Democracy for New Mexico

Richardson and Vigil-Giron Ask $1.4 MIL for Recount by Thursday Morning! PASS IT ON!

I just got a call from a friend reporting a conversation with someone who was at the NM Canvassing Board Meeting this evening at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Approval was given by the Board to allow the Green and Libertarian Party presidential candidates to have a recount here, IF THEY CAN COME UP WITH $1.4 MILLION BY THURSDAY MORNING.

The Board consists of Gov. Bill Richardson, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Chief Justice of the NM Supreme NM Supreme Court -- all Democrats (at least in name). What can be on their minds in setting this outrageous up-front fee and time limit? It's certainly not ensuring that our votes count or that elections are fair and effectively run.

They can only be thinking that they don't want the attention of the national media focused on how poorly this election was actually run. On how a state with a Democratic governor was allowed to turn Red. On how inconsistent the rules were for accepting or rejecting provisional and absentee ballots. On what a terrible job Gov. Richardson and his Moving America Forward PAC did with turning out the Hispanic vote and convincing them to vote for Kerry. On how large numbers of touchscreen voting machines without paper trails were purchased by the Secretary of State despite all advice to the contrary. On how Rebecca Vigil-Giron spent almost $2 million on ads meant to educate voters but that primarily seemed to focus on showing her face and repeating her name. Even Heather Wilson didn't spend $2 million on her ads.

So what can we do now? We can donate NOW to Help America Recount, which is raising money for the recounts in NM and Ohio. We can pass this message on to everyone on our phone and email lists. We can write letters to the NM and national media criticizing how this matter is being handled by Gov. Richardson and the rest of the NM Canvassing Board.

And we can flood the offices of Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Governor Richardson with phone calls, emails and letters asking why Democrats would be siding with foes of the recount instead of with the people who put them into office in the first place. And why they kept saying the recount would cost up to $600,000 and suddenly change their tune at tonight's meeting to require payment of $1.4 million by tomorrow morning.

Contact Information:

Governor Bill Richardson:
Web Site: www.governor.state.nm.us
(To Email the Governor, go to the website above and click on "Email Gov. Richardson, or click here to go directly to the form on that page.)
State Capitol, Rm. 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: (505) 476-2200
Fax: (505) 476-2226

Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron:
Web Site: www.sos.state.nm.us
Email: secstate@state.nm.us
State Capitol N. Annex, Ste. 300
Santa Fe, NM 87503
Phone: (505) 827-3600
FAX: (505) 827-3634

Easy links to use to contact media as well as local, state and national government officials: Capwiz

UPDATE: Here's the Albuquerque Journal's article on this.

NM Recount Delayed - Protests Today in SF

Passing along two reports from Santa Fe on the NM recount:

On Monday, 12/13, Judge Carol Vigil denied our request for a Writ of Mandamus to be issued ordering the State Canvassing Board to start the recount, citing the lack of immediacy in the case, since the state canvassing board is scheduled to meet today -- Tuesday, 12/14, at 5:00 PM.  She said that if the Canvassing Board did not adequately address our request for the recount, that we should come back to her court on Wednesday (12/15) at 8:30 AM.  She said she would keep jurisdiction of the case.

So let's show the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court (the members of the State Canvassing Board) that we want every vote to count!

State Canvassing Board meets Tuesday, 12/14, at 5:00 PM at the Roundhouse. So come show support for making sure every vote counts. Make signs ... Make music ... Make sure our elected officials know we want assurance our votes counted !! For more info, call Rick Lass, (505) 920-0540
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Friends,
In court on Monday (in the NM vote recount hearing) Judge Carol Vigil ruled that she will wait for the Canvassing Board (comprised of Governor, Secretary of State and Supreme Court Justice) to meet tomorrow Tuesday at 5 PM and give them a chance to request a NM recount.  She expressed concern about the voting irregularities and agreed that if they did not give the order to recount she expected to see us in court again first thing Wednesday morning.

