Democracy for New Mexico

NM Senate Leaders Pre-File Bill to Restore Petition Signature Option for Candidates

The pre-filing of a bill to restore the petition signature option for statewide and federal candidates to get on the ballot if they don't get 20% of the vote at party pre-primary conventions was just announced in the press release below. Don Wiviott, a Democratic candidate for Congress in NM-03, filed a lawsuit yesterday asking the Santa Fe District Court to determine whether the 20% requirement, passed unanimously into law last legislative session as part of a larger bill, is constitutional.

Press Release: Santa Fe, NM – Senate Majority Leader Michael S. Sanchez (D-Valencia County) announced that on December 17, 2007 he and Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle pre-filed Senate Bill 1, Primary Ballot Access for Certain Candidates. The bill allows candidates for statewide offices to be placed on primary ballots by petition of signatures. During last year’s legislative session that provision was removed in House Bill 1156 thereby requiring candidates to receive at least 20% of preprimary convention delegates before their names could be placed on the ballot.

Senate Bill 1 restores the language that was deleted in last year’s bill. “It’s important that candidates continue to be allowed other avenues for getting on the ballot. The system we have had for many years was working well. Restoring the original language is the right thing to do because giving voters choices is what it’s all about,” said Sen. Sanchez.

Pursuant to Senate Rule 11-12-1, amended during last year’s legislative session, senators may pre-file legislation from December 15 through the Friday before the regular session. This year senators may pre-file bills from December 17, 2007 through January 11, 2008. Pre-filed legislation will be introduced and referred to committee on the first day of the regular session which begins on January 15, 2008.

Senate Bill 1 and all other pre-filed bills are posted at the New Mexico Legislature’s website. A link to the website is available on the Senate Democrats’ website www.nmsenate.com.

NM-03: Wiviott Files Suit Challenging Ballot Access Law; Asks Dem Field to Join Him

The Don Wiviott for Congress campaign issued the following statement today:

Santa Fe, NM – With speculation mounting that a new ballot access law will prevent New Mexico from having full and fair elections this November, Don Wiviott Thursday called on the entire field of Democratic candidates to join him in fighting for a more open political process this primary season.  Home builder Wiviott is a Democratic candidate for CD-03, the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Udall.

Wiviott specifically took aim at House Bill 1156, which was signed into law last year. The bill severely limits the number of candidates that political parties can place on their primary ballots. Under the new law, parties can only place on their ballots those candidates that receive at least 20 percent of delegates at a pre-primary convention.  Under prior law, candidates were able to obtain access to the ballot by submitting additional nominating petitions from registered voters.

“This law runs contrary to the values of New Mexico and the Democratic party,” said Wiviott.  “Instead of giving primary voters the opportunity to hear and select from the full chorus of voices in the Democratic party, it seeks to limit access to the ballot to a well-connected few. There is no reason for such severe limits. Elections ought to be a contest of ideas, and open and fair to everyone.  We shouldn’t seek to restrict debate or cut some out of the process.”

As Wiviott noted, the new 20 percent threshold may have unintended consequences for the Democratic Party this Fall.  In races like the 3rd Congressional district where multiple candidates have announced their intention to run, a 20 percent threshold may be impossible for anyone to meet.  With so many candidates in the race, Democrats face the very real possibility that the delegate vote will be split so many ways that no candidate receives 20 percent.  Should that happen, the law has no provisions for review or appeal. Democrats would simply be left without a candidate on the primary and general election ballots in November.

“Without serious revisions in the law, we might see a scenario where Congressman Udall’s seat is simply handed to Republicans in November,” said Wiviott.  “We need a member of Congress who will fight for affordable health care and to end the War in Iraq , but under that scenario, New Mexico would lose its progressive voice in Washington.”

Wiviott continued, “This is really a civil rights issue.  Minorities -- especially Native Americans -- will find it tougher to get on the ballot throughout New Mexico under this new system.  That’s unacceptable.  New Mexico is about fostering diversity and this new ballot system will limit diversity and make it harder for some minorities to get on the ballot.  That doesn’t reflect our values.”

