Democracy for New Mexico

Breaking: NM Dem Party Chair Brian Colón Endorses Obama!

The superdelegate momentum for Obama keeps building. Thank you Brian! I completely agree with your reasons. Now there are only two superdelegates who remain undecided -- Rep. Tom Udall and add-on delegate Laurie Weahkee (see below the fold).

Here's the release from the Democratic Party of New Mexico:

Albuquerque, NM - Today, New Mexico State Party Chair and superdelegate Brian S. Colón endorsed Senator Barack Obama, citing Obama's ability to bring new voters into the process as well as the positive campaign Obama has run.

State Party Chair Brian Colón said, "Barack Obama has proven to inspire a movement that has brought a record number of people into the process. He's proven to be a candidate who can compete and will fight hard to expand the Democratic Party's reach and put Western states in play in the general election. His message of change is resonating across all ages, races and economic backgrounds in New Mexico.

"As I talk to Democrats all over New Mexico they are increasingly concerned with the negative tone that the campaign has taken. I believe that Senator Obama has presented a positive message of change while continuing to focus on our real opponent; a John McCain presidency and another four year term of failed Bush policies.

"Barack Obama has run a different kind of campaign - one that goes beyond the things that divide us and is driven by a commitment to real change that starts at the grassroots level. Here in New Mexico, where we had a very close election on February 5th, the excitement I saw throughout the state is good for our Party and good for our State. While there are two very talented candidates in this race, I am proud to make this announcement today because I want to see Barack Obama's positive movement for change continue to transform the Democratic Party and this country."

The endorsement brings the total number of superdelegates to endorse Barack Obama to 254. Senator Obama is 278 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination. 

Update of New Mexico's unpledged (superdelegates) and their announced candidate affiliations:

Governor Bill Richardson (Obama)
Lt. Governor Diane D. Denish (Clinton)
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (Obama)
Congressman Tom Udall (Undecided)
DPNM Chairman Brian S. Colón (Obama)
DPNM Vice Chairwoman Annadelle Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeeman Raymond G. Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeewoman Mary Gail Gwaltney (Clinton)
DNC Committee Member Fred Harris (Obama)
DNC At-Large Member Mayor Martin Chavez (Clinton)
DNC At-Large Member Christine Trujillo (Clinton)

Add-On At-Large Unpledged Delegate Laurie Weahkee (Undecided)

Complete list of New Mexico's 42-member delegation is here. While you're there, explore the new DPNM website that launched the other day with a new logo, new tools and much better setup. 

Technorati Tags:Brian Colon, Barack Obama, Obama endorsement, endorsements, New Mexico, Albuquerque, Democratic Party of New Mexico, superdelegates

(Updated) NM Clinton Camp Challenges Election of Laurie Weahkee as Unpledged Add-On Delegate

John Wertheim (second from left) and Mark Fleisher (far right)
complaining about add-on delegate election at SCC Meeting last Saturday

UPDATE: Click for a copy of the letter (pdf) submitted to Chairman Brian Colón by John Wertheim and nine other members of the DPNM Executive Committee regarding the process used to elect New Mexico's unpledged add-on delegate to the DNC Convention.
**************
As I reported previously, the Clinton camp in New Mexico raised a ruckus over the way Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair Brian Colón handled Saturday's election of the unpledged add-on delegate to the Dem National Convention. When Colón nominated two Native American women who hadn't endorsed either of the presidential candidates, former DPNM Chair John Wertheim and Clinton delegate Mark Fleisher led a rowdy effort to make an additional nomination from the floor, claiming Colon wasn't following the Party's Delegate Selection Plan.

The Clinton camp's attempt was eventually ruled out of order, and Laurie Weahkee was elected by the Party's State Central Committee to fill the NM delegation's last unpledged slot. Weahkee has said repeatedly that she hasn't yet made up her mind whether she will support Clinton or Obama for the presidential nomination.

Now Wertheim and others have submitted a letter to Colón complaining that he didn't follow the rules. The Clinton camp is saying there should be a run-off election for the slot between Weahkee and Heather Townsend, who received write-in votes from Clinton supporters on the SC-- despite the fact that she wasn't an official nominee. Townsend is an acknowledged Clinton supporter. According to an article in today's Albuquerque Journal:

In a letter this week to state Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colón, 10 ranking party members— including four Clinton superdelegates— accused Colón of breaking the delegate selection rules. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, another Clinton superdelegate, told the Journal that she thinks Barack Obama backers put "tremendous" pressure on Colón about the selection plan.

