Voting Matters has announced our 2011 legislative priorities. We are planning on focussing on three areas this session- Redistricting, Ballot Access, and Fair Ballots. Here are our position statements on the three.
In addition, we expect to support other election related bills, including banning political campaign contributions from state contractors and lobbyists, allowing election day voter registration, allowing parties to nominate candidates who are not party members (often called "fusion"), protecting and expanding public campaign financing, and others. More details will follow as the session unfolds.
1) Independent redistricting commissions
Fair elections are too easily skewed when sitting legislators are given control over how their district boundaries are drawn, or when a party in majority is allowed to draw congressional boundaries. Rather than call a costly special session of the legislature to draw district boundaries, which in all likelihood will end up in a drawn out court battle, it would be more prudent to appoint a nonpartisan or multipartisan task force with specific criteria to determine the new districts.
2) Ballot access and political party qualifications
New Mexico has some of the nation's most difficult provisions for non-major party candidates seeking to be on the ballot. In addition, statutes pertaining to qualifications of political parties are so ambiguous that they have been interpreted differently by different Attorneys General and Secretaries of State. At the very least, this language should be cleaned up to give potential parties and candidates a clear understanding of their requirements, and preferably, these requirements should be eased so as to give voters maximum choice on Election Day.
3) Eliminating Straight Party Ballot Option
The straight party option on NM ballots is confusing and discriminatory. There appears to be no mechanism in law allowing the straight party option to be included on the ballot, yet it is. Repeal of the relevant statute (section 1-12-53) in 2009 did not prevent the option from being included in 2010. And, oddly, in 2006 minor parties with candidates on the ballot had a straight party option, yet in 2008 they did not. In addition, there is general agreement among county clerks and election workers that the option is confusing to voters. It should be explicitly forbidden.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Count Every Vote New Mexico
Once again, the folks at Election Protection and Common Cause are partnering to monitor elections in New Mexico, and across the country. Please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE if you encounter anything peculiar on Election Day or when voting early.
These are the same folks whose work led to the uncovering of so many irregularities during the 2004 election, which led to the Recount effort, and eventually to New Mexico's switch to paper ballots with meaningful audits.
They are also looking for people to volunteer to be poll watchers on Election Day. For more info or to volunteer, see www.commoncause.org
Speaking of Common Cause, their annual luncheon is this Saturday, October 16 at 12:00, at the UNM Continuing Education building. Professor Lonna Atkeson will be delivering the keynote. Reserve your spot via their website.
Hope to see you there!
These are the same folks whose work led to the uncovering of so many irregularities during the 2004 election, which led to the Recount effort, and eventually to New Mexico's switch to paper ballots with meaningful audits.
They are also looking for people to volunteer to be poll watchers on Election Day. For more info or to volunteer, see www.commoncause.org
Speaking of Common Cause, their annual luncheon is this Saturday, October 16 at 12:00, at the UNM Continuing Education building. Professor Lonna Atkeson will be delivering the keynote. Reserve your spot via their website.
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Voting has begun
One of the nicest things about elections in New Mexico is that there is ample opportunity to cast one's ballot. Voters can vote by mail or in person beginning four weeks before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. So, beginning yesterday, October 5, voting season is underway.
Registered voters can request that an absentee ballot be mailed to their homes, and return them by mail by Election Day, or, go into the county clerk's office and fill out their ballots during regular business hours. Beginning October 16, many counties will also have early voting at "satellite" locations as well.
So, there is really no excuse for registered voters not to participate in elections. So study up on your candidates, constitutional amendments, and bond issues, and get on out and vote!
Registered voters can request that an absentee ballot be mailed to their homes, and return them by mail by Election Day, or, go into the county clerk's office and fill out their ballots during regular business hours. Beginning October 16, many counties will also have early voting at "satellite" locations as well.
So, there is really no excuse for registered voters not to participate in elections. So study up on your candidates, constitutional amendments, and bond issues, and get on out and vote!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Last call- register to vote now
Tuesday, October 5, is the last day to register to vote in time for this November's election. Make sure you are registered at your current address by calling your local county clerk's office, in Santa Fe that is 986-6280. And encourage your friends and neighbors to get registered in time!
Voting Matters has been working to eliminate this extra step in voting eligibility by supporting Election Day Registration, which would allow people to go and register on Election Day and cast their ballots, but so far we have seen only limited success at the legislature. You can be sure a similar bill will be introduced this year, and we will be there to support it.
We would like to go beyond even Election Day Registration, and support Universal Voter Registration, in which the government would take a more active role in voter registration. The "Motor Voter" drives in the 1990's were very effective at registering more voters, and there is no reason that the government can't register every person who comes in contact with the government: when they apply for college student loans, get drivers licenses, apply for government assistance, pay their taxes- you name it.
One of our goals at Voting Matters is 100% citizen participation in elections, and breaking down barriers to registration is an important step in achieving that goal.
Voting Matters has been working to eliminate this extra step in voting eligibility by supporting Election Day Registration, which would allow people to go and register on Election Day and cast their ballots, but so far we have seen only limited success at the legislature. You can be sure a similar bill will be introduced this year, and we will be there to support it.
We would like to go beyond even Election Day Registration, and support Universal Voter Registration, in which the government would take a more active role in voter registration. The "Motor Voter" drives in the 1990's were very effective at registering more voters, and there is no reason that the government can't register every person who comes in contact with the government: when they apply for college student loans, get drivers licenses, apply for government assistance, pay their taxes- you name it.
One of our goals at Voting Matters is 100% citizen participation in elections, and breaking down barriers to registration is an important step in achieving that goal.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Redistricting
The New York Times has an interesting article on Congressional Redistricting today. One of the themes of the article is the importance of this year's election, and the impact an election of a Democratic or Republican governor will have on the process of redistricting in various states.
