Democracy for New Mexico

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Obama Ground Game in Action in Hoffmantown

Mary Ellen and I didn't vote early, even though we've encouraged folks to do just that. We like to go to our polling place in Hoffmantown in Albuquerque on election day, and we'll do so soon and let you know how it went.

We just had two very enthusiastic women at our door urging us to vote Obama. They were sporting big grins and were covered in buttons from all the candidates. They said the energy at the local Campaign for Change office on Menaul was ramped up to the max. We have Obama window and lawn signs, plus signs for Martin Heinrich, Tom Udall and Jason Marks out front, so the volunteers were pumped about that. We're easy marks, but they warned they'd be back if we didn't vote by this afternoon. The Obama ground game is rolling in the Northeast Heights!

We also had some Obama vols at the door this weekend, and a guy at our door yesterday at about 6:00 PM. We received another robocall from Obama this morning. Yesterday we had recorded messages from Barack (2), Michelle, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Tom Udall (2), Jason Marks and, I think, Gov. Richardson and/or Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. It all starts to be a blur.

Voting today? What's your experience?

Howard Dean Says VOTE

Questions? Call 1-877-US-4-OBAMA

So many of us have been Howard Empowered since 2003, and today is when the profound benefits of his grassroots and netroots party building and 50-state strategy will -- if all goes well -- result in Democratic victories all around the nation, up and down ticket. The Obama campaign amplified, expanded and perfected many of the tools and tactics that emerged during the Dean campaign for president. As a result, a relative handful of activists has turned into a tsunami, thousands of small online donations turned into milliions and a minuscule blogosphere turned into a massive national phenomenon.

The netroots helped Dean get elected as DNC Chair. And there are now numerous former Deaniacs active in the Dem Party structure, chairing precincts and wards, serving on state and county central committees, representing progresssives on rules and platform committes and volunteering all over the nation. Dean supporters and staffers populate numerous campaign offices and many have run for office themselves. A ton of folks who got their political legs in the Dean campaign were elected as delegates to the Dem Convention in Denver in August, and Dean made sure that more bloggers than ever before were granted press credentials to cover the event -- including me.

Dean for America morphed into Democracy for America, and many of the Meetups that originated in 2003 continue today -- including the DFA-DFNM Meetup here in Albuquerque.

It's been a long, strange trip alright, an intense but rewarding roller coaster ride through the modern political landscape. When (alright, if) we win today it will be a dream come true for many, a reward for years of hard work and dedication. But it will also mean the start of another round of activism to keep our elected officials accountable, our government transparently righteous and much needed progressive policies on the front burner. It will require the recruitment and empowerment of even more grassroots and netroots activists. After a well deserved break, the work of democracy will begin again. We have made real progress in our quest to Take Our Country Back, but we've really only just begun. Are you ready?

(Updated) November 4, 2008: Where and When Do I Vote in New Mexico?

Update: According to Brian Colón, chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, if you requested an absentee ballot and did not receive it, you can still vote today until 7:00 PM at your designated polling place. If you received your absentee ballot today or previously, you can drop it off at your polling site or your County Clerk Office.

If you have questions, contact the Democratic Party at 877-NM-CHANGE or nm.voteforchange.com.
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The polls are open tomorrow, November 4, 2008, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. If you are in line by 7:00 PM, you will be allowed to vote. Most people do NOT need to present an ID as long as the voter says or writes his or her name, registration address, and year of birth when they sign in. If you'd prefer not to do that, you can present an ID. The only folks who need to show ID are first-time voters who registered by mail. You can read the rules about that here.

The easiest way to find your polling place is probably to enter your info at the Obama campaign's Vote for Change tool. You can also request a ride to the polls there.

In Bernalillo County, you can visit to find the location of your polling place and see a sample ballot at the same time. In Albuquerque, you can also call the city's 311 number.

You can call your County Clerk's Office for your polling place or other election info.

You can check your registration and find your polling place at New Mexico's Voter View website.

You can see sample ballots for every county at the Secretary of State's website.

If you run into problems or have questions about voting, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. See my previous post for more info on that. You can get your polling place location from them or look it up .

You can also call any of the candidate campaign offices or the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Google to find their websites where you can get their contact info.

Dem Tim Jennings Recorded Robocall for Repub Leonard Lee Rawson

According to the blog of Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Kate Nash, Democrat Tim Jennings of Roswell (right), the current President Pro-Tem of the New Mexico Senate, recorded a robocall in support of Republican incumbent Senator and Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson. Rawson, who's known as a foe of campaign finance and ethics reform, among other things, is in a tough battle against reform Democrat and environmental supporter Steve Fischman in SD 37 in the Las Cruces area.