Wiviott added, “As I’ve met with the Democrats who will decide who gets on the ballot under this new system, I’ve been getting a very positive reaction so I expect to get on the ballot if this lawsuit fails.  But I got involved in this race to promote certain ideals, such as diversity and civil rights.  I’m filing this lawsuit because this new voting system fails those ideals.”

In order to open up the political process to everyone and ensure New Mexico voters have a choice this November, Wiviott said Thursday he has filed a suit in the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe to challenge HB 1156 and the restrictions it places on ballot access and on voter choice.  Wiviott said he hoped the entire field of Democratic candidates would join him in fighting the law.

“If there is one thing all Democratic candidates can agree on, it is that the Democratic primary should be open and fair,” said Wiviott. “Anyone who wants to participate should be able to compete.”

Wiviott said Thursday he has retained an attorney to oversee the suit and is awaiting word from other candidates about whether or not they will join his effort.

To see our previous coverage of the 2008 NM-03 Congressional race, visit our archive.

Biden Becomes 7th Candidate on NM Dem Prez Caucus Ballot

DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING TO REGISTER TO VOTE: If you are not currently registered to vote, Friday, January 4th, 2008 is the last day to do so in order to be eligible to cast a ballot in the February 5, 2008 Democratic Presidential Preference Caucus in New Mexico. Contact your County Clerk for more information. The of the Bernalillo County Clerk provides information about the voter registration process.
***************
From the Democratic Party of New Mexico:
Albuquerque NM – Senator Joe Biden became the seventh candidate to file for New Mexico’s Presidential Preference Caucus to be held on February 5th. Biden joins Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Senator Barack Obama and Congressman Dennis Kucinich on the New Mexico ballot.

“We expected that all the Democratic Presidential hopefuls would recognize how important New Mexico is on the road to the White House,” said Chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, Brian S. Colón. “Senator Biden’s filing today shows that the top candidates understand that New Mexico is critical. We encourage every New Mexico Democrat to express his or her preference by voting in this historic election.”

New Mexico’s Caucus is different from Caucuses happening in Iowa this Thursday or in Nevada later in January. “Our Caucus will function like a regular primary. Voters will show up at their polling location, receive a paper ballot and cast that secret ballot just as they would in any regular election,” said Colón. Voting in the Caucus is open to registered Democrats only, and anyone who is not already registered as a Democrat has until this Friday, January 4th to register. 

On February 5th, registered New Mexico Democrats will be able to vote between noon and 7 PM at a polling location, or Caucus site, according to registered precinct. New Mexico Democrats can also vote-by-mail by requesting an absentee ballot. Request forms are available for download at www.nmdemocrats.org or by calling the DPNM. Requests for absentee ballots will be accepted through January 21st, 2008 and absentee ballots will begin to be mailed out January 12th, 2008.

The results of this election will be used to determine New Mexico’s allocation of delegates among the Democratic Presidential Candidates to the Democratic National Convention in August 2008. There will be a total of 184 Caucus sites statewide on February 5th, 2008 run by DPNM staff and volunteers. A list of these consolidated polling locations can be found at www.nmdemocrats.org or by calling DPNM at 505-830-3650. To volunteer or donate to the Presidential Preference Caucus e-mail info@nmdemocrats.org  or call the DPNM at 505-830-3650.

Also see our previous post about the caucus.

McCamley Fights for Voter Protection: Dona Ana County Commission Passes Election Reform Resolution

Yesterday Doña Ana County Commissioner and NM-02 congressional candidate Bill McCamley put before the Doña Ana County Commission a resolution “Urging New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to Include Election Reform on the 2008 Legislative Agenda.” The resolution passed 5-0.

