Democracy for New Mexico

Be Part of New Mexico Wildlife Grassroots

Calling all Wildlife    advocates in New Mexico! Help save endangered wildlife in New Mexico and across the nation. Find out how you can get involved! Upcoming events in northern New Mexico: November 12: San Diego Feast Day; Pueblo of Jemez-Walatowa Visitor Center 7413 Hwy 4, Jemez Pueblo, NM 87024 November 18 - 20: Booth at the Festival of the Cranes @ Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge; 1001 Highway 1, San Antonio, NM 87832 Forward this e-mail to family, friends and neighbors...

From Defenders of Wildlife: Defenders of Wildlife is committed to establishing a pro-wildlife grassroots movement in New Mexico.

That is why I am so pleased to introduce you to Lisa Hummon, the new grassroots organizer in the state. Lisa’s job is to keep you informed on important battles we face for wildlife conservation and help you to get involved…

To find out how you can help, e-mail Lisa today!

Our first big fight will be to save the Endangered Species Act.  As you may already know, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) that would dismantle this crucial law.  Pombo’s “Wildlife Extinction” bill would gut protections for wildlife habitat, exempt pesticide application from abiding by with the law, and use taxpayer dollars to pay the private sector not to harm endangered species (instead of providing incentives to do the right thing). 

Unfortunately, New Mexico Representatives Heather Wilson (R-1st) and Steve Pearce (R-2nd) voted for the Wildlife Extinction bill.  Our one champion, New Mexico Congressman Tom Udall (D-3rd), stood strong for wildlife conservation and voted against it. Now, the battle turns to the U.S. Senate.

We have a tough fight ahead to save endangered species, and New Mexicans can help.  E-mail Lisa today to find out how you can help!

If you have an interest in getting involved, Lisa would love to hear from you. She is looking for wildlife advocates who are interested in attending events, hosting Meet Ups and house parties, writing letters to the editor of local newspapers, organizing outdoor adventures, and much more. Defenders looks forward to hearing from you.

Please drop Lisa a line to get involved in protecting wildlife -- you can make a difference!

P.S. If you'd like to speak with Lisa directly, feel free to call her at: 505-248-0118, extension #5.

ACLU Challenges Albuquerque Voter ID Law

Editor's Note: Barbara Grothus, whom many of you know from our activist work, is a plaintiff in this lawsuit. You may recall this voter ID measure was originally proposed by Republican City Councilor Sally Mayer and was passed by voters in a referendum in the October 4th municipal election. It requires a photo ID from in-person voters, but requires nothing from those who vote using absentee ballots.

Not coincidentally, many more Republicans than Democrats vote absentee. Democratic City Council members tried to pass a version of voter ID that included absentee voters. Their effort was thwarted when Republicans Mayer, Tina Cummins and Craig Loy voted against the bill, which needed 7 votes to change the city's election code. Now the city will have to bear the cost of a lawsuit due to the law's focus only on in-person voters.

From the ACLU New Mexico website:
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico filed a civil rights lawsuit today asking the federal court to declare Albuquerque’s recently-passed Voter I.D. Amendment “unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.”

The new law requires people who vote in person to present a “current valid identification card containing the voter’s name and photograph.” Among the acceptable forms of identification are a driver’s license, a credit card, and a voter identification card issued by the City Clerk. Absentee voters are exempt from any photo I.D. requirements.

“If you’re poor or homeless, there’s a good chance you don’t have any of the permissible forms of identification,” said ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson. “Wealth shouldn’t determine your ability to participate in democracy. Americans shouldn’t have to jump through unnecessary hoops to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed right to vote.”

Under the Voter I.D. Amendment, an application for an absentee ballot simply requires that people provide their name, address, and the last four digits of the social security number. No photo I.D. requirement applies and the ballot may be cast by mail or delivered in person.

Simonson said, “Why should people who actually show their faces at the polling place suffer more rigorous identification requirements than someone who votes from a distance? It doesn’t make sense. We’re creating two classes of voters. The Constitution doesn’t permit that.”

The filing of the ACLU suit coincides with today’s decision by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a court ruling blocking another voter I.D. law in Georgia. Like the Albuquerque law, Georgia’s photo I.D. requirements only applied to in-person voters. Simonson said the Georgia decision “sets a very good precedent for our case.”

Attorneys James Scarantino, Joseph Kennedy, and Shannon Oliver are litigating the ACLU’s case along with ACLU Staff Attorney George Bach. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the ACLU of New Mexico and Barbara Grothus.

