Democracy for New Mexico

Fun Saturday Lazy Research

has a fun map of the counties of our Country and an interactive method to drill down to see what a particular region is made up of these current days.

The categories for the interactive map above are shown below.

Have fun. Click on this link to go to the and maneuver around. See where you want to move to. Good Saturday fun!

Governor Martinez-led Board Denied Request for More Vote Machines

Press release from ProgressNowNM:

Governor Martinez and her hand-picked Board of Finance denied funds to run a smooth election in Sandoval County.

Newly uncovered emails from the Secretary of State’s Office show that her office knew of potential voting delays on Election Day but Governor Martinez’s and her Board of Finance denied a request to purchase more machines just a month before voting started.

Martinez told KRQE on Election Day, “the Secretary of State was able to spend what was necessary to make sure that there were enough machines at every location." This new information directly contradicts Martinez’s assertion.

During Thursday night’s Sandoval County Commission meeting, Chairman Darryl Madalena read from a portion of a September 18, 2012 email from the Director of the Secretary of State's Elections Bureau showing that the Secretary of State asked Governor Martinez and the Board of Finance (Martinez is its president) for $1.4 million in emergency funds to "meet the requests for an increased number [of Autovote machines] for the General... Our request was tabled. The Board did not allocate any additional funding to cover the costs of the Election."

ProgressNowNM has posted the entire two-page email on its website at ProgressNowNm.org/blog

In the email to clerks from Bobbi Shearer, Elections Bureau Director, she blasts Martinez’s Secretary of Finance Tom Clifford and the Board of Finance, of which Martinez is the president and appoints all four public members, saying "the Board does not have an adequate understanding of the election process” and ridicules their questions about voting convenience centers.

From the email it is clear that that the Secretary of State accepted responsibility to provide sufficient Autovote machines to the clerks and acknowledges that more had been requested after the primary election. The clerk request for more equipment prompted a budget crisis for the Secretary of State who had already spent election money on non-election day items like voter purge cards and postage.

Emerge Victories Across the Country and Plenty to Cheer for in NM!

EmergeNewMexico had this to say about their great success training women to run for political office here in the state of New Mexico, Emerge has much to be excited about indeed for this 2012 election cycle:

We Did It! SEVEN Emerge Graduates have won their elections!  We are so proud of you!  5 will serve in the New Mexico House of Representatives- strengthening what had been a slim majority for Democrats.  From the Supreme Court to District Court to the House of Representatives, these 7 women will join the other 6 Emerge women who currently hold office!

Below is more great inspiring news from EmergeAmerica regarding women running for office for every level of government across the country.

This week, we made a difference. 172 Emerge women ran this year, and 120 of them were on the ballot on Tuesday. We want to thank each and every one of those women for stepping up and running for office.

We are still awaiting final results in several key races, but overall, we saw great success.

Here is a rundown:
Emerge Arizona- 2 women won State House seats with a total of 4 wins across the state!
Emerge California- 17 women won across the bay area!
Emerge Kentucky- With an 82% win rate, 9 out of 11 women won!
Emerge Maine- 14 women won with 9 all in the State House!
Emerge Massachusetts- With 6 women on the ballot they had 4 great wins!
Emerge Nevada- 4 Emerge Nevada won!
Emerge New Mexico- 7 wins with 5 to serve in the State House!
Emerge Oregon- With 7 women on the ballot, Oregon had a 100% success rate!
Emerge Wisconsin- 10 wins with 7 in the State House alone!

Together, we had 76 victories on Election Day.

In addition, Emerge Nevada's Woman to Woman Vote Program was enormously successful. They contacted more than 43,000 women voters (and still counting) in key districts that led to Democrats winning key seats and President Obama won Nevada.

Beyond our own victories, we are so proud of all the women who ran and won their key races across the United States: Tammy Baldwin, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Mazie Hirano, Claire McCaskill, Tulsi Gabbard, Ann Kirkpatrick, Dina Titus, Michelle Lujan-Grisham, Maggie Hassan, Tammy Duckworth and many many more.