In a presentation before the Commission, the head of the Elections Bureau, Lynn Ellins, and local attorney Peter Ossorio pointed to some of the problems caused by the recent reforms. In particular, requiring all voters to have a “unique identifier” number that will be generated randomly is an issue of major concern.

“The new requirement for a randomly generated Voter ID number is a very bad idea,” McCamley said following the meeting. “It could lead to the disenfranchisement of a large number of New Mexico voters, particularly elderly voters, low-income voters, and New Mexicans serving in the military who often vote by absentee ballot. We cannot allow this to happen. Our Resolution calls on the Governor to allow the legislature the opportunity to address this issue.”

The Resolution notes that it is the “right of every registered voter in the State of New Mexico to vote in as efficient way as possible, and not be presented with unnecessary obstacles that may discourage them from voting.” It also points out that recent changes made to the New Mexico Election Code will “effectively deprive New Mexico voters” of ways to prove their identity and will “likely result in increased complications for poll workers and longer wait times at polling places” which in turn leads to the possibility of the “disenfranchisement of large numbers of registered New Mexico voters.”

The Resolution calls for the legislature “to pass simple, clear and comprehensive changes to the New Mexico Election Code, which will protect the rights of all registered voters to vote at polls, by absentee ballot or by provisional ballot.”

“Protecting the rights of voters is absolutely essential to our democracy at the most fundamental level,” said McCamley. “As a County Commissioner, I am doing everything I can to protect voter rights, and I will continue to do that when I get to Congress.”

To learn more about the new requirements for voter ID, see this post on Heath Haussamen.
**********
Since declaring his candidacy in April, McCamley has raised over $200,000 and has visited all 18 counties in the Second District. He has received endorsements from eight elected Democratic officials in the Second District, as well as the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents over 7,000 New Mexico workers.

More information about McCamley and his campaign is available on his website: www.billmccamley.com.

Common Cause New Mexico seeks Campaign Manager

From Common Cause New Mexico:
The nonprofit good-government organization Common Cause New Mexico (CCNM) seeks a Campaign Manager to advocate for the Clean Elections initiative appearing on the Santa Fe ballot on March 4. The employment period for this position will extend from the beginning of January through the election. CCNM would like to hear from applicants with a passion for this crucial electoral reform combined with direct experience managing municipal election campaigns. Ideally, the Campaign Manager would be a resident of Santa Fe. Contact CCNM’s executive director Steven Robert Allen at 610-4790 or sallen[at]commoncause.org for details.

Voting: October 2, 2007 Albuquerque Municipal Election

We're finally almost there, and there's a lot at stake. Albuquerque's municipal election will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, October 2, 2007. You must already be registered to vote to cast a ballot. Voters in even numbered City Council districts will cast their ballots for City Council. All voters will consider ten municipal bond issues and five ballot propositions. Voters in City Council District 9 will vote yes or no on a recall of Don Harris, who currently represents the district on the City Council.

Polls will be open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Note that your regular polling place may have been combined with that of others to form a "consolidated precinct" for this election, so you might need to vote somewhere other than where you're used to doing so. Please double check by entering your address at the polling place link below, which will also provide you with a link to a map and a sample ballot.

Summary of ballot propositions (doc) to be voted upon

Description of bond resolutions (doc) to be voted upon

All voting will be on paper ballots. For more info on election matters you can contact the City Clerk's office at 768-3030 or visit their election website. Also check out the detailed Voters Guide published by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County or read our previous posts on the election.

Below are my personal picks for Albuquerque's municipal election.

The choices represent my individual opinions only, but almost every single progressive I've talked to shares my views:

City Council:

District 2: Debbie O'Malley (current incumbent and City Council President)

District 4: Brad Winter (Paulette de'Pascal is a Democrat but would be expected to vote against the progressive bloc and in support Mayor Chavez)

District 6: Rey Garduno (endorsed by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Martin Heinrich and many others)

District 8: Nobody (Republican Trudy Jones is the only candidate)

District 9: Recall: Keep Don Harris or Mayor Martin Chavez will pick a crony to replace him and the City Council will have a much harder time over-riding the Mayor's vetoes.