"I don't think the governor personally would have done it," Denish said of Gov. Bill Richardson, who has endorsed Obama. "But people associated with him would have worked very hard at that on his behalf."

Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley said Wednesday that no governor's associates put the heat on Colón, adding that Richardson played no role in the outcome of Saturday's election. Colón said Wednesday that backers of both Obama and Clinton were pressuring him heavily before his nomination of the 12th superdelegate, Laurie Weahkee, who has said she is still uncommitted to either Clinton or Obama. Colón added that the party broke no rules in the selection process, which led to Weahkee's election.

"The Clintons are fighting for every single delegate, and the Obamas are fighting for every single delegate," Colón said. "At the end of the day, what I did was follow the rules."

Here's what the Clinton camp is claiming:

Former state party Chairman John Wertheim, four Clinton superdelegates and several others said in a letter to Colón on Tuesday that he broke the rules in the nominating process by failing to meet with the party's executive committee before making his two nominations. The letter also called for a runoff between Weahkee and Townsend, who received five votes fewer than Weahkee.

"It is neither democratic nor Democratic to fail to hold the required runoff," the letter said, pointing out that none of the three received a majority vote.

I don't know what, if anything, happens next, but Colón and the Party's Executive Director are insisting that the election process followed the rules of New Mexico's Delegate Selection Plan:

Colón said he abided by party rules by consulting with several members of the executive committee before making his nominations. Party Executive Director Josh Geise said that, because Townsend was not nominated by Colón, she was not eligible to take part in Saturday's election and there will be no runoff. Shipley said Richardson backs the way Colón handled the election.

Click for the official listing of New Mexico's 42-member delegation to the DNC Convention.

New Mexico's unpledged (superdelegates) and their announced candidate affiliations are as follows:

Governor Bill Richardson (Obama)
Lt. Governor Diane D. Denish (Clinton)
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (Obama)
Congressman Tom Udall (Undecided)
DPNM Chairman Brian S. Colón (Undecided)
DPNM Vice Chairwoman Annadelle Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeeman Raymond G. Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeewoman Mary Gail Gwaltney (Clinton)
DNC Committee Member Fred Harris (Obama)
DNC At-Large Member Mayor Martin Chavez (Clinton)
DNC At-Large Member Christine Trujillo (Clinton)

Add-On At-Large Unpledged Delegate Laurie Weahkee (Undecided)

Technorati Tags:Democratic Party of New Mexico, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Laurie Weahkee, New Mexico, Brian Colon, Bill Richardson, Diane Denish, unpledge delegates, John Wertheim

Dem Women of Sandoval County to Meet 5/7/08

On Wednesday, May 7, 6:30 PM, with social time at 6:00, the Democratic Women of Sandoval County will meet in the Town Council Chambers at the Town of Bernalillo City Hall, 829 Camino del Pueblo, Bernalillo. Join us from 7 to 9 for a forum featuring the Sandoval County Democratic candidates for State Legislature and State Senate. All the candidates have been invited. Questions will be taken from the audience after all the candidates have spoken. Light refreshments will be served. The public is encouraged to attend. Guests are welcome. For info call Janice Saxton at 867-1139 or email jnjsaxton@msn.com.

NM Dems Elect Final Unpledged Delegate and More; Clinton Camp Protests

DPNM Chair Brian Colon calls meeting to order

Click to see our complete photo album on this event at Flickr.

The State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of New Mexico met in Albuquerque yesterday at the Barcelona Suites to elect its add-on unpledged delegate to the DNC Convention, as well as its DNC Committeewoman and Committeeman who will represent NM Dems within the Democratic National Committee structure next year. Mary Gail Gwaltney easily beat Mary Helen Garcia to retain her Councilwoman position and incumbent Raymond Sanchez also kept his seat on the DNC, emerging victorious over challenger Bruce Barnaby. The SCC also unanimously approved the State Party's 2008 Platform.

Crowd stands for Pledge of Allegiance

Afterwards, the SCC members in attendance (no proxies allowed) split into separate caucuses for Obama and Clinton and selected a number of other pledged delegates to complete the New Mexico delegation. A total of 42 Dems, including four alternates, four Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) delegates, 11 unpledged or superdelegates and one unpledged add-on delegate, will be heading to Denver for the Party's Convention on August 25-28, 2008. I'll have a complete list of the delegates elected yesterday as soon as the DPNM releases the official list.