Please join us in thanking each and every one of our candidates who gave up countless hours to represent the issues that matter to their communities and have inspired all those around them. These fabulous women, whether they have won or lost this particular campaign, sit on the front line of our movement and we are proud to have them as part of our Emerge family.

Democracy in New Mexico Election 2012

That is exactly what we did on Tuesday November 6th, we exercised our right of being a Democracy in action. Here is the definition of Democracy in websters dictionary:
a: government by the people; especially: rule of the majority
b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

Yes, I am disappointed I did not win my own bid for the NM State House of Representative District 30, but the people of HD 30 spoke and I end this race grateful and wiser. I am grateful for the support of so many friends, I had so many people helping me. I am grateful for so many people within HD 30 opening their doors and thoughts to me on this journey. I am wiser that these are not simple times and I learned more people are hurting and disenfranchised than what I even thought.

I am still going to fight the good fight. In the words of Paul Wellstone and something Eric Griego would remind us all of often: We all do better when we all do better.

Representative Ken Martinez had a great quote in the Journal today: "New Mexicans have rejected the politics of personal destruction and instead have chosen the Democratic agenda of strengthening our working families."

Personal destruction in lieu of leadership, ideas, facts and solutions. Let's not forget that the quest for supreme power is vested in us, the people. Even when hundreds of thousands of dollars are meant to sway us, the power is still in our hands not the people we elect, now more than ever. The democrats held on to and even gained a couple seats in the NM State House of Representatives, that is a success for the people of NM.

Some of the races have not been finalized: Marci Blaze is still fighting to represent the people of HD 23. Marci endured a vicious, money invested onslaught race and was attacked over and over by Republican Paul Pacheco. That district remains tight and is having an automatic recount.

Democrat Liz Thomson won House Seat 24 against incumbent Republican Conrad James. Emily Kane (HD15) won, Stephanie Richards (HD43) won in Los Alamos, Christine Trujillo (HD25) won, Georgene Louis (HD26) won and Patricia Roybal-Caballero (HD13) won, just to mention a few of the great women who will be serving the people of NM. Women stepped up and ran for office across the state and across the country, these strong women were coached and supported by other strong women and men.

Other strong women who won are Karen Montoya for PRC, and Chief Judge Barbara Vigil will be our next Supreme Court Judge, as well as Monica Zamora well be our next Court of Appeals Judge.

Thank goodness Senator Michael Sanchez survived his vicious race. Costing countless of thousands of dollars spent by Reform NM PAC Jay McClesky on behalf of the Martinez administration.

A huge congratulations to Martin Heinrich, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Ben Ray Lujan your work is going to be very important shaping this countries future. And I believe you are the leaders to do just that.

Lastly, Thank the Universe that Obama won for four more years. Our country having Romney as the leader for four years was frightening. What did that man really believe? What do any of the republicans really believe at any level of government anymore?

The money spent all together on all the races around the country to try to sway the will of the people could feed a small nation, like ours.

Let's remember there are many honest, hardworking, play it fair, people who deserve huge kudos! Kudos for all the efforts to the many volunteers and staff and caring people who worked so hard for our Democracy for this critical election of 2012. Democracy is not about money and destruction. Democracy is about we the people.

Mary Ellen Broderick Votes in Dead Heat House District 30 Race

November 2, 2012, Today, Friday, I voted. One US citizen of the many millions of citizens who will vote in this 2012 election cycle. I voted for myself for State Represenatative District 30 and I voted for Barak Obama for President. Now if someone told me back in 2008, when I last voted for Barack Obama that I would be on the same democratic ticket with him in 2012 I would say you were crazy. But here it is, my ballot, one of thousands to be cast in the House District 30 race.

  

Above is my proud ballot voting for Mary Ellen Broderick as well as other very caring people that are running for office: Martin Heinrich for Senate, Michelle Lujan Grisham for Congress, Chief Judge Barbara Vigil for Supreme Court and others. The other pic is myself early this morning on a corner trying to get more exposure and that one more vote.

