an absentee ballot and that it has not been received by the County Clerk’s office.
* A poll official shall then invalidate the original mailed ballot on the I Power system by reflecting it as spoiled.
* The voter will then be treated as an early voter. An absentee ballot application will be given to the voter to complete, followed by a “replacement absentee ballot” which for this purpose will be an early voting ballot like that issued to any other early voter. Once the voter has completed the ballot it will be fed through the tabulator like all other early voters’ ballots.
* The entry previously made in I Power to spoil the original mail-in ballot will assure that a voter will not be able to vote more than once through this process. If the lost mail-in ballot is subsequently received by the County Clerk, the I Power system will reveal that the voter has already voted early in person. This mail-in ballot shall not be counted and shall be handled by the County Clerk in accordance with the federal election retention schedule—i.e. retained for 22 months.
* All affidavits shall also be retained by the County Clerk in accordance with the federal election retention schedule.”

Election Protection is a non-partisan coalition comprised of diverse groups including Common Cause, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights,the National Congress of American Indians, and the New Mexico Federation of Labor, whose goal is to ensure that legitimate voters of any political persuasion have the ability to cast their votes and have them counted.

County Clerk Pledges Free, Fair and Accurate Elections During Fall Vote!

Political analysts predict high voter turnout at the polls this fall, so we decided to talk with Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver about what she’s doing to prepare her office for the general election November 4^th.

We caught up with her on the campaign trail. In this AUDIO INTERVIEW she said her job takes priority over her campaign.

Toulouse-Oliver was appointed by Bernalillo County Commissioners in 2007 to fill the unexpired term of Mary Herrera after she was elected New Mexico Secretary of State. Prior to her appointment, Toulouse Oliver worked for more than a decade as a campaign consultant and political activist.

“Democracy is the cornerstone of our society,” said Toulouse-Oliver. “I personally think I have not only the skills and background, but the personal commitment to ensuring free, fair and accurate elections.”

A Democrat, Toulouse-Oliver collected almost 70 percent of the primary vote and easily defeated Ambrose Chavez. She’ll face Republican Richard Lloyd Abraham in the general election.

“I’m raising money, and I’m getting out to events, and talking to people about what I want to do with the office,” said Toulouse-Oliver as she raised money at a small house party/fundraiser.

The clerk says she has three goals for Election 08

1. Ensure efficient elections with technology and revamped phone systems.
2. Recruit, and train 2,300 paid poll workers.
3. Improve voter education by letting them know in advance where they vote.

Toulouse-Oliver says she has a good relationship with the Secretary of State and has renewed confidence in electronic voting machines after reviewing results from a Pew Center funded “Making Voting Work” audit.

The clerk says recommendations from the study, with UNM, have been reviewed and the actual audit results and analysis will be made public in a few weeks.

“According to state law a machine's accuracy needs to be found with 1.5 percentage points, so if the machine count to hand count is within that margin it’s considered to be an accurate machine,” Toulouse said. “If it’s not some sort of corrective action has to be taken.”

The clerk tells us she understands the audit’s results show all the results are within that margin of error.

Some 25 percent of the 2006 votes cast in two statewide offices, Governor and State Land Commission, were audited. Only 2 percent of the vote will have to be audited after the 2008 election.

“We learned a lot and shared the results with the Secretary of State.”

The clerk will be busy because in the first six months of 2008 there have been a little more 52,000 new voter registration filed statewide. Democrats lead with 27,207 registrations, while 12,926 registered as Republicans and 11,805 registered independent of any political party. Several hundred more registered as members of other political parties.

“I’m going to be out this summer visiting neighborhood associations, and civic organization meetings, all over the place trying to recruit poll workers,” said Toulouse-Oliver. “I’m also meeting with a variety of stakeholder groups to ensure they are getting their people and parties, union organizations, and other activist groups who care about elections and the outcomes of elections.”

Toulouse-Oliver says if you don’t mind working a long shift you should consider volunteering. Election poll workers are compensated for their time, but need to be patient working with the public. More information about being a poll worker is posted on the Bernalillo County Clerk's website here.

The clerk says she’ll take advantage of a new state law and begin counting absentee vote five days before the actual election

“Our ability to do that will improve our ability to get the results up swiftly,” said Toulouse-Oliver.

In past elections counting provisional and absentee ballots led to long delays in posting election results.

We’re confident with her leadership skills, voter education program, and technical planning the general election should go without a hitch. At least we can hope for a miracle.

Photo Credit: MG Bralley