DPNM Executive Director Josh Geise

The Party had previously elected its Congressional District pledged delegates at its April 19 CD Conventions, an official listing of which you can see here.

Dominique Aragon, Benny Aragon, House Speaker Ben Lujan and wife

Clinton Camp Protests
Controversy erupted over the process used to elect the unpledged add-on delegate. The process is governed by the State Party's Delegate Selection Plan (DSP). The State Plan must conform to a number of requirements stipulated by the DNC and its Rules and Bylaws Committee, and be approved formally by both the SCC the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. New Mexico's DSP had been duly passed by the SCC, reviewed by the DNC, made to conform to all necessary DNC requirements and released publicly in its final form.

Sidebar discussion over add-on delegate voting rules

Regardless, several top-level Clinton supporters, including former State Party Chair John Wertheim and former Arizona State Party Chair and CD1 Clinton delegate Mark Fleisher, tried and failed to change the add-on delegate selection process midstream during yesterday's meeting.

The rules for electing the pledged add-on were clearly set out in the NM Delegate Selection Plan, and were summarized this way on the DPNM website:

This delegate will be nominated by the State Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee. The State Chair must nominate at least two names. The entire SCC will elect the unpledged add-on delegate.

No allowance for floor nomination of add-on delegate candidates is contained in the New Mexico DSP.

Clinton and Obama camp reps discuss add-on delegate election

Rumors had spread throughout the crowd early on that the Clinton camp might be mounting a challenge. Sure enough, Wertheim and Fleisher stepped to the microphone when the agenda item was announced to assert that additional nominations for the add-on delegate slot should be allowed from the floor. Despite being ruled out of order, they persisted in verbally protesting the way the process was structured. Much murmuring had been heard among Clinton supporters that the two nominees chosen by DPNM Chair Brian Colon might not really be undecided, and instead just might have been nominated because they were Obama supporters.

Some heated exchanges followed, including a contentious mini-caucus to the side of the podium between representatives of the Clinton and Obama camps. A call was also reportedly made to the DNC to double check the rules that applied to the process. Obama campaign reps in the discussion included State Rep. Al Park and Santa Fe attorney John Pound, both co-chairs of the Obama campaign here, and CD-3 Obama delegate Patsy Trujillo.

DPNM Chair Brian Colon

Laurie Weahkee Elected as Add-On Delegate
Ultimately, the challenge was ruled out of order and SCC members voted to elect Laurie Weahkee over Charlotte Little by a margin of 71 to 59. The two Native American women had been nominated by Colon to help fulfill the Party's goal of having a diverse delegation representatives of all segments of the Dem population in the state. Weahkee is a member of the Cochiti and Zuni Pueblos, and is also half Navajo; Little is a member of Taos and San Felipe Pueblos.

Meeting room as SCC members start to filter in.

As reported in the Albuquerque Journal,

Weahkee ... said she has yet to commit to either candidate, adding that Native American issues, including sovereignty and health care, are her top concerns. "My first loyalty is really to the Native American agenda. I'm really going to be listening to both candidates to find out what their positions are ... how hard they're willing to go to bat for the Native American people," Weahkee said.

Write-In Votes
Although there were more than 200 SCC members credentialed for the meeting, only 130 voted for either Weahkee or Little. The diminished vote totals were the result of Mark Fleisher grabbing the microphone after being ruled out of order and urging Clinton supporters to refuse to vote for either of the Colon nominees so that neither would receive a majority of SCC votes. He encouraged Clinton supporters to vote for a write-in candidate seen as being on Clinton's side, and some apparently did just that. The Clinton camp suggested they might attempt to challenge the selection method used to elect Weahkee as NM's final unpledged delegate, but no news has emerged yet regarding any action on that front.

New Mexico's superdelegates and their expressed candidate preferences are:

Governor Bill Richardson (Obama)
Lt. Governor Diane D. Denish (Clinton)
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (Undecided)
Congressman Tom Udall (Undecided)
DPNM Chairman Brian S. Colón (Undecided)
DPNM Vice Chairwoman Annadelle Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeeman Raymond G. Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeewoman Mary Gail Gwaltney (Clinton)
DNC Committee Member Fred Harris (Obama)
DNC At-Large Member Mayor Martin Chavez (Clinton)
DNC At-Large Member Christine Trujillo (Clinton)

New Add-On At-Large Unpledged Delegate Laurie Weahkee (Undecided)

Obama table from above the action

You can see the split of pledged delegates awarded by Congressional District according to vote totals for each candidate in New Mexico's March 3rd Presidential Preference Caucus here.

