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

Arnold-Jones Prepares to Announce 2010 Exploratory Committee for Governor

After giving former U.S. Representative Heather Wilson plenty of time to decide on a 2010 gubernatorial bid, Republican State Representative Janice Arnold-Jones' patience has apparently run out. Our sources tell us she's preparing paperwork for the Secretary of State's office, and plans to announce her own exploratory committee for governor in 2010 some time next week.

Arnold-Jones and Wilson reportedly met for lunch at the Cooperage, in Albuquerque on Thursday, to discuss their political plans, but after Wilson told Arnold-Jones she still hadn't made a final decision, the four-term representative decided to move forward next week.

The decision comes on the same day the Democratic Governor's Association released a poll which shows Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish with a 22 point lead over possible republican candidates Wilson and former U.S. Senate Candidate Steve Pearce.

Arnold-Jones, who has represented Albuquerque's North East heights in House District 24 would have to give up her seat if she won her party's nomination.

Arnold-Jones could be making the move now because two other republicans are already touring the state collecting commitments and money. Former Party Chairman Allen Weh announced his exploratory committee on May 5th, and Greg Zanetti has all but announced his candidacy.

She has a long legislative record, and earlier this year was the first legislator to webcast from the roundhouse during a Taxation and Revenue Committee meeting.

Arnold-Jones, who graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1970, attended a GOPAC meeting in Washington, D.C. last week and met with key Republican leaders to determine what level of support she will have at the RNC.

Political blogger Heath Haussamen hosted a non-scientific poll on his blog the last week of May. He asked readers to vote on who they would support in a Republican primary race for Governor. The results were split, but Arnold-Jones came in third with 12 percent of the votes.

Of 438 voters, 123, or 28 percent, said the GOP should nominate Allen Weh, while 120, or 27 percent, said the party should pick Heather Wilson. Some 54 voters, or 12 percent, picked Janice Arnold-Jones, while 46, or 11 percent, picked Steve Pearce. Another 45, or 10 percent, picked Greg Zanetti, while 42, or 10 percent, said the GOP should nominate “someone else,” and eight, or 2 percent, said they don’t know.

Arnold-Jones was criticized earlier this week by Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, who lost his 1st congressional bid to Democrat Martin Heinrich last fall, for voting to repeal the death penalty.

Photo credit: MG Bralley

Journalists to Attempt Webcasting Ethics Reform Hearing in Santa Fe

Online journalist extraordinaire Heath Haussamen just gave us some good news.

Haussamen is reporting on his blog that the New Mexico Independent, an online news portal, will attempt to webcast (video & audio) from the Senate Rules Committee's hearing on ethics reform on Friday.

The hearing is scheduled in Santa Fe at 8am.

This is a must watch hearing because critical reforms in campaign finance laws, for one, are needed in the state.

Just look at all the pay-to-play investigations and grand jury investigations underway in the state and federal systems involving leaders who may be taking advantage of big money donations and giving access and contracts to friends, family and companies that support their campaigns.

Haussemen has been reporting on ethics reform for years. This morning, he wrote a summary on many of the pending reform measures here.

The omnibus bill he outlines is downright scary. Read why leaders may be able to kill most ethics bill in one clean sweep. Haussamen makes it easy to find and read the actual bills with multiple links in this morning's story.

Everyone has been hopeful during this year's 60-day session lawmakers would adopt drastic changes and pass new ethics laws.

Tomorrow's your chance to monitor the webcast to see if Senators kill the bills to protect their own interests.

For more information on tomorrow's planned webcast read the New Mexico Independent online here, and plan to tune to the webcast here on Friday morning at 8am.

Patricia Madrid On Obama's Short List for Interior.

Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid is believed to be on the short list for interior secretary.

Politico, an online web journal, reports Madrid, who was one of two woman appointed by Barack Obama' Latino Advisory Board during the fall election. Madrid was also a co-chair of the Democratic Party’s Platform Committee, is on the list with former Colorado Senator Ken Salazar.

Two New Mexicans, Bernalillo County Commissioner Deanna Archuleta and former Richardson energy advisor Ned Farquhar have been rumored to be on Obama's interior department transition team.

Governor Richardson had been on the list for the interior spot, but now appears to be the top contender to become Commerce Secretary.

UPDATED - SUNDAY 1:37PM

The Associated Press reports it's official: Richardson to be named U.S. Commerce Secretary

The official says Obama plans to announce Richardson's selection after Thanksgiving. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations.

Richardson was energy secretary and U.N. ambassador under President Bill Clinton. Richardson would be the most visible Hispanic named to Obama's Cabinet.

Hat tips to Heath Haussaman and LP at NMFBIHOP

Photo: MG Bralley

Mitt Romney Says McCain-Palin Picking up Undecided Voters.

