Democracy for New Mexico

2008 NM Primary: Find Your Polling Place Now for June 3rd Election

Don't wait until Tuesday, June 3rd, and then get into a panic when the voting info phone lines and websites are jammed. If you live in Bernalillo County, visit this page at the website of the Bernalillo County Clerk, enter your address, and you'll get info on your polling place and a sample ballot.

Click here to find contact information for County Clerks in other counties, or Google your County Clerk's office to get a direct link to your Clerk's page. You can also enter your address at the Secretary of State's Voter View page to find your polling place anywhere in the state.

You must be registered as a Democrat to be able to vote in tomorrow's Democratic primary. Polls will be open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Early in-person voting is over, as is the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot. If you previously requested and received an absentee ballot, you must return it to the County Clerk's office OR at your normal polling place no later than 7:00pm on Election Day, June 3rd. Ballots may be returned by the voter, the voter's caregiver, or a member of the voter's immediate family. It's too late to mail it, so you'll need to hand-deliver it. Do not take a completed absentee ballot to your polling place on election day or you will be required to complete a provisional ballot.

There is a new provision for a voter who has received an absentee ballot, but not turned it in, to vote provisionally instead. They might have lost or destroyed it, or just changed their mind about who to vote for since they got it. The voter goes to their polling place and fills out a form and votes provisionally. If the absentee ballot doesn't turn up, the provisional ballot should be counted.

For more sources of information about the election, candidates and voting, check the left-hand sidebar on the DFNM blog  where I've included a number of links under the heading of Voting Info.

See more posters created by Obey here.

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NM-Sen: Udall Canvassing Off to Good Start

About 30 enthusiastic people showed up today to participate in a canvass organized by the Tom Udall for Senate campaign and the Dem Party of New Mexico in Albuquerque. There will be many more to come. Even though Udall is getting terrific polling numbers in this race, the GOP will definitely be waging a no-holds-barred battle to hang onto the Senate seat in New Mexico. We have to work hard from now until November to make sure the Dems take this seat.

It's always good to stay informed by following the poll numbers and the latest political news, but if we're not phone banking, canvassing or helping out in other ways with the campaign(s) of our choice, we can't really call ourselves activists, can we? I know -- nag, nag, nag, but it's vital we all do what we can.

Click on photos for larger versions. Photos by M.E. Broderick.

With early voting going on now for the June 3rd primary, volunteers are needed by candidates in all the contested Legislative races, county elections and Congressional contests to work on identifying voters and getting them to vote. The Democratic Party of New Mexico and your County Dem Party also need help. Please check in at the campaign of your choice and do what you can between now and June 3rd. Some ideas:

Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Bernalillo County Clerk
https://www.keepmaggie.com/

Eric Griego, State Senate 14
https://www.ericgriegofornewmexico.com/

John Blair, State Senate 15
https://www.johnblair.org/

Tim Keller, State Senate District 17
https://www.timkellerfornewmexico.com/

Martin Heinrich, U.S. House, NM-01
https://www.martinheinrich.com/

Bill McCamley, U.S. House, NM-02
https://www.billmccamley.com/

Ben R. Lujan, U.S. House, NM-03
https://www.benrlujan.com/

Benny Shendo Jr., U.S. House NM-03
https://runningwithbenny.blogspot.com/

Tom Udall, U.S. Senate, New Mexico
https://tomudall.com/

Jason Marks, Public Regulation Commission, District 1
https://www.jasonmarks.com/index.html

Democratic Party of New Mexico
https://www.nmdemocrats.net/

Technorati Tags:Tom Udall, NM-Sen, Albuquerque, New Mexico, canvassing, activism, Democrats, Democratic Party of New Mexico

5/22: East Mountain Ward Hosts Dem Candidate Forum

From Ron Humphreys, Ward Chair: Ward 20C, which includes many  parts of the Bernalillo County East Mountain area southeast, from Carnuel to Chilili, will be having a forum to allow the candidates for office to express their qualifications. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will lead off the meeting. The meeting will be held at Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras, (1/4 mile west of the stop light), from 6:30-9:30 PM on Thursday, May 22nd.

Invited and expected to attend are the Dem Congressional candidates for CD-1, the Bernalillo County Dem candidates for Clerk and Treasurer, the Dem candidate for Senate District 19 and various candidates for the Judiciary in Bernalillo County. All invited speakers are Democrats, but the meeting is open to the general public, and all are welcome and invited to attend.