Click on photos for larger images. All photos by M.E. Broderick. See our complete album of photos from this event at Flickr.

Technorati Tags:Democratic Party of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, presidential caucus, Democrats, Brian Colon, John Wertheim, Mark Fleisher, Democratic National Committee, DNC, Mary Gail Gwaltney, Raymond Sanchez , John Pound, Al Park

Guest Blog: Bruce Barnaby for DNC Commiteeman

On Saturday, April 26, the Democratic Party of New Mexico's State Central Committee will be electing a DNC Committeeman and Committeewoman to represent NM Dems on the Democratic National Committee. The terms of those elected this Saturday will begin next year. Below is a guest blog by Dallas Timmons supporting the candidacy of Bruce Barnaby for DNC Committeeman. I want to personally second what Dallas has to say. I believe Bruce would work tirelessly on our behalf, as he has for years within the State and County Party. No task is left undone and no problem remains unaddressed if Bruce is around.

I first met Mr. Barnaby (right) when he agreed to help our group of mostly inexperienced grassroots activists learn the sometimes complicated ins and outs of getting more involved in the Dem Party and running for office within the Party structure. Bruce has been instrumental in helping many ordinary people become actively involved in Party affairs. He's also helped to improve how the Party operates through his service on the Rules Committee, as well as on the SCC and as a precinct chair. Very important to me -- he's a strong supporter of Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy.

From SCC member Dallas Timmons:
I know many of you as friends and many others through the SCC. I am taking this opportunity to ask you to support Bruce Barnaby to be our next Democratic Party National Committee Man from New Mexico. I have worked with Bruce over the last three years in the SCC and at the Rules Committee, which he now chairs. He is committed to a strong Democratic Party and recognizes that the party faces many challenges over the next four years. His FLYER (doc) outlines some of these as well as his commitment to maintain active communication with all of us and to seek our inputs on solutions.

Meet Bruce
Bruce will have a hospitality suite this Friday, April 26, from 5-7:00 PM at the Barcelona Suites (where the SCC meeting will be held on Saturday). Please come by and meet Bruce and take the opportunity to find out what his ideas are for this position.

Thanks for your commitment to the party and please consider casting your vote for Bruce this Saturday at the SCC meeting.

Thank-you,
Dallas Timmons
Ward 11A Chair (Bernalillo County)
State Rules Committee member
SCC member

Technorati Tags:Bruce Barnaby, Democratic Party of New Mexico, Democratic National Committee, DNC, DNC Committeeman, Albuquerque, New Mexico

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

NM Congressional Districts Elect Pledged Delegates to Denver Convention

Crowd gathering at National Hispanic Cultural Center

See the entire photo album on this event at Flickr. UPDATE: Also see this diary at Daily Kos that reports on what happened in NM-03 and has some terrific photos.

Here's the official list of winners in all three CDs.

Today a Democratic Party convention to elect pledged delegates to the DNC Convention was held in each of our state's three Congressional Districts. Excited Democrats again turned out in droves. I attended the packed NM-01 convention at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, where members of the State Central Committee and those who had previously registered to vote in the process selected delegates pledged to either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Attendees signed in as supporters of a certain candidate, and then got to vote for delegates to represent that candidate from among a crowded list of candidates for the slots.

Standing room only before splitting into two caucuses

The crowd hears how the process will work

Obama's NM presidential caucus win on February 5th in CD1 entitled him two female and one male delegate and a male alternate. Clinton's second place finish in the District caucus earned her one male and one female delegate along with a male alternate. There were 62 candidates approved to run for the Clinton delegate slots 53 candidates for Obama's and competition was lively. A number of candidates plastered signs inside and outside the hall and lots of electioneering was evident for several hours before the voting began. The CD1 winners are:

Three of four Obama Winners: Dory Shonagon, Brad Lyua, Pamelya Herndon

Pledged Obama Delegates NM-01
Female Delegates: Dory Shonagon and Pamelya Herndon
Male Delegate: Brad Lyau
Male Alternate: Brian Eagan

Two of three Clinton winners: Terri Holland, Richard Cooley

Pledged Clinton Delegates NM-01
Female Delegate: Terri Holland
Male Delegate: Richard Cooley
Male Alternate: Mark Fleisher

Brad Lyau campaigning at event

Those elected as pledged delegates and alternates will all be representing their candidates at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, as will the winners in NM-02 and NM-03.