HD 30 Dead Heat Race to the finish!

Come help us win over this weekend.

On Saturday Nov. 3rd we are having a GOTV kick off from my house here in the NE Heights.  Our special guest motivator will be our next Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham!

Following are details regarding the GOTV HD30 event:

Date: November 3rd, Saturday
Time: Starts at 11:00 go until sun down
Lunch: Will be provided prior to canvassing and calling efforts
Where: 8522 Flower Place NE Abq., NM 87112

Volunteers needed to pitch in for the following tasks:

• Phone Banking (Bring your Laptop please and cell phone)
• Door canvassing (Comfy shoes)

Thank you for all your help so far, let's finish this with a great GOTV!
Please RSVP to Peter Moulson 417-9139, email: peter.moulson@gmail.com

A Note On Campaigns & Race in New Mexico - Guest Blog by Hakim Bellamy

Inaugural Poet Laureate of Albuquerque, New Mexico (2012-2014)

It was therapeutic to walk the streets of Albuquerque for my friend and House District 30 Candidate Mary Ellen Broderick today with my 4 year-old son. It was cool to teach him a lesson about democracy. It was cool to teach him that we value the things we work and fight for more than the things we are granted. It was cool to get him some practice pounding pavement and knocking doors, and demonstrating democracy by foot and by fist. It was necessary because of a week of recent experiences that challenged my faith in the place I choose to raise my child.

Last week, on my way to 4th of July Canyon with my favorite patriots (sons Tobey and Kaylem), we passed a huge white sign that said “Shove It Heinrich.” At that moment, I decided that I was going to make the time to knock on doors in hopes of getting 10 Heinrich votes for that one obnoxious sign owner. That sort of sign (reminiscent of the antagonistic signs that became emblematic of Tea Party rallies) attempts to nudge the very fine line that separates a peaceful, electoral exchange of power from a hate-fueled, violent rebellion. It is fine to disagree with Martin Heinrich, but a pro-Heather Wilson sign would be much more “American” than the vitriolic hate speech this citizen chose to turn into signage. Unless Martin personally said something about this citizen’s mother (or father), there is no need to shove anything, ANYWHERE.

However, I ended up walking for Mary Ellen today, after deciding that she probably needed a Black man walking her district north of Osuna and east of Wyoming. I felt my visual appearance in a neighborhood “like that” would either win Mary Ellen votes she needs (that she might not get per chance of the way she looks) or lose her some votes she doesn’t want (per chance of the way I look).

On a weeknight last week, I pulled into the gas station by my apartment near Lomas and Tramway. It’s a four-pump station, and me pulling up made for three cars. I got out and walked inside because I’m familiar with this station’s pumps, and their inability to accept a purchase from my debit card. Behind my car is a women who appears Anglo-Latina and goth, pumping her own gas with a Mexican-American appearing male in the passenger seat of her “way to many miles on it” sedan. On the other side of the pump is an older Chicana woman in her white Taurus getting gas as well. I tell the attendant that the pump won’t accept my card, like I do every time I get gas there, and return to my vehicle.

As I pump my gas, I notice the car that was behind me is gone, and then the abuelita says something to me in Spanish. I say excuse me, and she repeats her exclamation while visibly upset. Then, she proceeds to tell me (in English) that when I walked away the “do nothing” male in the passenger seat said that he hopes my car “blows up.” I assume he meant that my car would ignite while I was getting gas, in which case he obviously has so little of a life that he watches way too much television. Then, my abuelita friend continues to tell me the rest of the story. She tells me how he laughed when he said it, because he said it quiet enough so I could not hear him and loud enough so she could. She tells me how she spoke up because that pisses her off, and she has Black grandbabies and did not side with him simply because they were the same color, in the same state, at the same gas station. She tells me how he got uncomfortably quiet when he realized that she, who was probably his grandmother’s age, did not find his comment amusing. She tells me he was probably made quitter because she was, in fact, disappointed in him (like I imagine his grandmother would be). She tells me how the girl said nothing and they drove off, and how she sees this type of behavior far too often in New Mexico.