General Bond Issues: Yes on all ten, but especially for the workforce housing bond, #10

Ballot Initiatives: Yes on all five, but especially those about raising councilor pay to what Bernalillo County Commissioners get and limiting the kinds of money that can be accepted by campaigns.

News from SAGE Council

From SAGE Council:
Jam the Ballot Box Music Fest! Get Out the Vote! The Jam the Ballot Box music fest is an all ages show featuring four Native American rock bands. Come rock out as we celebrate Native voters! Call JR at 260-4696 if you are interested in volunteering at the event!

What: Jam the Ballot Box music fest
When: Saturday, September 15th, 7 PM
Where: The Compound, 3206 San Mateo NE, ABQ
Cost: $10

Native American Voters Alliance (NAVA): Get Out the Vote! Water & Urban Indian Healthcare. NAVA is off to a good start, but we need your help to make it a success! This year, we're concentrating on two issues: water, and urban Indian healthcare.

Water: Currently, Albuquerque uses an unsustainable amount of water. We are exceeding our yearly water budget by at least 18 billion gallons of precious and non- renewable groundwater. We must protect water availabilty for future generations!

Native American healthcare: Although NAVA was successful in securing funding for Urban Indian healthcare earlier this year, it is clear that much more needs to be done to ensure quality, accessible healthcare for Native Americans!

We need your help to get out the Native vote! Come with us as we go out into our community to make positive change! We phonebank Monday-Thursday from 6:00-8:00 PM and we're going doorknocking Saturday and Sunday from10 AM - 1 PM. Call the office at 260-4696 to sign up to volunteer!

We Made Our Debut at NACA! SAGE Council stepped into our first classroom two weeks ago to teach 6th, 7th, and 8th graders the concepts of community organizing. Wow! What an experience! Our class is awesome! The students are truly exceptional and went above and beyond our expectations when we discussed topics like racism and stereotypes. Their knowledge, insight, and ability to see through all the hype was amazing. Our experience so far has been challenging but also very rewarding. We'll keep you updated on how it's going! If you are interested in helping, or if you know of activities that would be fun for the class, please call our office at 260-4696.

Mark Your Calendar for Desert Rock Event! October 5th-7th! Next month after the city elections, SAGE Council will resume our role as supporters of the Dooda Desert Rock (DDR) resistance. DDR has asked SAGE to help with petition-signing and a demonstration at the Shiprock Fair. The details are yet to be confirmed, but SAGE is thinking of taking a caravan or a busload of people from Albuquerque to help gather signatures to oppose the Desert Rock power plant, and to help with the demonstration during the opening parade. Ideas, suggestions, and donations to make this trip possible are greatly appreciated! Call the office if you want to sign up to go with us!

SAGE Council is an Indigenous and people of color-led organization using community organizing to build power through action, education, leadership development and political participation. Our commitment to social change and self determination is based on values that honor the environment and all people. We want to hear from you! Let us know what you think about how we are doing at SAGE. You can sign up for our email newsletter at our website.

SAGE Council Web: https://www.sagecouncil.org
Email:  sage@sagecouncil.org 
Phone: 505-260-4696

Rove Paid Homage to Domenici on Bush Visit to NM

Turns out Karl Rove was on a stealth mission with The Decider when Bush zoomed into Albuquerque on August 27th to attend a big dollar fundraiser for Sen. Pete Domenici at the home of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Mayor Larry Abraham. According to a report by Jeff Jones in today's Albuquerque Journal (which I can't find online), Abraham told him he rode back to Kirtland Air Foce Base in the presidential limo with both Bush and Rove after the luncheon fundraiser.

