Santa Fe County Clerk Refuses to Meet With Concerned Citizens

From VerifiedVotingNM and UnitedVotersNM:
Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza today turned away a group of about 20 citizens who came to her office on a scheduled appointment to deliver a collective letter concerning voting machines for disabled voters. The meeting had been requested by VerifiedVotingNM.

Robert Stearns, steering committee member of VerifiedVotingNM, said, “We’re sorry that this has happened. We’re concerned citizens who simply wanted to meet with our County Clerk and deliver a letter outlining our views on voting systems for the disabled. She has until tomorrow to advise the Secretary of State on which machines she wants to buy with federal funding to serve handicapped voters.

“We wanted to urge her to choose the AutoMark ballot marking machine which uses hand-marked paper ballots that are counted on optical scanning machines. We believe this is the best system for auditing and recounting and thereby making sure that votes are counted as they are cast. We do not believe that the competing touchscreen machines are reliable.

“The AutoMark was the top choice of the disabled voters from the NM Commission for the Blind who tested the three machines that are eligible for purchase in our state, using Help America Vote Act funding. We understand that the Clerks of Dona Ana, Taos and San Miguel counties have selected the AutoMark for their disabled voters and other counties are seriously considering it. Such consideration is all we ask here in Santa Fe County.”

Sorry for the inconvenience to those who came out and were left in the cold. Excuse me if I did not get around to meeting you all personally. This can only strengthen our resolve to continue our effort to get all votes counted correctly in New Mexico. Best, Bob Stearns

VerifiedVotingNM and UnitedVotersNM represent a coalition of organizations and individuals concerned with strengthening accuracy in vote counting, auditing and recounting. For more information, contact them at 329 Sena Street, Santa Fe NM 87505, or call 988-3718