Then, she tells me that I will be blessed. She says she prayed over me because his bad energy and irresponsibility may have cursed me…a curse of incompetence, but a curse nonetheless. So she prayed for my prosperity, and I thanked her. She smiled. And I realized my 4 year-old son was in the back seat the whole time. He had heard this guy articulate how he wanted him and his daddy to perish in a ball of gasoline fire. However, he also heard someone that looks like his school teachers stick up for us….to somebody that looked like her.

When I drove off, I though about my Grandma Ida who just passed on Labor Day weekend, and how this abuelita reminded me of her. I thought of how my grandma was watching over me in the form of this woman that day. And as I canvassed the door of a 96 year-old Albuquerque woman in the Heights, I was excited before I was disappointed that she was not home. I was disappointed because I am sure she would have reminded me of my grandmother as well. I am sure she would have been my Grandma as well. However, I got to have conversations with New Mexicans of many different colors today. Some were D’s, some were R’s and some were I’s. But they all gave me faith in this state. They all (except one guy who talked to me from the other side of a closed door) took the time to see another human being. Regardless of my candidate or political affiliation, they took the time to be open. They took the time to be open to our differences, but also our humanity. And they did not wish for my son and I to die a fiery death or tell us to “shove it.” They reminded me why I choose to raise my son here. Faith restored.

"Politics at it's Worst" Guest Blog by Charlotte Rode State Fair Commissioner

Governor Martinez often uses the phrase “this is politics at its worst” when faced with opposition. As a conservative Republican, I happen to agree with her. Let me give you a few examples of how ‘politics’ is interfering with ‘good government’ in New Mexico.

During the 2010 election cycle most of us were ready for a new era in Santa Fe. Bill Richardson’s demeaning vocabulary and strong-arm tactics were wearing thin. Big campaign donors whose money bought them relevance, appointments and power were costing us millions. His appointees were forced to sign resignation letters in advance to ensure they performed as rubber stamps, advancing his agenda and rewarding friends. Despite campaigning on a promise of transparency and against corruption, the Martinez administration has us feeling like little changed in the two years since her election.

The vulgar, demeaning language used by Keith Gardner in a recording to describe his and the Governor’s feelings about Senator Jennings goes beyond any form of decency. The only reason I can imagine a close friend secretly recording your conversation would be a lack of trust. Keith is the Governor’s Chief of Staff. His job, and hers, is to hold the public trust. As quoted in an article, the Senator believes this attack was a result of his opposition to the Down’s Racino contract. In the same obscenity-laced conversation, Keith offers the Expo management position to his friend, even though hiring management at Expo is, by statute, the responsibility of the State Fair Commission. The Governor’s office has doled out all five senior management positions at Expo at an annual expense of nearly $400k and saw to it that Larry Kennedy became the Commission Chair. Mr. Kennedy is the only commissioner denied confirmation by the NM State Senate.

Martinez’s handler, Jay McCleskey stated in the Albuquerque Journal that “moving the governor’s agenda forward trumps everything” – the ends justifies the means. Does it trump ethics? In identical language, I was told the role of the State Fair Commission was to move the Governor’s agenda forward and if I disagree then I should do the right and respectable thing and resign. Where does that leave our State? If an appointed official witnesses corruption, they should resign instead of speaking out? Tom Tinnin, a well-respected Republican, served for 16 years on the State Board of Finance under four governors. He resigned over concerns with the Downs contract and said before Martinez, he “never had a governor ask him to compromise his integrity, on any level”.