It is crucially important for us to show the Governor that there is a large grass roots support for the recount.  If he sees the evidence of this he might be swayed to approve the recount and we will avoid a much more difficult path of challenging him in court.

Please come to the State Capitol Roundhouse, 4th floor, today, Tuesday, 12/14, to encourage the Governor, Secretary of State and Chief Justice that the people want a recount!

The Ukrainians are on the streets, demonstrating by the hundreds of thousands! Our democracy is at stake all over this nation.  Ohio and New Mexico are stepping up to confront the fraud and corruption that are seeping into our voting system all over the country. Let's walk the talk. See you there!

No Peace without Justice. Forwarded from Consuelo Luz, Thank you. More info: Mitch Buszek: (505) 204-0833.
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You can read the Albuquerque Journal's article on Monday's court hearing, free for today only due to the Journal's subscription requirements. Excerpt:

The board's chairman, Gov. Bill Richardson, reiterated his opposition to a recount, saying it "will not reform our election laws."

At the very least, the Libertarian and Green presidential candidates who requested it should be made to pay its entire cost upfront, the governor said Monday. Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron has said that could be upwards of $600,000.

Representatives of the Green and Libertarian Parties have said that "money is no object."

UPDATE: ABQ Recount Training

From Sonja Elison via Nancy Galloway:

Below are the latest training times and places for recount observer and computer volunteeers in Albuquerque.  The computer training is intended for people with previous computer experience beyond just being a computer user, and they are needed badly.

Computer training will take place Tuesday, December 14  at 4:00 PM (probably will last an hour or hour and a half) at Little Anita's which is at 2105 Mountain Road NW at the corner of Rio Grande.

Another observer training session will take place at Page One bookstore, at the SW corner or Juan Tabo and Montgomery on Wednesday night, December 15, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. --selison22@comcast.net

More on NM Recount - How You Can Help: Training Monday, Recount Starts Tuesday

From Andrea and David:

Dear Friends,

There is going to be a recount in NM conducted by Help America Recount, a national non-partisan organization that was formed to ensure fair elections. This organization is also heading up the recount in Ohio which will begin on Monday. They are hoping that the recount in NM will begin on Tuesday.

The NM recount will have no effect on the outcome of the Presidential election. However, it is being held here to serve as an election "lab" because there are so many different types of voting machines, as well as paper ballots, that are used in the state. The information that can be compiled from the recount here will be studied and incorporated into the strategies for future elections.

Help America Recount held a recount training session yesterday (Saturday) for Bernalillo County at the Palo Duro Senior Center in Abq. Lowell Finley, the organization's election attorney from Berkeley, CA was asked about disqualified ballots. He said that in a recount any ballot that had been disqualified during the count could be disputed. This would include disqualified provisional ballots.

This recount is very important.

The recount in Bernalillo County is going to take the most time of all the counties. The recount in most of the other counties will be finished very quickly and some of the volunteers from those counties will be coming to help here. Until they arrive, we are going to need a lot of volunteers here especially in the first few days of the recount (beginning Tuesday of this week).

Please help and encourage family members and friends to also help.

There is going to be another recount training on Monday night. The recount observing and responsibilites are different from the original count observing so it's important to take the recount training. Call Steve Lucero, the Bernalillo County coordinator, for the time and location of that meeting: 710-8946.

If you aren't able to participate, please give a contribution. $114,000 has already been deposited with the state but the cost is going to be much higher.

You can get more information and make a contribution about Help America Recount at: https://helpamericarecount.org/

Thanks for your support on such short notice.

ABQ DeanCorps Caroling and More

From Nance Crow:

The ABQ Dean Singers will go caroling on Monday night, Dec. 20th. Posole and all the fixins at my house, 324 Hermosa Dr. SE, 5:30 - 6:30 PM; caroling at a selection of shelters and half-way houses 7:00 - 8:30 PM. (I'll have the details by Mon night.) Will provide cider, cocoa, some (but not all) flashlights and sheet music for popular carols. Would like at least 10 people, the more, quite literally, the merrier! Call me at 265-8113, cell 401-2365.