There had been no previous mention of Rove's presence in New Mexico with Bush, probably with good reason. Testimony and emails have linked Rove with the U.S. Attorney firing scandal in no uncertain terms. And Domenici and NM GOP operatives were clearly enmeshed with Rove in the unethical political maneuvering that unsuccessfully pressured New Mexico's former U.S. Attorney, David Iglesias, to file bogus "voter fraud" cases and rush indictments in the Albuquerque courthouse case before the November 2006 election. Domenici and other New Mexican Repubs, you may recall, reportedly urged Rove and others to see that Iglesias was fired when he didn't buckle under their pressure.

Iglesias was back in the news recently when Alberto Gonzales finally resigned in disgrace. He's quoted in an article in the Albuquerque Tribune:

"Alberto Gonzales is not solely responsible for my illicit firing. People like (Sen.) Pete Domenici also were responsible," Iglesias told The Tribune.

Iglesias said he believes Karl Rove, former White House deputy chief of staff, "cooked up" the plan to fire the U.S. attorneys with the aid of people such as Domenici, the Albuquerque Republican who today hosted President Bush at a fund-raiser in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

Since Rove's last day on the job was August 31st, one of his last acts while on the White House payroll was to jet here to see his old cronies in the New Mexico GOP. Rove apparently thought it important to touch base with Domenici, helping him raise cash while undoubtedly urging him to continue his support for Bush's miserably misbegotten Iraq occupation. I'm sure Karl also made a point of hugging Pat Rogers, Mickey Barnett and Repub Party Chair Allen Weh, who were so instrumental in attempting to execute Rove's long running battleground state "voter fraud" strategy to disenfranchise and discourage Dem voters. The three, along with Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson, were also heavily involved in the process that led to former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias getting fired.

To refresh your memory, Domenici and Weh reportedly urged Rove to pass along the word to Bush and Alberto Gonzales that they wanted Iglesias fired for refusing to make the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico an arm of the GOP political operation. Soon afterwards, Iglesias was gone.

Check out the discussion about the involvement of Rogers and Barnett in our post from May of this year. Also be sure to revisit the excellent piece by James Scarantino from the May 24-30, 2007 edition of the alibi that details the shady dealings of Pat Rogers, Pete Domenici and Rove related to the "voter fraud" campaign and Iglesias' firing.

No wonder Rove accompanied the president to New Mexico last month. He wanted to link up once again with the New Mexico Repubs who were such important cogs in the machine Rove created to politicize the U.S. Department of Justice and make the federal government just another element of his grand plan for GOP dominance at the polls. Oh to have been a fly on the wall when Rove reunited with his New Mexico GOP hit team to reminisce and plot one last time before he left his post at the White House to pursue who knows what. I'm sure Rove wanted to remind his cronies to stick with the party line in any future proceedings in DC about the attorney firings. After all, neither Domenici nor Wilson have yet to be cleared of wrongdoing in their admitted calls to Iglesias before the 2006 election. Silence is golden, and loose lips sink ships -- even ships of state.

For a collection of our previous posts on the firing of David Iglesias and the U.S. Attorney scandal, visit our archive.

DFA Offers Free Online Precinct Organizing Training

From Democracy for America: In 1960, John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon by an average of one vote per precinct. Forty years later, George W. Bush was declared the president by an even smaller margin of votes in Florida. Because organizing your own neighborhood can have such national implications, DFA's Night School is focusing the entire month of September on how you can change history by simply talking to the voters in your own neighborhood.

Precinct Organizing: Getting Started
Tuesday, September 11 -- 6:30 PM Mountain
RSVP: www.dfalink.com/precinctorganizing

This is where the 50 State Strategy meets your neighborhood. There are over 203,000 precincts in America and the vast majority of them have never been organized. Neighborhoods that have active precinct programs consistently perform better than unorganized ones. This is something that anyone, anywhere can do. Not only will you increase Democratic voter registration and turnout in every election, but you'll also help build and shape your local Democratic party. If you want to improve the performance of your local party, this Night School Semester is for you:

Precinct Organizing: Getting Started
Tuesday, September 11 -- 6:30 PM Mountain
RSVP: www.dfalink.com/precinctorganizing

This is only the beginning. Every Tuesday Night this month DFA Night School will cover a different aspect of precinct organizing during a free conference call you can join from the convenience of your own home. The call is accompanied by a slideshow that you can download or view in your web browser while on the call. Just RSVP today to get the free conference call number and be ready next Tuesday, September 11.