Last Chance to Register to Vote for June 3rd Primary; Early Voting Begins

If you're not registered to vote in New Mexico, you have until 5:00 PM on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 to register if you want to vote in the June 3rd primary. You  must also be registered as a Democrat to vote in the Democratic primary. There have been some problems in the past with people thinking they were registered as Democrats only to find that they registered as Independents or undeclared as to political party.

You can see if you're registered by using the Voter View tool provided by the NM Secretary of State, but it doesn't tell you if you're registered under a political party or not. You have to contact your county clerk to check party affiliation on the your registration (or check the voter card that was sent to you). In Bernalillo County, call 468.1291. If you live in another county, get your County Clerk contact info here.

You can register to vote in person at your County Clerk's office. In Bernalillo County, that's at One Civic Plaza, NW in Albuquerque, 6th Floor.

Early Voting
Voting my mail-in absentee balloting starts on May 6th. You must request an absenttee ballot from your County Clerk. Early in-person voting also begins on May 6th at your County Clerk's office or, in Bernalillo County, at the County Clerk’s Office Annex in downtown Albuquerque – 620 Lomas, NW. The hours of operation for this location are as follows:

• Tuesday May 6 – Friday May 9:            8:00am – 5:00pm
• Monday May 12 – Friday May 16:         8:00am – 5:00pm
• Monday May 19 – Friday May 23:         8:00am – 5:00pm
• Monday May 26 – Friday May 30:         8:00am – 5:00pm
• Saturday May 31:                             10:00am – 6:00pm

Starting on May 17th, residents of Bernalillo County will be able to vote early at 16 polling places throughout the county. Other counties will also be holding early voting at satellite locations. Check with your County Clerk.

Voters in the June 3rd primary in New Mexico will be choosing their preferred candidate for Congress and other races, depending on their location. Click for a listing of candidates provided by the New Mexico Secretary of State. Also see the Bernalillo County list of candidates for additional candidates at the county level. In other counties, check with your County Clerk.

See our previous post for more information on early voting.

Technorati Tags:voter registration, June 3 New Mexico primary, primaries, Bernalillo County , New Mexico, county clerk

Leadership Roswell to Host Two-Day Candidate Forum

The Leadership Roswell Alumni Association candidate forum will be held on May 5 and 6 at 6:30 PM at the First Baptist Church, 500 N. Pennsylvania Avenue in Roswell. On May 5th the 2nd CD congressional candidates will answer questions, and on May 6th the two Republican candidates in State Senate District 33 (Rod Adair vs. Rory McMinn) and State House District 57 primaries (Dan Foley vs. Dennis Kintigh), respectively, will answer questions. Candidates in other local races will also be participating.

The candidates will answer questions prepared by the forum's committee they haven't seen ahead of time, taking turns on who answers first, and be granted two minutes each to answer. According to an article about the two-day forum in the Roswell Daily Record:

"Our ultimate goal is to educate the community so that when they go to vote they can make a knowledgeable choice on the ballot," said Rick Kraft executive director of Leadership Roswell. Kraft will participate as moderator for the forum.

"This is only the second time we've held a primary forum," he said. "With so many contested positions this year, we felt it would be a real service to the community."

This forum will mark the organization's 22nd candidate forum, said Toni Hall, chair of the Leadership Roswell Alumni Association Candidate Forum Committee.

"We're expecting excellent participation," she said.

Although candidates in uncontested primaries were not invited to participate in the primary forum, they are asked to participate in the general election forum to be held this fall, Hall said.

Seeking nomination for the 2nd Congressional seat, Democrats Bill McCamley and Harry Teague, along with Republicans Edward Tinsley, Monty Newman, Earl Greer and Greg Sowards, will participate in the forum on May 5. Republican candidate Aubrey Dunn will not be able to attend.

Seeking election to the position of district attorney for the 5th Judicial District, Republicans Janetta Hicks, and incumbent Terry Haake will also participate in the May 5 forum.

Republican candidates for state representative in District 57, Dennis Kintigh and incumbent Rep. Dan Foley, will participate in the May 6 forum, along with Republican candidates seeking the state senator position in District 33, incumbent Sen. Rod Adair and Rory McMinn.

Republican candidates for County Commission in Districts 2, 3 and 4, along with those seeking the county treasurer position, will also participate on May 6.

From District 2, Dr. Doug Gillies and Dale Haverland will be present. Kim Chesser will not be attending the forum. In District 3, incumbent Alice Eppers and opponent Kyle "Smiley" Wooton will be present, along with District 4 candidates, incumbent Richard Taylor and George Aho.

Republican candidates for county treasurer Steven C. Harris, Steve J. Staeden Jr. and Dara Dana will all participate.