For January, I'd like about 6 Dean Corps volunteers to go to Barrett House Attic on Saturday, Janurary 15, 10 AM - 2 PM to help them sort donations (primarily clothes and house wares. Lunch following at Hurricane's. At year's end they get so much stuff they can't get it all done.  Barrett House is the homeless Women and Children's shelter; the "Attic,' at 4308 Lomas NE west of Washington, supports the shelter.

love and peace, Nance

Editor's Note: DeanCorps is an action arm of Democracy for America - Democracy for New Mexico. Howard Dean's governorship was marked by support for families and children and DeanCorps celebrates this crucial emphasis by offering service to our communities. DeanCorps was very active across the country during the primaries, and is now being reactivated. This month, DeanCorps groups in 50 states donated long distance phone cards for distribution to vets in VA Hospitals. You can read about New Mexico's participation in this project here.

The Dean Singers were created to sing at various functions to spread the word about Dean's candidacy. Last year, this included caroling in Old Town during the luminaria and tree lighting ceremony, while passing out bumperstickers and more. Much fun. This year, the emphasis is on reaching out to folks in our community with holiday cheer. Anyone can be a Dean Singer. Attitude is everything! Even I can participate, by singing very, very softly and using percussion to cover up my singing voice. If I can do it, so can you! (Antlers and jingle bells optional.) --B.W.

Update on Albuquerque Recount Observer Training - THIS SATURDAY

From Sonja Elison:

The New Mexico Recount should get underway next week.  By law, it can start no longer than Tuesday.  We think it will be at the warehouse on Broadway--South of Central.  However, the county clerk's office hasn't let us know for sure yet.  Stay posted, we'll get the information out as soon as we get it!

If you signed up on Moveon to help observe, please come to this training session:

This Saturday Dec. 11, 1:00 PM to 2:45 PM at the corner of Commance and San Mateo at the Palo Duro Senior Center. 

The number there is 888-8102  Volunteers are trying to call everyone who volunteered on the website to schedule times you can work.  If you'd like to schedule a particular time, you can also email selison22@comcast.net.  For more information you can call Steve Lucero  710-8946 or Sonja Elison at 271-0271 or Holly Jacobsen at 206 769 7185.

Training Tomorrow for NM Recount Volunteers

From Leland Lehrman: The recount is happening !!!

Help America Recount Fund, working with the Audit the Vote Network on behalf of the David Cobb Presidential Campaign and the Michael Badnarik Presidential Campaign are going to court Friday AM to get the recount started -- if we don't get agreement from the Secretary of State to officially begin the recount on her own. State statute requires that she start it by next Tuesday.

We anticipate starting sometime next week. We're not sure of the day, so we're planning as if it will start on Monday.

The Santa Fe (and northern New Mexico) training for observers is tomorrow, Saturday, at 10AM at the Sweeney Center - Downtown Santa Fe. Sorry for the lateness of this message. Call phone numbers below to get current status.

Directions: The Sweeney Center is located at the corner of Grant and Marcy. coming into SF ... on St. Francis Drive ..... go east on Alameda, left on Sandoval, Sandoval turns to the right and becomes Palace, left on Grant one block, right on Marcy and into the parking lot.

The training will be over by 11:00 AM. We will provide coffee, juice, and maybe some goodies.

The Albuquerque training is Saturday at 1PM at the Palodoro Senior Center, on Palodoro Drive, behind the library on Commanche near San Mateo. This training will be over by 2PM.

Download and print the Recount Volunteer Form indicating the days you are available and other resources you can provide.

Any questions give Rick Lass (920-0540), Mitch Buszek, (204-0833) or Leland Lehrman (982-3609) a call.

We really need folks that can travel to far away interesting places ... like Farmington, Las Cruces, Tucumcari, Wagon Mound, Truth or Consequences ... so if you can travel ... let us know ...

The incident reports and data that we have collected are going to make this VERY interesting !!!!!

For those who can't make it on Saturday, we will have another training early next week.