A Small Victory for Neighborhood Organizing

New West reports a victory in saving, at least for now, a prime piece of agricultural land in the South Valley. Read it and cheer. We urged people to attend the Bernalillo County Commission hearing about the proposed 54-acre shopping mall for Coors and Rio Bravo in an earlier post. For once, the good guys won. Along with the sandhill cranes and the winter geese. A thank you is in order for the County Commissioners who voted against the mall: Deanna Archuleta-Loeser, Alan Armijo, Tim Cummins and Teresa Cordova. Michael Brasher also voted against it, but later claimed he didn't understand the motion. You can email them at links on the right-hand side of .

Election Reform Activists Urge Media Coverage of Vigil-Giron's Coming Purchase of New Voting Machines

Media Alert from Verified Voters NM:
NM Secretary of State(SOS) Rebecca Vigil-Giron appears ready to spend millions in taxpayer money on voting machines for the disabled but has ruled out the one machine the disabled are said to like best. Moreover, she is doing this out of the public view.

Her action, she says, is to comply with the requirement of the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) that at least one voting system accessible and usable independently and privately by the disabled must be purchased for each polling place by December 31. The Secretary seems poised to use an estimated $9 million in HAVA funds for buying some 1,400 electronic voting machines.

During Sept. 19-23, Secretary Vigil-Giron held an unpublicized meeting in Rio Rancho, to which she invited representatives of the disabled as well as county clerks from throughout the state. She has not revealed who these disabled representatives were and how comprehensively they reflected the range of disability. At this meeting she barred the county clerks from providing input and asked the disabled representatives to rate three touch screen machines – the Sequoia AVC Edge and the ES&S iVotronic and the ES&S AutoMark. According to testimony on 10/13 before the legislative task force on election reform, nine out of ten of the participating disabled voters at the Rio Rancho meeting preferred the AutoMark. But inexplicably the SoS told them that the AutoMark is not eligible for selection on grounds that it is not HAVA compliant -- this despite the fact that the other two machines being rated are also not HAVA compliant at this time.

Election reform activists with Verified Voting NM and United Voters NM say the SoS is arbitrary and wrong to willfully bypass the AutoMark.

The AutoMark utilizes a ballot marker that enables the disabled to vote without assistance and in private. It has a sip/puff tube for voters unable to use a touch screen and an audio function for blind voters. It is equally efficient for non-disabled voters. Also, the AutoMark does not count votes as other voting machines do. Instead, to insure counting accuracy, it utilizes a conventional paper ballot that can be readily audited or recounted by hand or by the electronic scanning machines already available in many NM counties. By contrast, the Edge and iVotronic use rolls of paper tape for verifiable paper ballots that are much more difficult to audit and recount.

North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming have all selected the AutoMark as their voting machine of choice, as well as counties in California, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Florida.   

This impending purchase by the Secretary of State is of major importance to voters in NM since these voting machines are used by both the disabled and non-disabled. Selection of voting machines should be carried out with full public input and with all alternatives openly considered.

On behalf of many election reform supporters in NM, we urge the media, in your key role as watchdogs of democracy, to look into this issue and report your findings. (signed)  Robert Stearns 988-3718; Kim Kirkpatrick 454-0598; Stephen Fettig 662-6785, Pat Leahan 425-3840; Paul and Laura Stokes 898-1237, all citizen volunteers with Verified Voting NM or United Voters NM. Note: We have no financial connection with any voting machine manufacturer or vendor, nor does VVNM and UVNM.    

More info on Verfied Voting New Mexico: https://vvnm.org

Editor's Note: If you'd like to contact media in your area about this issue, here's a site that makes it easy.

Contact information for NM Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron:

Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State
State Capitol North Annex, Suite 300
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87503
Phone: (505) 827-3600 
FAX: (505) 827-3634
Toll Free 1-800-477-3632
Email: secstate@state.nm.us

Click for contact Information for NM County Clerks:

A Small Mutiny

Surprisingly, Senate Democrats didn't automatically give Governor Bill Richardson everything he wanted at the Special Legislative Session just completed. Shapes of things to come?

From the New Mexican:

The special session of the New Mexico Legislature that ended Wednesday might be remembered as the first time the state Senate mutinied against Gov. Bill Richardson.

