Update on NM Legislative Election Reform Task Force

From Paul Stokes:
This update discusses the proceedings of the last Election Reform Task Force.

The agenda for the Task Force meeting on 15 Aug was as follows:

1. Rules for Third-Party Registration Agents -- Registration Forms -- Federal Forms -- Implementation -- Associated Costs
2. Procedures for Voters to Challenge Rejected provisional Ballots -- Secretary of State Appeal Procedures Under HAVA -- Costs
3. Timing of Open Registration and Early Voting
4. Address Provisions for Registration and Petition Purposes

Most of the discussion involved the first agenda item. Issues discussed were:

• Whether or not county clerks should be able to process registration of third-party registration agents, in addition to the Secretary of State
• Problems that may occur because of the 48 hour requirement for delivering certificates of registration,
• There is a significant problem with the inconsistency of state registration forms that conform with the new New Mexico election law and the federal forms, which the state is required to accept,
• There is confusion about the responsibilities of third-party registration agents and the organizations for whom they work,
• There is confusion about whether persons who help others register but are not employed by any organization are considered third-party registration agents,
• There was concern about the social security numbers of registrants being on copies of forms retained by third-party registration agents or their employers,
• And other problems, mostly involving process, in implementing the new law.

The Task Force agreed that the spirit of the new law could probably be met, but that these various practical problems needed to be addressed.

With regard to agenda item 2, concern was expressed by Ernie Marquez representing the office of the Secretary of State regarding the time taken for challenges, and the timeliness of the canvass, currently required to be completed in three days.

Mary Herrera, County Clerk of Bernalillo County, addressed agenda item 3. Concerns expressed involved the possible incompatibility of timing requirements in various parts of the election law.

No significant issues were raised regarding item 4.

A tentative agenda was distributed for the remainder of the Task Force meetings. Through the good efforts of Charlotte Roybal, time will be given to the grass roots election reform coalition in the October meeting to discuss our recommendations regarding voting machines to be purchased to meet the requirements of HAVA and the new New Mexico election law.

The next Election Reform Task Force meeting will be held on 8,9 September in Gallup and Laguna. The tentative agenda is

• voter education and outreach to disenfranchised voters
• up-front costs of recounts
• procedures for random checks of voting machines
• constitutional problems with precinct level reporting
• implementation of voter ID requirements; voter ID cards
• canvass observers--limits--how to enforce
• costs of implementation

Our grass roots community may have special interests in the third bullet, procedures for random checks of voting machines. We may also have concerns regarding the fourth bullet, constitutional problems with precinct level reporting, inasmuch as such reporting is crucial to checking the accuracy of the official vote totals for candidates.

Paul Stokes

Note:  The Stokes will be hosting a dinner Wednesday evening for those who have been involved in election reform activism here in NM. They'll discuss the latest developments regarding election reform, and Holly and Lowell will be in town taking depositions for the voters' lawsuit. Email them at stokescorrales@comcast.net for more information.

This information was originally posted to the update@UVoteNM.org mailing list. The goal of this list is to inform interested parties of what is going on with election reform in New Mexico. To subscribe, send an email from the address that you wish to subscribe to, to update-subscribe@UVoteNM.org. More info on Verfied Voting New Mexico https://vvnm.org