Look forward to working with you, Mitch - Rick - Leland

Albuquerque Charter Deal for Inauguration Protest in DC

A chartered Greyhound bus will depart for the Counter-Inauguration protests  in Washington DC on January 17th at 7:00 PM at the Albuquerque bus terminal at 300 Second Street NW. The bus will arrive in DC very early on the morning of January 19th. The group will be staying at the Motel 6 on Georgia Avenue.

The bus will depart DC on the morning of January 21st and arrive back in Albuquerque late on the evening of January 22nd or very early on January 23rd.

The bus and 2-night motel package is priced at $500 per person, double occupancy. If you sign up by December 10th, there's a savings of $100, with an early bird price of $400.

Call Thomas Prando at 385-4938 or email him at tprando2@yahoo.com for more information or to reserve your space.

For frequently updated information on the demonstrations, visit the Counter-Inauguration website.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition website is another good source of information on Counter-Inaugural activities, as is the United for Peace and Justice website.

Also check out the Turn Your Back on Bush project.

Public Hearing on ABQ Toxic Waste Site Extended

From Sue Dayton, Director, Citizen Action New Mexico

The public hearing for the Mixed Waste Landfill has been extended this week to Wednesday, Dec. 8th and Thursday, Dec. 9th. If you and/or your organization have not yet testified and would like to do so there is still time to do it!

The state has been very accommodating in allowing members of the public to read their comments at any time during the day. However, we are urging those members of the public who would still like to submit comments to attend the hearing on Wednesday Dec. 8th at 7 p.m. to testify as to what they think should be done with the dump. There is no time limit as to the length of your comments. The dump and its estimated 100,000 cubic ft. of radioactive and hazardous waste is sitting in unlined pits and trenches over Albuquerque's sole source aquifer on Albuquerque's East Mesa adjacent to one of Albuquerque's fastest growing areas.

The public hearing begins at 9 a.m. each day and ends at 10 p.m., and is being held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 2500 Carlisle Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, just off I-40 and Carlisle Blvd. exit. There is plenty of parking. Once you're inside the hotel just follow the signs to the 'Cavalier Room.'

Citizen Action - and many other organizations and members of the public- supports a plan that calls for complete excavation and clean up of the dump to GUARANTEE that Albuquerque's groundwater is protected over the long-term. However, the plan proposed by Sandia/DOE that has received initial approval by the state calls for covering the dump with dirt and abandoning the waste in place without a financial assurance mechanism to ensure continued monitoring. Sandia's plan proposes monitoring of the dump for approximately 100 years - even though much of the radioactive and hazardous waste will remain hazardous essentially forever.

To date some of the organizations that have testified at the hearing in support of clean up of the dump include the Sierra Club, the New Mexico Public Health Association, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo Groundwater Protection Advisory Board, the Rio Grande Community Development Corporation, members of the Mountain View Neighborhood Association, Citizens Against Radioactive Dumping, Gray Panthers of Albuquerque, Unitarian Universalist Church. Please feel free to send this announcement to your listserves.

For more information call Sue Dayton, Director, Citizen Action New Mexico: (505) 280-1844.

Protest "Something Fishy" at ABQ Federal Courthouse on Wednesday

From Tina D.

The ad hoc group that's been holding demonstrations in downtown Albuquerque for the last few weeks is having one last go at it on Wednesday, in front of the Federal Courthouse at 3rd and Lomas from 4 to 6 PM.

The local news has come at 4 and so there's only been a few people, which makes for a skimpy lookin' crowd.  At 5 we covered the block, so this time, we're asking everyone to be there at 4 and we're telling the newsies to come at 5. 

The "issue" is voting reform in New Mexico.  The "theme" is "Something's Fishy" which is good to know if you're one of those creative types who can make eye-catching signs that draw motorists into the text.

The NM recount begins the next day, or so I'm told, so we're hoping the press will consider the demonstration a good lead-in story.  Basically, we're trying to raise awareness of what's going on in Ohio, Florida and NM, and so the local news bite's important.