Pamelya Herndon working the crowd

I don't yet know who won the pledged delegates slots at today's elections held in NM0-02 at the NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum and in NM-03 at the Taos Convention Center. If you attended one of these meetings, please report on your event in the comments thread.

Counting the votes on stage for all to see

Next Saturday, the State Central Committee will elect other Convention delegates including those known as PLEO (elected official) and at-large delegates (based on statewide caucus totals), as well as a DNC Committeeman and Committeewoman to serve starting next year. These pledged delegates will be joined by New Mexico's contingent of super (or automatic) delegates who are free to support either candidate at the Convention. As we've learned as we've watched the caucus, primary and delegate election process unfold nationwide, it's a complex undertaking indeed.

New Mexico will have a total of 26 elected pledged delegates at the Denver Convention, including 17 at the district level, 6 at large and 3 PLEOs (filled by party and elected officials). In addition, we'll have 11 unpledged super delegates and 1 unpledged at large, for a total of 38 delegates, plus 4 alternates, or 42 Democrats who will all be traveling to Denver to decide the presidential nominee.

See the entire photo album on this event at Flickr. All photos by M.E. Broderick. Click on photos for larger versions.

Technorati Tags:Democratic Party of New Mexico, Democrats, pledged delegates, NM-01, Albuquerque, New Mexico Barack Obama Hillary Clinton

Tonight: NM-01 Dem Candidate Debate at UNM Law School

The Democratic Party of Bernalillo County has its regular Third Thursday Meeting tonight, April 17, at 6:00 PM in Room 2401 at UNM Law School at 1117 Stanford NE in Albuquerque (map). The first hour will be devoted to new procedures for voting registrars. However, starting at 7:00 PM, there'll be a Dem NM-01 Congressional candidate forum that's open to the public. All four Democratic candidates have confirmed they'll be participating: Martin Heinrich, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Robert Pidcock. With the June 3rd primary election coming up fast, and early voting starting on May 6th, it's time to get familiar with the candidates.

Technorati Tags:Democratic Party of Bernalillo County, NM-01, Democrats, Martin Heinrich, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rebecca Vigil-Giron, Robert Pidcock, primaries

Tonight on We The People: Grassroots Delegates

WE THE PEOPLE

Dory Shonogan & Bradford Lyau

Choosing Delegates for

National Conventions

April 16, 2008

Comcast Cable - Channel 27

1st and 3rd Wednesday - 6 PM
or
ON THE WEB:  www.quote-unquote.org
On the right - Click for Channel 27's Media Stream
Mickey Bock, Host; Judith Binder, Producer

ABQ Voter Registration This Weekend at San Pedro Library

From Michelle Meaders, Ward 19A:
Our Democratic Ward 19A is doing a Voter Registration Drive on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, at the San Pedro Library, at San Pedro and Trumbull SE. The hours of the drive are 10 AM to 4 PM both days. We will register and re-register anyone eligible, of course, but will be encouraging people to declare a major party so they can vote in the New Mexico Primary on June 3. The registration cutoff date for this Primary is Tuesday, May 6, 2008.

In this election, we will be voting for candidates for Congress, the Legislature, County offices, and Judges. (The Democratic Presidential candidates will not be on the ballot, since they were voted on at the Democratic Caucus in February. The Republican Presidential candidate's names will be there, but they already have a nominee.)

Voters need to understand that if they register as "DTS" under Party or it says "DTS" on their present voter card, it means "Declined to State," not an actual party. Only those registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote in the June 3rd, 2008 Primary.

San Pedro Library
5600 Trumbull SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
505-256-2067

Note: You can usually pick up a voter registration form at any public library, in addition to the County Clerk's office. You should call the library to double check before you go. Click for a list of libraries in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, as well as their locations and contact info.

Also see our previous post on registration and voting in the June 3, 2008 primary, including info on early in-person and mail-in ballot options.

Technorati Tags:Democratic Party of New Mexico, voter registration, Democratic Party of Bernalillo County, Albuquerque, New Mexico, voting