You can listen to Jennings' robocall here.

What a loyal Democrat, eh? He joins the ranks of fellow disloyal Dem Dan Silva, who got beat by Eleanor Chavez in the June primary in HD 13 in Albuquerque. Silva was also known as a foe of reform. Funny how that works. As a posted previously, Silva admitted to providing confidential voter registration data to the New Mexico Republican Party to assist them in their recent bogus "voter fraud" claims trumpeted by Rep. Justine Fox-Young.

Jennings reportedly is upset about a robocall he received from a "conservation group" he can't identify that is critical of Rawson's ethics. Even though Jennings claims he isn't "endorsing" Rawson (right), it sure walks like a duck to me (to use AG Gary King's infamous language). Nash reports that Gov. Bill Richardson isn't happy about it:

"It is unfortunate and inappropriate that Senator Jennings has chosen to interfere in a key Senate race against a strong Democratic candidate like Steve Fischman," Richardson said in a statement."His actions contradict what he told the Democratic State Senate Campaign Committee and me. At the very least he could have stayed silent. Instead, he has injected himself into a race against his own party at a critically important time."

Jennings also is quoted by Nash as saying:

"I have no desire to go against my party or anything else, but I for one believe you should stand up when somebody says something that isn't true." And, he said, as Senate president, he has to look out for the good of the whole body. "As the elected leader of the Senate, I’m not supposed to be for one party or the other, I’m supposed to be about what’s right for the Senate."

Um, Tim, when you directly involve yourself in a partisan Senate race on the side of a Republican, that's not tending to Senate business -- that's butting in on election politics and seeking to preserve the status quo you have come to know and love.

A New Mexico Independent piece reported Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair Brian Colon had this to say about Rawson's robocall:

[Jennings] is apparently more interested in holding on to his position of leadership in the Senate than he is in doing what is right for the people of New Mexico.” “It is clear that he has made a deal with Rawson. Sen. Jennings’ false robocalls on behalf of a notoriously right-wing Republican are shameful,” Colón said. “He does not speak for Democratic leadership anywhere in New Mexico who look forward to working with new leaders from southern New Mexico — leaders like Steve Fischmann.”

Certain Repubs and Dems seem to be behaving as if their common distaste for ethics reform is stronger than any partisan loyalties they may have. That's what sometimes happens when the interests of donors and access to sweetheart appropriations are at stake. Those used to the good ole' boy way of doing things get upset when challengers interested in ethics reform and environmental issues threaten to upset the status-quo apple cart.

Protect the Vote: 1-866-OUR-VOTE

There are rumors swirling that GOP operatives may attempt to suppress the vote tomorrow by slowing things down at polling places as they mount large-scale challenges to potential voters. As we know, the GOP machine appears ready to do almost anything, no matter how bogus, to try and win, legal or not. Be forewarned and ready to fight back.

Today, the NMI reports that, "A local private investigator was contacted by a man recruiting on behalf of the Republican National Committee, looking for private investigators to advise poll challengers on election day. The investigator, David O’Niell, says he’s worried that RNC may be using private investigators to help with so-called vote caging, a method of vote suppression."

So, keep an eye out tomorrow for "dirty tricks" at your polling place -- and follow this advice from Common Cause if you spot or experience anything odd:

If you are heading to the polls tomorrow, please be sure to take this number with you: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683). This national, toll-free election protection hotline can help with any voting-related questions or problems you might encounter.

Before going to vote, please be sure to:

* Find out in advance where your polling place is. You can call 1-866-OUR-VOTE to find your polling place and confirm your registration, or look up your voting location here.
* Know what you need to bring to the polls. Check out our website for state-by-state voting information.
* Give yourself plenty of time to vote. Lines will likely be long in many places. 

You can help Protect the Vote by passing the 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline number on to everyone you know who will be voting tomorrow. The national election protection coalition, which Common Cause is proud to be part of, is committed to making sure every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot, and every ballot is counted accurately. If there are problems on Election Day, we want to be able to get to the bottom of them as fast as possible.

Also, Common Cause will hold an hour-long briefing call on Election Day at 5:30pm eastern time for all members and activists to talk about what we're hearing and seeing around the country. We'll have representatives from our national office on the line to talk about big-picture trends, and our staff who are on the ground in states like Ohio, Florida, Colorado and North Carolina to give reports from the field. 