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Ben Luján, D-Nambé, basically gave the Democratic governor what he wanted. Richardson called the session to push his plans for dealing with rising energy prices — use the state’s windfall from oil-and-gas revenues to fund rebate checks to taxpayers and pass a law aimed at price-gouging . But an emboldened Senate, also controlled by Democrats , had ideas of its own. “The governor didn’t consult with Democrats or Republicans in the Senate,” said Sen. Joe Carraro, R-Albuquerque . “Finally the Senate realized that we are elected to do our own business without taking orders from the governor.”

Sen. John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, sounded a similar theme: “One of the surprises of this session was that the Senate is restoring itself as an independent body. This should send a strong message to the executive that you need to think these things out.”

Some Democratic senators, such as President Pro-tem Ben Altamirano of Silver City and Sen. Phil Griego of San Jose, downplayed the conflict with the governor — though they still voted against some of Richardson’s wishes.

One of Richardson’s bills — the price-gouging legislation — was shot down.

And the governor’s energy relief package was pumped up virtually beyond recognition, evoking cries of “irresponsible” and “reckless” from the governor’s office.

With a windfall of more than $800 million in state funds produced by taxes on skyrocketing gas and oil prices, I can't see how spending a little more than $250 million on relief for citizens, schools and others will be bankrupting the state government anytime soon.

Richardson is threatening to veto some of the package, specifically the $109 million in personal income-tax rate reductions that were speeded up by the Legislature. We'll see. But it seems clear that if the Governor wants to be effective in the next regular session in January, he'll have to do some fence mending within his own Party.

What bothered me most about Richardson's actions was his threat to force the legislators to stay in special session for many more days to consider a raise in the minimum wage. Evidently, this would have been a sort of "punishment" for not swallowing his energy cost relief package whole. A minimum wage measure has been mentioned by the Governor and others for consideration at the regular session in January. It's sure to create controversy -- and long debates.

I think it's unconscionable that Richardson would use an issue of such huge importance to the economic well-being of our citizens as a mere bludgeon to try and get rebellious legislators in line. We deserve better than that, don't we? In particular, I hope the much needed raise in the state's minimum wage will be given its due in the regular session in January, despite it's being used as a political football this time out.

Here's a rundown on the final version of the energy relief package passed by the Legislature.

Meanwhile, there'll be an "extraordinary session" of the Legislature starting October 28 to consider whether there's enough evidence to impeach indicted State Treasurer Robert Vigil. As of yesterday, 19 more counts of extortion have been added to the indictment.

NM Climate Change Advisory Group Events Start Tomorrow

From Dory Shonagon:
Governor Bill Richardson created the New Mexico Climate Change Advisory Group (CCAG) in June, 2005. This task force is charged with addressing global warming issues in New Mexico.  For more information go the the Climate Change Advisory Group website: www.nmclimatechange.us.   

NEXT MEETING:  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2005, 1-9 PM, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW in Albuquerque.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

October 19, 2005 agenda, all events at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center:

1 PM - 5 PM --  NM Climate Change Advisory Group Meeting

7 PM - 8 PM -- "Update on Governor Richardson's Climate Change Initiative"

8 PM - 9 PM --  "Climate Change: What's in Store For New Mexico?"  - Dr. David Gutzler, University of New Mexico 

PRE-MEETING OF THE CITIZEN CLIMATE CHANGE GROUP:  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2005, 6:30 PM, at REI, I-25 @ Montgomery/Montano exit.

There are many diverse groups represented in the Governor's advisory group (CCAG), including several state departments ( Environment, Agriculure, Economic Development, Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources, Indian Affairs, Transportation, the State Engineer, State Game & Fish), as well as environmental groups, agricultural organizations and business and industry and energy companies and organizations. (For a complete list of the members of the CCAG, please go to the webiste at:  www.nmclimatechange.us ).

The Governor has charged the CCAG with presenting a report to the Climate Change Action Council by December 1, 2006, which will include:

• Proposals for reduction of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions to reduce New Mexico's total greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by the year 2012, 10% below 2000 levels by 2020 and 75% by 2050.
• An inventory of existing and planned actions that contribute to GHG emissions reductions.
• Consideration of costs and benefits of proposals.
• An inventory of historical and forecasted GHG emissions in New Mexico.
• Findings on initiatives to create meaningful regional and national policy to address climate change.

NEXT MEETING:  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2005, 1-9PM, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center,  2401 12th Street NW in Albuquerque.