They kept the RFP secret and now they’re doing the same with the enforcement of the new 25-year lease, shielding big money donors from public accountability. A year after the Downs won the award, they have yet to make significant progress towards completion. The new contract is not being upheld. They have not obtained a performance bond, shown evidence of financing or paid their utilities. The State Fair Commission is nowhere to be found. Chairman Kennedy is playing ‘hide the ball’ and hasn’t convened a meeting since June, unilaterally running the commission and completely disregarding state law. They are still operating in secret. In the past year I have been denied nearly every document I’ve requested, even after submitting a formal public records request.

Our state and our country are in desperate need of great leaders, not great politicians. Great leaders are not necessarily liked, they’re respected and effective. We have tremendous human resources in NM, let’s try engaging the talent and expertise of all who represent our diverse electorate, allowing each community to decide for themselves who best represents their needs. This all-or-nothing, seek-and-destroy mentality will not reform our state. Principled leaders will.

Charlotte Rode, State Fair Commissioner

Represenative Nate Gentry Tells Constituents "No Negative Attacks will come from him."

NM State Representative Nate Gentry told his constituents he would be doing no negative attacks, just the facts will be put out in his name. This Rep. Gentry said just hours before a negative flier from Rep Gentry attacking his opponent was received in his constituents mailboxes.

Below is a short video of Representative Nate Gentry stating he will not be doing any personal negative attacks, he will just be stating the facts. All candidates got a chance to speak at the Loma del Rey Neighborhood Association meeting on Wednesday evening at 7:00.

Rep. Gentry must have forgotten that he had put in the mail that same day a personal negative attack of his opponent, Mary Ellen Broderick. See below Hoodie front, and Hoodie back.

As Rep. Nate Gentry says in his statement at the neighborhood association, he is only sending out facts. The flier sent out to his constituents states that Mary Ellen Broderick sides with child killers! Facts, really Rep. Gentry, only facts you will send out?  

It is a fact that Mary Ellen Broderick does support the current law of NM which does not allow the Death Penalty. The repeal of the NM Death Penalty law was fought for many years in the Roundhouse. The death penalty was repealed on March 18, 2009, no more eye for an eye as the way we govern, no more outrageous expenses born by the people of NM for this law.

Barbara Wold followed this topic and wrote about it on many occasions within this DFNM blog, her post regarding the signing of the new law abolishing the death penalty and instituting life without parole can be see here.

Other facts regarding the repeal of the death penalty and House District 30: both of the most recent Republican and Democratic representatives of District 30 voted in favor of replacing the death penalty with life without parole. Neither of them received negative comments from their constituents. 67% of New Mexicans supported the repeal. New Mexicans believe that the millions wasted on having the law on the books should be spent on preventing violence against children, promoting public safety and compensating victims, while keeping dangerous murderers locked up for life. Read the following link for other meaningful information regarding the Repeal of the Death Penalty.

Hoodie Vote Project

Furthermore, it is telling Republican Representative Nate Gentry is using the Hoodie image on the front of this peice. What are the underlying fear tactics being messaged with that simple Hoodie image. Think about the Trayvon Martin killing this spring; a young black man was killed by someone protecting his neighborhood. The man saw someone who should not be in his neighborhood with a hoodie on and dark skinned and confronted him and killed him. Trayvon was carrying skittles and a soft drink.

None of these images go unseen and unrecognized for the fear mongering racist imaging they are meant to display.

Young americans are tired of the fear tactics and racists behavior of the fear mongers. A group called Hoodie Vote was started with a mission of getting young people fed up to vote.

Below is a great video of an activist at Netroots Nation 2012 explaining the Hoodie Vote project.

In summary let's use this fear-mongering message from NM Representative Nate Gentry to GOTV for New Mexico.

Go volunteer for a campaign, Rep. Nate Gentry's opponent Democrat Mary Ellen Broderick needs help on the ground, door to door, meeting the voters, tell them who Mary Ellen really is. Mary Ellen does not side with the child killers! Nothing could be further from the truth. Let's stand up together with volunteer action to say no to these divisive attacks.