I partially failed as a backback journalist today. While I had a busy schedule of interviews planned, I didn't shoot any photos. So, I don't have an original pic for this post, but all is not lost. We've got another original newsmaker podcast from our interview with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

On Saturday Romney spoke with John McCain supporters in three cities, Farmington, Albuquerque and Las Cruces. I caught up with him this afternoon at the University Hilton just before 2pm.

We talked about agricultural policy differences between the candidates, the new farm bill, "spreading the wealth", independent voters and McCain's humor, after all he's appearing on S-N-L in just a few hours.

Romney thinks the Republicans are picking a majority of undecided voters at the end of this long campaign and that the polls are tightening.



Other's, like LP at NMFBIHOP are NOT so sure of that. LP reports Obama still has a 7 percent spread in New Mexico.

Romney who also spent time in Farmington and Las Cruces today also talked to NM Independent's Heath Haussaman by telephone.

He told Haussaman: I think we’ve got a real shot here,” Romney said. “Two weeks ago it looked impossible, but the polls that we’re seeing now, the people we’re speaking with, the sentiment we’re seeing, suggests that this is winnable.

After the interview Haussaman posted this online commentary.

Also, if you missed my September interview with Gov. Romney you can hear it here.

McCain Suspends His Campaign and Delays Debate

As President Bush prepares to address the nation tonight in a speech dealing with the serious financial crisis facing the country, Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain says he’s suspending his campaign to return to Washington to deal with the crisis. He’s asked President Bush to appoint a bi-partisian panel to work on a bailout package.

McCain has also asked Barack Obama to delay the first presidential debate scheduled for Mississippi on Friday so they both can work on the market turmoil.

Earlier today in Dunedin, Florida Barack Obama accused McCain of being slow to speak out against huge salaries for Wall Stree executives.

“Suddenly McCain is talking like a hard-charging populist. I sure wish he joined me when I blew the whistle on the fired CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who tried to walk away with golden parachutes.

Bush’s prime-time talk is a dramatic gesture of last resort. The White House says if the government doesn’t take “decisive and bold action on a rescue package, the country could face financial calamity on main street, not just Wall Street.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has been criticized President Bush this morning, saying, “The President has been absent from what well may be the most important debate on economic policy in a generation.”

House Republicans met with treasury secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. House GOP Leader John Boehner (R-OH) is optimistic that republican and democrats will come together and devise a plan that will best service the American people.

“I do think that congress has a responsibility to act. And, I’m hopeful in the coming days we’ll be able to come together around a plan that will in fact stem this crisis,” Boehner said.

To read more about the possibility of “landing safely” read Heath Haussamen’s comments here.

BBC AudioTape Emerges With Damaging Remarks.

Respected political reporter Heath Haussamen has posted a report by Bill Dupuy, a radio reporter for KSFR-FM in Santa Fe. Dupuy obtained audio of an interview C. de Baca conducted with BBC reporter Ros Atkins.

Listen to it here:




Here’s what C. de Baca told Atkins:

I feel strongly that Hispanics will not support, in my generation and the generation around my age, are not going to support the Democratic candidate for president primarily because there is a strong feeling that African Americans during the civil rights movement took advantage, full advantage, of all the benefits and programs that the government offered, that were supposed to be offered to all minorities. But we were left behind, we were left sucking air, and we resented that ever since the 60s, and I don’t see how a black president is going to change that.

C. de Baca is under pressure to resign after an interview with another BBC reporter, Jon Kelly. In an article called, Latin Class, C. de Baca said, "Hispanics are above blacks. Hispanics will never vote for a black man."

Presently, C. de Baca is in a meeting with his county party’s executive board at Ladera Golf Course to determine his future with the County Republican Party.

Photo Credit: MG Bralley

Obama Scheduled to Visit New Mexico Before Convention.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is scheduled to make another visit to New Mexico. The Illinois senator's campaign staff would only say that he's hosting "an event" here on Monday.

I wonder if Bill Richardson has been invited?

RICHARDSON MAY STILL BE IN THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL SWEEPSTAKES.

The Governor's speech writer's haven't returned calls, so I guess we shouldn't be speculating.

Other's say he must still be in the running for Obama's Vice-Presidential pick because he's now scheduled to speak to the convention on Wednesday August 27th.

That's the same day allotted for the V.P. acceptance speech. But Senator's Evan Byah and Joe Biden (V.P. contenders themselves) are also on Wednesday's speaking schedule.

Perhaps Richardson has been asked to place the V.P.'s name into nomination and make an introductory speech. The dramatic wait continues . . .

New Mexico political blogger Heath Haussamen reports:

Obama’s campaign said earlier this week that almost every scenario that would give him the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency requires that he win New Mexico. Obama has made the state a priority: He’s already opened 24 campaign offices here and plans more, and he has visited New Mexico twice since he won the primary. He was in Las Cruces in May and Albuquerque in June.

Photo Credit: MG Bralley