If you are interested in the issues of global warming and how we are affected by it in New Mexico and how the state plans on addressing this issue, this is a meeting you should not miss.  Public meetings are a way for us to participate in the decision making our government officials and departments make.  You can come to listen or stand up and speak.

The evening lectures will help you to understand the process of this Climate Change Task Force and also the science of global warming in detail.  Be prepared to be blown away - the science is all too scarey but true.

PRE-MEETING OF THE CITIZEN CLIMATE CHANGE GROUP:  Wednesday, October 12, 2005, 6:30 PM, at REI, I-25 @ Montgomery/Montano exit.

Please join me at the NM Climate Change Advisory Group Meeting & other events on Wednesday, October 19, 2005, 1-9PM, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 240112th Street NW, in Albuquerque.  You are also invited to the citizen meeting on Wed, Oct. 12, 2005 at 6:30pm at REI.

Submitted by Dory Shonagon, 480-1848 - 10/7/05

Heinrich in the Spotlight

Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich gets national exposure on the Sirotablog. Excerpt:

Heinrich is the kind of political leader progressives will be relying on in the future to clean up government and start making it work for ordinary middle-class people - not just the fat cats, the lobbyists, and the corporate interests. He is, in short, a model for how even at the local level, a new progressive populism is starting to boil into a real movement.

By all accounts, Councilor Heinrich is definitely one of the good guys, both in terms of his positions and as a human being. He's not giving up on a local living wage despite the defeat of his Albuquerque proposal in the October 4th election, by a hair. Neither is Eric Griego, another champion of the measure. They're working with Governor Richardson to get a statewide version of the bill on the Governor's call when the 30-day session of the NM Legislature convenes in January.

Heinrich is also contemplating a run for State Public Lands Commissioner in 2006. New West profiles this race. If Heinrich continues to receive positive attention in national blogs, it might well result in his receiving campaign contributions from the blogsphere for his 2006 race. A big plus.

In addition, Councilor Heinrich has long been promoting the designation of New Mexico's Ojito Wilderness Study Area, near Zia Pueblo, as wilderness. Check out an article he penned in 2004 describing the area's unique beauty and value.

Working as a consultant with the Coalition for NM Wilderness, Heinrich devoted three years to helping unite government agencies, tribal leaders and conservationists behind the movement to protect Ojito under the 1964 Wilderness Act. This effort culminated in a Senate bill to create the Ojito Wilderness co-sponsored by Senators Bingaman and Domenici, and a House version cosponsored by Representatives Udall and Wilson. The U.S. Senate passed its version of the bill unanimously in July of this year, after long delays. Reps. Udall and Wilson are trying to get that version a fast-track hearing in the U.S. House this Fall so it can go directly to the President for signature without the need for a conference committee hearing.

You can find out more about Martin's accomplishments and goals on his website. Good going, councilor!

Mark Your Calendars: West Mesa AAUW Election Reform Forum Set for Early November

Election Reform Forum
First Unitarian Church, Carlisle & Comanche, ABQ
Saturday, November 12 at 1:00 PM

Moderator:  Sharon Booth, President West Mesa AAUW
Refreshments follow the panel discussion.

Panelists will include Dr. Pat Leahan, Dr. Sonja Elison, Dr. Kim Kirpatrick, NM Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino and Lowell Finley, Esq.

More on panelists:

Panel will include:

Kim Kirkpatrick has lived in Las Vegas, New Mexico for forty years, thirty of which he taught Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science at New Mexico Highlands University. He serves on the steering committee of Verified Voting of New Mexico, and has participated in several public discussions of security issues raised by the use of voting machines.

Patricia Leahan lives near Las Vegas, New Mexico.  She is the Founder and Director of the Las Vegas NM Peace & Justice Center. Pat has taught at the university level for 17 years in social work and behavioral sciences, and although her primary work is now full-time volunteer community organizing, she still teaches select classes at New Mexico Highlands University. Her work at the Peace & Justice Center encompasses a wide range of social justice issues, including election reform. It was Pat's passion for justice that led to her interest in voting rights. She is a founding member of VerifiedVotingNM (VVNM.org), serves on their steering committee, and works closely with United Voters of New Mexico (UVoteNM.org). She is also an active member of the VoterActionNM Team (VoterAction.org). Pat has helped organize research, educational forums and community-based actions around the voting machine issue in New Mexico since 2003.