Please RSVP now, and we'll send you the toll-free dial-in information. We will take questions at the end of the call; however, please do not wait for this briefing call if you have a problem to report. Call the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE to relay any problems in your area.

Thanks for all you do,

Susannah Goodman
and the rest of the team at Common Cause

P.S. Here are a few more ways that you can help Protect the Vote tomorrow:

* TwitterVoteReport.com: Use your Twitter account, cell phone or any touch-tone phone to report on your voting experience. It's easy -- click here for more information about how to "Tweet Your Vote".
* MyFairElection.com: Rate your polling place and your experience of voting. Your rating and those of other voters will produce a real-time map of voting conditions throughout the country on November 4.

Defenders of Wildlife to Hold Live Drawing for Prius Hybrid at 2 PM Today

The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund will hold a live random drawing today, November 3rd, at 2:00 PM at its Albuquerque campaign office located on 1600 San Pedro Drive NE. The drawing will determine a lucky New Mexican winner of a Prius hybrid among those who had registered for the contest, which began on July 1, 2008. If you're in the area, stop by to see who wins.

“We have decided to give away a free hybrid car to show our commitment to raising awareness for energy conservation and to encourage eligible New Mexican voters to be sure to vote on Election Day in support of energy conservation and investments in clean renewable energy,” said Ed Yoon, NM/CO Campaign Manager of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. “With the still high cost of fuel especially in this shaky economy, energy conservation is an important issue not only for the environment, but for families’ pocketbooks and our national security. We look forward to the winners of tomorrow’s elections working towards improving energy conservation standards.”

The 2008 hybrid car was used by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund throughout the summer to highlight Rep. Steve Pearce’s repeated votes against increased fuel mileage standards that could save New Mexican families hundreds of dollars per year and reduce the impact of global warming.

The giveaway was open only to legal residents of the state of New Mexico who were at least 18 years of age at the time of entry and had a valid New Mexico driver’s license. The Service Employees International Union will be the independent judging organization conducting the drawing.

The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has been highly active in the New Mexico elections since endorsing Rep. Tom Udall for the U.S. Senate, Martin Heinrich for Congress, and Barack Obama for President for their record and commitment to energy conservation and promotion of clean renewable energy. As one of the earliest and largest independent expenditure operations in the state, Defenders employs 35 paid staff and has run numerous TV, radio and mail ads in the state and canvassed more than 110,000 doors of persuadable voter in the battleground areas of Bernalillo and Sandoval counties in support of these candidates.

The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.

PAC505 to Host Election Night Party at Blackbird Buvette

On election night, come and root for America with PAC505, Trillion Space, and Soy de Burque at Blackbird Buvette, in downtown Burque. More details here. RSVP by responding to dial505@gmail.

NM-02: Harry Teague to Host Election Night Party in Hobbs; Campaign Hosts Party in Las Cruces

Harry Teague and DPNM Chair Brian Colon contemplate victory

NM-02 Congressional candidate Harry Teague plans to be in his hometown of Hobbs and in the surrounding area on Election Day and will host a victory party at his Hobbs campaign headquarters at 124 E. Broadway on Election Night. All are invited.

Also even though Harry won't be able to be there, the Teague campaign will host an election night party at their headquarters in Las Cruces at 139 N. Downtown Mall, starting at 7:00 PM. The more the merrier. Go Harry!

(Updated) NM-03: Luján to Meet Voters Today in Las Vegas, Mora, Taos; Election Night Party Tuesday

Update: You can listen to an excellent interview with Lujan conducted by Peter St. Cyr at What's the Word. Ben Ray discussses his plans for the next few days, as well as his priorities when (if) he takes the oath of office in DC.
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Today, Ben Ray Luján, the Democratic nominee for Congress in NM-03, will meet with voters in Las Vegas, Mora and Taos. Full Schedule, Monday, November 3:

Noon-1:30 PM: Ben Ray Luján will attend a Canvass Kickoff rally in Las Vegas with Chairman Brian Colón and State Auditor Hector Balderas, Las Vegas Campaign for Change Office, 213 Plaza Street, Las Vegas

2:00-3:00 PM: Ben Ray Luján will visit with voters and local businesses in Mora

5:00-8:00 PM: Ben Ray Luján will attend a Last Call for Change phone bank in Taos with Chairman Brian Colón and State Auditor Hector Balderas, Taos Campaign for Change Office, 729 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos

Ben Ray Luján will also host an Election Night Watch Party on Tuesday, November 4, at 7:00 PM at the Hotel Santa Fe, 1501 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe. All are welcome.