Technorati Tags:Roswell, New Mexico, candidate forums, Harry Teague, Bill McCamley, Edward Tinsley, Monty Newman, Earl Greer, Greg Sowards

Guest Blog: Reelect Mary Gail Gwaltney as NM's Democratic National Committeewoman

This is a guest blog by Stephanie L. DuBois of Tularosa, NM.

I would like to tell you about my good friend, Mary Gail Gwaltney (right), our Democratic National Committeewoman. To those of us who are involved in party politics, the Gwaltney name is synonymous with the Democratic party. Mary Gail's organizational and fundraising skills for the party and candidates on all levels are widely known. Being the National Committeewoman is a serious full time commitment. Her strength lies in electing Democrats from all walks of life and then helping them in their bid for re-election.

When you meet Mary Gail you see an attractive woman very well put together. Her enthusiasm and boundless energy is most evident. And you know immediately she is a Democrat and values our Democratic principles. Her personality is always upbeat. She is a very giving person.She values her long-lasting friendships and treats everyone  with respect.

Mary Gail's family is her number one priority. Her family supports her work as National Committeewoman and supports her decision to continue serving in this role.

A Personal Anecedote
Mary Gail has impacted my participation in party politics and when I ran for elected office on many occasions. One particular incident comes to mind. After I was elected Vice-Chair of the Otero County Democratic party -- I think it was around 1994 -- Mary Gail ask me if I was going to attend the Legislative Dinner in Santa Fe. At that time, the price of the dinner ticket was $100. I didn't really have the money to go, which I expressed to her.

So I thought that would be the end of the conversation. But Mary Gail offered this suggestion: can you get 10 people that support you in your county to give you $10? if you can do this, I will find you a place to stay overnight. I did get those 10 people to donate. I attended the dinner. I spent the night at the home of one of Mary Gail's friends. It was important to her that as a county Vice-Chair I should attend this dinner. I made the effort to make it happen. I had a really good time. I met many people whom I consider my friends to this day. But without Mary Gail's encouragement I would not have gone.

Hardworking and Dedicated
In my opinion, Mary Gail is one of the hardest working Democrats I know. The position of National Committeewoman is a non-paying job, and it is a job with no budget. This past year she was in 12 states all at her own expense. She will  tell you it is not about the time and the expense. She does all this because she absolutely loves every minute of it. There are certainly sacrifices and adjustments that come with the responsibilities of the position -- like missing family celebrations, including her own birthday party. But I know Mary Gail does all of this because she feels strongly that electing Democrats to office will give us all a better life.

Better Communications
Communication  with the Democrats of New Mexico is very important to Mary Gail. She has a plan to propose to the state party to have a link on the state web-site for the National Committeeman and National Committeewoman to report on meetings of the DNC they have attended. This would be in addition to e-mail and personal phone calls, and would aim to keep all Democrats better informed of the important work being done by and at the DNC level of the party.

Reelect Mary Gail Gwaltney
To sum up, I am proud to know Mary Gail and to support her decision to continue serving in this full time, demanding position as National Committeewoman. Teamwork and her seniority will be most beneficial in our 2008 election, not only to elect a Democratic President but to have a tremendous chance to elect Democrats for the vacated Senate seat and three Congressional seats. Mary Gail is up to the challenge. I will be voting for my good friend on April 26, 2008. I hope you will join me.

Click for a brochure with more information about Mary Gail Gwaltney.

Thank you,
Stephanie L. DuBois

This is a guest blog by Stephanie L. DuBois of Tularosa, New Mexico. Guest blogs are an opportunity for our readers to express their opinions on matters relevant to the blog. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.

The DPNM's State Central Committee will elect one Committeewoman one Committeeman at their meeting on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at the Barcelona Suites in Albuquerque, to serve terms on the DNC starting next year. Mary Gail Gwaltney has served as New Mexico's DNC Committeewoman for a number of years and is running for reelection. She also serves on the DNC Executive Board.

Technorati Tags:Mary Gail Gwaltney, New Mexico, Democratic Party of New Mexico, Democratic National Committee, DNC, Democrats

Celebrate Emerge NM Class of '08 at Friday Reception

From Emerge NM:
We want to thank each and every one of you who helped to spread the word about Emerge NM during these past few months. With your help, we are proud to introduce our 2008 participants! Please celebrate with us this Friday nite at a reception in ABQ - and help us to welcome the women in emergeNM's 2008 class:

EMERGE NM 2008 RECEPTION
JOIN US AS WE PRESENT
The 2008 CLASS PARTICIPANTS
When: Friday, April 18, 2008
Where: 9103 Lynx Loop NE, Albuquerque
Time: 6:30 PM