State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino represents Bernalillo County District 12. Recently retired, his career was spent working as a social worker, social welfare program administrator, human services and human resource management professor, community organizer and social services planner. His interests broadened over the years from an initial focus on mental health and children’s protective services to work on child and family advocacy, substance abuse, positive youth development and early childhood programming. He has a BA in Latin American Studies from UNM and a Masters in Social Work from Tulane. He writes regular newspaper columns on social issues for the Santa Fe Reporter and on political issues for the Weekly Alibi. He helped found a private adoption and foster care agency called La Familia and co-founded the Robert F. Kennedy Charter High School for which he serves as president of the governing board. He was instrumental in the passing of the 2005 Election Reform Bill, which provides a voter verifiable paper trail and automatic audit, and is currently serving on the Election Reform Task Force.

Sonja Elison, Ph.D. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Sonja has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill and has taught political science at Georgetown, American and Gonzaga Universities, before moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since the 2004 recount effort Sonja has become a central figure in election reform within the state.

Lowell Finley, Esq. (not yet confirmed): Mr. Finley is an attorney from Berkeley, California, with over 20 years experience in election law. He is one of the few attorneys in the nation with experience litigating electronic voting issues, having successfully sued Diebold Election Systems, Inc. in a California qui tam action. Mr. Finley’s election experience also includes blocking newly-elected California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from soliciting or using special interest campaign contributions to repay illegal $4 million personal loan, helping to brief several cases on the redistricting of California congressional and state legislative districts before the California and United States Supreme Courts. He won a lawsuit giving Chinese-American candidates access to the ballot in San Francisco and successfully sued an Orange County, California candidate for hiring uniformed security guards to intimidate Hispanic voters at the polls in the November, 1988 election. Mr. Finley is a founding member, Past President (1992), California Political Attorneys Association.

Special Session of the NM Legislature Convenes Today

Governor Richardson has called a Special Session of the NM Legislature, which starts today at noon. The Santa Fe New Mexican online offers a useful Special Session Resource Guide that will include daily coverage of events, as well as useful links and other information.

Click to find your legislators and their contact information.

Lawmakers are limited to considering matters that the governor specifies in the proclamation calling for the Special Session. Richardson has proposed nearly $100 million in assistance to help New Mexicans with high gasoline prices and home heating costs. His proposals include a tax rebate and a measure to outlaw price gouging. The House also has the power to start impeachment proceedings against indicted state Treasurer Robert Vigil.

According to the New Mexican,

Legislative leaders agreed Wednesday to budget enough money for a seven-day session. They also set aside $500,000 for impeachment-related expenses, such as special staff.

Gov. Bill Richardson — frustrated that he can’t keep Vigil from going to work — said Wednesday that he’ll back whatever the House decides to do about impeachment, whether it’s a vote during the session or the formation of a committee to meet afterward.

“I believe the issues raised about Treasurer Vigil’s action merit impeachment ,” the governor said. But he added he didn’t want to appear to be interfering by telling lawmakers how to proceed.

Next Election Reform Task Force Meeting Set for October 13-14

From Verified Voting NM:
Election reform activists are urged to attend and report back on the 4th meeting of the Legislative Election Reform Task Force, set for THURSDAY-FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13-14 in Room 307 of the Roundhouse. There will be a demonstration of voting machines, a presentation by Steve Fettig of VVNM on voting machine considerations, and time set aside for public comment. If you can possibly make it, please go. For the lastest information on this interim task force, visit the NM Legislature website.

Herewith the agenda:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13

10 AM – Call to Order, Approval of Minutes: Rep. Ed Sandoval and Sen. Linda Lopez, Co-Chairs

10:15 AM – Voting Machine Demonstrations

12:30 PM – Lunch

1:30 PM – Voting Machine Considerations, Stephen Fettig for VVNM (invited)

2 PM – Types of Voting Machines Available that will Comply with HAVA and State Law: Costs of Converting Voting Systems to Voter Verifiable Paper Ballot System: Ernie Marquez, Director, NM Bureau of Elections

3 PM – Rules for Handling Provisional ballots and Canvass Observer Issues: Ernie Marquez and Denise Lamb, Chief Deputy Clerk, SF County

4 PM – Public Comment

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

9 AM – Call to Order

9:15 AM – Review of Laws 2005, Chapter 70, Suggested Fixes: Ernie Marquez and Denise Lamb

11 AM – Precinct-Level Reporting Fix

12 Noon – Public Comment