NM Secretary of State Candidate Envisions Open Door Policy

Letitia Montoya has attended several DFA-DFNM Meetups to talk about her candidacy for New Mexico Secretary of State. She'll be one of those running in the June Primary to get on the ticket on the Dem side. She passed along a recent Taos News article on her candidacy that's worth a read if you're interested in her take on the Secretary of State job. A few excerpts:

... "Back when I decided to run for secretary of state, I noticed a lot of problems that were going on with our voting issues," she said. "I started my campaign a year ago."

Montoya said she seems to be the only candidate stumping for votes and petition signatures throught the state. She realized that voters were beginning to question whether their vote was being counted. In the last General Election, 6,000 provisoinal votes were thrown out in Bernalillo county -- the state's largest group of voters.

"That's 6,000 votes that could have gone for the Democratic candidate," Montoya, a Democrat, pointed out. "That's scary" ...

... "When I become secretary of state, it's public record. I would allow you to come in and check the machines so that you feel good and you know your vote is counted", she said. "When you shut that door, people ask why you won't let them in (on the process)."

The Bernalillo county Clerk has taken the opposite action, Montoya said. She now faces a lawsuit from voters who are demanding an audit of the machines that were used.

"I don't blame these groups. It's the largest county," she said. "I'm a Democrat, and she's a Democrat, but she's not opening the door. It bothers me, and what I've been learning about these machines scares me for the next election."