Join us all this month as we work on implementing a 203,000 precinct strategy.

Arshad Hasan, DFA Training Director

P.S. Our 2007 Summer Semester on Fundraising is now available on DVD:

https://contribute.democracyforamerica.com/nightschool

Every purchase helps DFA keep Night School free and open to everyone. Get yours today!

Criticism Mounts Against Holt Voting Reform Bill

HR 811, the so-called Holt bill, was originally designed to rid our voting system of thoroughly discredited electronic voting machines (DREs) and make other needed changes to assure accuracy and transparency in the voting process. However, the legislation has been negotiated and renegotiated, modified and remodified so much that many grassroots voting integrity activists are rejecting it because of complex flaws. They say the bill would do much more harm than good. Other national groups, like Common Cause and People for the American Way, are supporting it -- admitting the bill isn't perfect but taking the view that something is better than nothing as election 2008 looms. HR 811 is scheduled to be heard on the U.S. House floor this Wednesday.

Meanwhile, MoveOn.org is asking its members to weigh in on the controversy. Nancy Tobi, Legislative Coordinator of Election Defense Alliance, co-founder of Democracy for New Hampshire and Chair of the New Hampshire Fair Elections Committee, was highly critical of the Holt bill in her recent OpEdNews article, recommending that MoveOn members vote to oppose the bill. Excerpts:

... companies like Microsoft, Diebold and ES&S had problems with the early version of Holt's bill; and Holt himself not only listened to them, but obliged them, so that his "election reform" bill would now make our system even more undemocratic than it is already.

... Voting integrity activists have been telling MoveOn how we feel about the bill for a long time. It is true that last year, many activists supported the Holt Bill, but at this time every single true grassroots leadership organization opposes it. This includes BlackBoxVoting, VotersUnite, the Coalition for Voting Integrity, the NH Fair Elections Committee, and more. Within a 2-week period in the dead of winter, last December, 2006, wethepatriots.org collected nearly 2,000 signatures of citizens and organizations opposed to the bill.

... The "compromise" version could easily be called the "Microsoft Bill". This version makes secret vote counting federal law, making it a federal crime for anyone to tell the public what they find when they look at the code counting 80% of the nation's votes. And the only people allowed to look at that code are "qualified" people under very specific circumstances who sign nondisclosure agreements.

If this law had been in place in 2003, Bev Harris of BlackBoxVoting.ORG would be sitting in a federal prison for her act of patriotism, which exposed to the national sunshine the diabolical nature of Diebold Election System's proprietary, secret vote counting software.

Because of its complexities, the bill would also subject every state in the nation to unlimited electoral litigation challenges. Think about Florida 2000 if you want to imagine the outcomes from having the courts decide our elections for us.

Click for a list of citizen action groups and leaders opposed to the Holt bill.

Today, John Gideon of VotersUnite.org provides an update on The Brad Blog that reports even more confusion surrounding the bill:

It seems that through the writing of the bill and three complete rewrites there is a funding problem. When the bill goes to the floor there will be a bipartisan “unfunded mandate” amendment that will be allowed to be voted on and added to the bill if it passes. This amendment will require action on the bill to be held up until funding can be appropriated; in other words 2010 or 2012 or never. So everything is status quo for 2008 (DREs, no vvpat, no audits) except no one can say if the non-funding portions of the bill would also be delayed. So the protection of the vendor’s software may happen upon signature by the President. The vendors are protected while the voters get no protections.

Also, Michael Collins of OpEdNews tosses more fuel on the fire with yesterday's article entitled, "Secret Disservice: HR 811."