The suggested $50 donation will be used to train Democratic women to run for public office and win! Emerge NM 2008 class includes:

Erika Anderson
Sara Attleson
Kelley Burns
Rosemary Cosgrove Aguilar
Nancy Denker
Miriam Diemer
Catherine Jabar
Julie Lucero
Helen Maestas
Lisa McNiven
Hazel Mella
Diana Montoya Boyer
Loretta Naranjo Lopez
Alejandra Nava
Yvette Ramirez Ammerman
Angela Reynolds
Stephanie Richard
Reena Szczepanski

Onward and forward,
Anathea Chino, President, Emerge New Mexico 

Directions to 9103 Lynx Loop from Paseo del Norte & Tramway

1.  Go South on Tramway to San Bernardino (1st traffic light).  Turn left/east.

2.  Follow San Bernardino to Tramway Lane (first stop sign). Turn Right.

3.  Follow Tramway Lane through the next stop sign (at Deer Road) and turn on Lynx Loop (second and third lefts after the stop sign).

The house is on the north side of the street.  We share an entrance to our driveway with our neighbors (9102). Our driveway is the long driveway on the right. The house is set back from the street. There is a second story balcony facing the street.

Emerge Alums Running for Office
Please contact each woman individually to find out more about her campaign and how you can get involved

Christina Argyres: Metro Court Judge
Committee to Elect Christina P. Argyres,
1200 Georgia NE, ABQ 87110
(505) 245-7063

Karen Giannini: State House District 30
(505) 480-9766

Roxanne Lara:
Eddy County Commission District 5
Lara for Commissioner, 310 N Canyon, Carlsbad 88220
(575) 628-8248 or (575) 706-3879, votelara@windstream.net

Janice Saxton: State House District 22
123 Juniper Road, Placitas 87043 jnjsaxton@msn.com

LaVerne Wyaco: State Senate District 4
Committee to Elect LaVerne Wyaco,
PO Box 1720, Gallup 87305, www.lavernewyaco.com

Technorati Tags:Emerge New Mexico, New Mexico, women candidates, women in politics

Newsflash: Large Amounts of Money Being Raised by Candidates

This is the day that candidate financial reports are due at the FEC, so campaign press releases filled with braggadaccio -- justified or not -- are piling up in many bloggers' and reporters' email boxes. I know I'm supposed to be excited about the fact that many of the candidates I support are doing incredibly well in the area of campaign donations.

I know that as a political blogger I'm expected to rush to the keyboard and try to "scoop" other sites by being among the first to reveal the official numbers. I know I'm supposed to plug in the always boring and totally predictable candidate quotes about how "grateful" they are for all the support and how they will use it to change everything that needs changing in Washington. But I just can't do it today.

I was off wandering on the web, from link to link, wincing at explicitly bloody photos of the Tibetan victims of Chinese brutality. I found myself reading more than I have in weeks about the seemingly intractable problems we face due to global warming, habitat destruction, water depletion and exploding food prices in already starvation-filled parts of the world.

I checked out the latest body counts from Iraq and other "troublespots" around the world. And then I came back to my email boxes and saw all the press releases bragging about tens of thousands or even millions of dollars raised by politicians to buy ads from corporate media outlets and pay their "experts," and it made me want to wretch. Or cry. Can any culture have its priorities and methods of addressing them more screwed up than ours does at this moment in time?

I found myself wishing that some candidate, any candidate, would decide to take all that money, boldly proclaim they'd be running exactly zero slick ads with that same damned person with the same sickly sweet voice as the narrator, and announce they were sending the money to those in real need, right now, instead. Imagine the impact that would have. It might actually make their polling numbers jump 10 points. (Just kidding, but you have to use the preferred lingo to get their attention.)

I might like to encounter a candidate who'd force his or her media people to write at least one real sentence at least one time in a press release that sounds like a real human being is talking. Even better, the candidate might write the release on their own, in their own words. Risky, I know. Beyond the pale.

Or how about this? Instead of appearing at another one of those campaign fundraising parties with the snack trays and the white wine, how about gathering your supporters together to go on a volunteer mission to some charity doing good work to help real people in real pain? To show you really care about what's going on in our community and will do something real about it that goes beyond spouting careful talking points drafted by highly paid consultants?

I'm sure I'll get back to "normal" soon, but today I see a sea of pain all over the globe, sickening overconsumption ruining all that's sacred, degrading conditions and hypocrisy and greed ruling everything -- and I just can't pretend that political campaigns fought in the same old, same old, same old ways will have any genuine impact even if my favored candidates win. For they'll move into the same old, same old, same old government slots to play the games that have failed us so tragically for so long.