Of course, the unstated underlying premise is that Congressional seats are gerrymandered to ensure, or at least favor, election of members of certain political parties. This is true not only for Congress, but for state legislatures as well. The redistricting process in New Mexico after the 2000 census led to many rejected plans followed by a court battle, and there is little reason to think 2010 will be any different.
A plan calling for an independent redistricting commission has been introduced for the last few years, but can't make it through the House Voters and Elections Committee. It seems that our legislators are more interested in preserving their power bases than in creating a fair, participatory democracy.
An independent redistricting commission, and districts that are not gerrymandered as essentially incumbent protection plans would serve to increase interest in elections and voter participation. Both Voting Matters and the NM League of Women Voters will be supporting the creation of an independent redistricting commission in the upcoming legislature. We hope our legislators will look beyond their individual interests to see that a fair redistricting process is good for government and democracy.
Of course, the unstated underlying premise is that Congressional seats are gerrymandered to ensure, or at least favor, election of members of certain political parties. This is true not only for Congress, but for state legislatures as well. The redistricting process in New Mexico after the 2000 census led to many rejected plans followed by a court battle, and there is little reason to think 2010 will be any different.
A plan calling for an independent redistricting commission has been introduced for the last few years, but can't make it through the House Voters and Elections Committee. It seems that our legislators are more interested in preserving their power bases than in creating a fair, participatory democracy.
An independent redistricting commission, and districts that are not gerrymandered as essentially incumbent protection plans would serve to increase interest in elections and voter participation. Both Voting Matters and the NM League of Women Voters will be supporting the creation of an independent redistricting commission in the upcoming legislature. We hope our legislators will look beyond their individual interests to see that a fair redistricting process is good for government and democracy.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Move To Amend Meeting this Thursday
The local chapter of Move To Amend is meeting this Thurday to discuss the draft resolution and the strategy for moving forward with this campaign. Below is a letter from the steering committee inviting participation on this crucial campaign.
The resolution can be seen at www.corporatedownsizing.ning.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Greetings everyone,
We are excited to report that the SF Move to Amend Resolution sub-committee has been making progress and thanks to the good work of some of our amazing team members we now have our own unique local resolution to take to the streets on its way to City Council. We agreed at our first meeting to follow a progressive strategy that included the following general stages:
1. Local Campaign
-Launch a community education/outreach campaign to build wide-spread grassroots support (through the collection of individual, nonprofit, and business signatures in support of the resolution)
-Pass a City Resolution
-Pass a County Resolution
2. State-wide Campaign
-Share the Resolution and our organizing/training support with folks in other NM communities including cities, towns, & tribes
-Pass a Resolution through the State Legislature
We are having a follow-up Campaign Strategy meeting this Thursday at 7:45PM at Earth Care (1235 Siler Road, Suite D).
At this stage, we’d like to engage the larger group of Move to Amend volunteers and interested community members to help develop the strategy for this campaign and make it a reality. We also initiated a Study Group and would like others to join with us in the effort to educate and empower ourselves regarding this issue. A great way to begin this work is to sign up to our NM website where educational resources as well as information from our meetings, and the latest Move to Amend news from across the Country is available. There are working group areas set-up on the site for the Study Group, the Resolution, and the other groups we designated in previous meetings.
This will be an important tool as we coordinate this grassroots campaign here in Santa Fe. In part because it will allow the organizing effort to be much less centralized and much more democratic & participatory. So please sign-up and tell your friends and hopefully we’ll see some of you this Thursday.
In solidarity,
Move to Amend SF Coordinating Committee
The resolution can be seen at www.corporatedownsizing.ning.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Greetings everyone,
We are excited to report that the SF Move to Amend Resolution sub-committee has been making progress and thanks to the good work of some of our amazing team members we now have our own unique local resolution to take to the streets on its way to City Council. We agreed at our first meeting to follow a progressive strategy that included the following general stages:
1. Local Campaign
-Launch a community education/outreach campaign to build wide-spread grassroots support (through the collection of individual, nonprofit, and business signatures in support of the resolution)
-Pass a City Resolution
-Pass a County Resolution
2. State-wide Campaign
-Share the Resolution and our organizing/training support with folks in other NM communities including cities, towns, & tribes
-Pass a Resolution through the State Legislature
We are having a follow-up Campaign Strategy meeting this Thursday at 7:45PM at Earth Care (1235 Siler Road, Suite D).
At this stage, we’d like to engage the larger group of Move to Amend volunteers and interested community members to help develop the strategy for this campaign and make it a reality. We also initiated a Study Group and would like others to join with us in the effort to educate and empower ourselves regarding this issue. A great way to begin this work is to sign up to our NM website where educational resources as well as information from our meetings, and the latest Move to Amend news from across the Country is available. There are working group areas set-up on the site for the Study Group, the Resolution, and the other groups we designated in previous meetings.
This will be an important tool as we coordinate this grassroots campaign here in Santa Fe. In part because it will allow the organizing effort to be much less centralized and much more democratic & participatory. So please sign-up and tell your friends and hopefully we’ll see some of you this Thursday.
In solidarity,
Move to Amend SF Coordinating Committee
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Vote August 3
Residents of Santa Fe's Community College District will be able to vote Tuesday, August 3, on a bond issue authorizing $35 million dollars to improvements to the existing campus as well as construction of another campus, dubbed the Higher Learning Center, at the site of the former College of Santa Fe.
Please visit sfcc.edu or lwvsfc.org for details about the election, and to santafecounty.gov to find your polling place. Early voting is going on at the college and the county building through next week.
Please visit sfcc.edu or lwvsfc.org for details about the election, and to santafecounty.gov to find your polling place. Early voting is going on at the college and the county building through next week.
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