Richardson and Vigil-Giron Ask $1.4 MIL for Recount by Thursday Morning! PASS IT ON!

I just got a call from a friend reporting a conversation with someone who was at the NM Canvassing Board Meeting this evening at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Approval was given by the Board to allow the Green and Libertarian Party presidential candidates to have a recount here, IF THEY CAN COME UP WITH $1.4 MILLION BY THURSDAY MORNING.

The Board consists of Gov. Bill Richardson, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Chief Justice of the NM Supreme NM Supreme Court -- all Democrats (at least in name). What can be on their minds in setting this outrageous up-front fee and time limit? It's certainly not ensuring that our votes count or that elections are fair and effectively run.

They can only be thinking that they don't want the attention of the national media focused on how poorly this election was actually run. On how a state with a Democratic governor was allowed to turn Red. On how inconsistent the rules were for accepting or rejecting provisional and absentee ballots. On what a terrible job Gov. Richardson and his Moving America Forward PAC did with turning out the Hispanic vote and convincing them to vote for Kerry. On how large numbers of touchscreen voting machines without paper trails were purchased by the Secretary of State despite all advice to the contrary. On how Rebecca Vigil-Giron spent almost $2 million on ads meant to educate voters but that primarily seemed to focus on showing her face and repeating her name. Even Heather Wilson didn't spend $2 million on her ads.

So what can we do now? We can donate NOW to Help America Recount, which is raising money for the recounts in NM and Ohio. We can pass this message on to everyone on our phone and email lists. We can write letters to the NM and national media criticizing how this matter is being handled by Gov. Richardson and the rest of the NM Canvassing Board.

And we can flood the offices of Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Governor Richardson with phone calls, emails and letters asking why Democrats would be siding with foes of the recount instead of with the people who put them into office in the first place. And why they kept saying the recount would cost up to $600,000 and suddenly change their tune at tonight's meeting to require payment of $1.4 million by tomorrow morning.

Contact Information:

Governor Bill Richardson:
Web Site: www.governor.state.nm.us
(To Email the Governor, go to the website above and click on "Email Gov. Richardson, or to go directly to the form on that page.)
State Capitol, Rm. 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: (505) 476-2200
Fax: (505) 476-2226

Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron:
Web Site: www.sos.state.nm.us
Email: secstate@state.nm.us
State Capitol N. Annex, Ste. 300
Santa Fe, NM 87503
Phone: (505) 827-3600
FAX: (505) 827-3634

Easy links to use to contact media as well as local, state and national government officials: Capwiz

UPDATE: Here's the Albuquerque Journal's article on this.