It's hard to take the same old, same old, same old approaches seriously today. We seem surrounded by emergencies of the first order with only business-as-usual politicos -- dependent on the cynical and phoney baloney tools of public relations spin -- to take them on. It scares me.

Bernalillo County Clerk Announces Expanded Early In-Person Voting for Primary

From Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Bernalillo County Clerk:
Registered voters of Bernalillo County will have the opportunity to vote early at 16 different locations throughout the County in the upcoming June 3rd Primary Election. Click for Flyer (pdf).

Only those who have registered as a Democrat or as a Republican by Tuesday, May 6, 2008 can participate in this election. In order to register to vote, individuals may call the County Clerk’s office at 505-468-1291 to request a form be sent to them or they may and fill out a form in-person in the Clerk’s office at One Civic Plaza, NW, 6th Floor. The County Clerk’s office encourages individuals to fill out registration forms in person in order to expedite processing.

County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver has expanded Early Voting opportunities from the statutorily mandated 12 locations to 16 locations. In addition, she has increased the average size of each location by 2000 square feet in order to accommodate more voters at each location.

“Expanding Early Voting has been a top priority for me since my appointment to this position,” said County Clerk ToulouseOliver, “The goal in selecting these sites was for most voters in the County to have access to an Early Voting site within a two mile radius of where they live.”

Early In-Person Absentee Voting begins May 6th at the County Clerk’s Office Annex in downtown Albuquerque – 620 Lomas, NW. The hours of operation for this location are as follows:

• Tuesday May 6 – Friday May 9:            8:00am – 5:00pm
• Monday May 12 – Friday May 16:         8:00am – 5:00pm
• Monday May 19 – Friday May 23:         8:00am – 5:00pm
• Monday May 26 – Friday May 30:         8:00am – 5:00pm
• Saturday May 31:                             10:00am – 6:00pm

Early In-Person Voting at satellite locations throughout the County will begin on Saturday May 17th at the following locations:

Tijeras City Hall
12 Camino Municipal - Tijeras

Paradise Hills Community Center
5901 Paradise Blvd NW

Los Ranchos Villa
6601 4th St NW Suites A,B, C

Coors Plaza
3200 Coors NW Suite A

Integrity Plaza
1512 Wyoming NE Suites F&G

Plaza Paseo Del Norte
9231 Coors NW Suite R-8

Siesta Hills Shopping Center
5407 Gibson SE

Del Norte Shopping Center
7120 Wyoming NE Suite 16

Market Center East
11110 Lomas NE Suite E-4

98th & Central Shopping Center
120 98th St NW Suite B-5

Goff Plaza
1720 Bridge SW Suite G

Daskalos Shopping Center
5339 & 5339A Menaul NE

Juan Tabo Plaza
11012 Montgomery NE

CNM – South Valley Campus
5816 Isleta Blvd., SW

University of New Mexico
Student Union Building

The hours of operation for Early in Person voting at these satellite locations are as follows:

• Saturday May 17:                           10:00am – 6:00pm
• Tuesday May 20 – Friday May 23:    12:00pm – 8:00pm
• Saturday May 24:                           10:00am – 6:00pm
• Tuesday May 27 – Friday May 30:    12:00pm – 8:00pm
• Saturday May 31:                           10:00am – 6:00pm

For more information on Early Voting for the June 3rd 2008 Primary Election, please visit the Bernalillo County Clerk’s website at https://www.bernco.gov/clerk, or contact the Clerk’s Office at (505) 468.1291 or clerk@bernco.gov.

Voting by mail-in absentee ballot begins on May 6, 2008. To request a ballot if you live in Bernalillo County, contact the Bernalillo County Clerk as noted in the previous paragraph.

For information on early in-person voting and absentee mail-in ballot voting in other counties, contact your County Clerk. Click for a listing of contact information for all County Clerks in New Mexico.

To check if you are registered to vote, visit Voter View online or call your county clerk. Click for more information on registering to vote in New Mexico.

After Midnight ... It'll Be Too Late

The end of the first fundraising quarter of 2008 happens at Midnight tonight for all federal candidates. That means we have only a few hours to add to the campaign funds of our favorite Dems running for U.S. House seats in all three of New Mexico's Congressional Districts, to help Rep. Tom Udall's run for U.S. Senate and to give a last-minute boost to Obama or Clinton. Google your candidates' names, click on the Donate button and give what you can. Whether we like it our not, a candidate's strength -- especially in primary races -- is often gauged by his or her fundraising abilities. As we know, lots of small donations from ordinary people can bring big mo. The clock is ticking ....