We need jobs, we need excellent education, we do not need more fear-mongering

Please sign up to volunteer at Elect Mary Ellen HD30 website or call 417-9139.

10/20: Emily Kane with Special Guest Sonia Manzano at Early Vote OFA Rally

Congress expands voter suppression investigation to New Mexico after ProgressNowNM exposes improper training

STATEMENT OF PROGRESSNOW NM ON NEWS THAT CONGRESS EXPANDS VOTER SUPPRESSION INVESTIGATION INTO NEW MEXICO

Albuquerque - ProgressNow New Mexico's Executive Director Pat Davis issues this statement on the news that a Congressional committee has expanded its investigation into voter suppression into New Mexico after ProgressNow NM exposed improper training of poll challengers by a GOP official and improper coordination between the party and non-profit True The Vote.

"We thank Congressman Cummings for recognizing the important challenge efforts like those we exposed, and others exposed across the country, are having on our elections. This is welcome news coming on the heels of Attorney General King's announcement of a similar investigation announced last week. Though Congressman Pearce has said he endorses these illegal tactics, we encourage the rest of our congressional delegation to stand up for fair elections and support this important inquiry. We also continue to implore Governor Martinez, as our state's highest ranking elected Republican, to repudiate these tactics and support these investigations, especially now that voters have already begun voting."

ProgressNow New Mexico made national news when it released secretly recorded video of a Republican party official training poll challengers in illegal voter challenge techniques. The video has been viewed more than 50,000 times. Just days later, we returned to another training session and were denied entry by True The Vote's state leader telling us, on tape, that the training was only open to Republicans. Non-profit organizations, like True The Vote, are not permitted to work on a partisan basis.

We contacted Cong. Cummings office and shared these videos after learning of his investigation. Cummings specifically cites ProgressNowNM's work as justification for expanding the investigation.

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King announced an investigation into voter suppression in New Mexico after we released these videos.

Despite these investigations, True The Vote released additional training videos this past weekend. They continue to teach improper poll challenger tactics to participants.

A copy of the Congressional letter is here.

Real ID is Dead. New Mexico IDs Will Continue to be Valid.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico debunks Governor Martinez’s Real ID Scare Tactic

On Oct. 10th Governor Martinez released a statement informing the public that the state practice of issuing drivers’ licenses to undocumented residents could prevent New Mexico licenses from complying with REAL ID standards by the deadline of January, 2013. This statement is misleading at best.

REAL ID is dead. Americans have already rejected large parts of this ill-conceived attempt to unite state drivers’ licenses into a national ID card. Thirty-six states—including New Mexico—currently do not fully comply with this unpopular, unfunded mandate. In fact, twenty-five states have passed resolutions rejecting REAL ID, and in fifteen states (more than 20% of the U.S. population), it is illegal for state officials to comply with the law.

Just as we saw in 2008, 2009, and then 2011—all previous deadlines for compliance—the Department of Homeland Security will almost surely kick the can further down the road and extend the deadline again. The government cannot afford to ban 20 percent of the total population from entering a federal building or boarding a plane back home from winter holidays.

Today’s statement from the Governor is a scare tactic meant to advance her agenda of dismantling New Mexico’s drivers’ license law. The Governor should not use the practically defunct REAL ID law to make baseless accusations about a drivers’ license law our legislature passed to improve public safety.

This statement may be attributed to Peter Simonson, Executive Director of the ACLU of New Mexico.

First Day to VOTE in 2012 Election

Click on this link to find out all you need to know about Bernalillo County VOTE

Today, October 9, 2012 is the first day to VOTE in this very important 2012 election.

There are two very different directions being proposed to take the Country right now. From the Federal level to the State level of governing. People are angry, dissolutioned, not trusting of our government.

Now is the time for us, all of us United States Citizens to let our voice be heard. GO VOTE! Read, watch, and listen about the candidates and the issues, make your own decision and then GO VOTE!

To find out more information regarding voting in your New Mexico County please follow this link to the Secretary of State website.