New Mexico's First Time Voters

According to the Secretary of State's Office , since May of this year, New Mexico's voter registration jumped from approximately 958,000 to a little over 1 million. This represents an incredible increase of potential voters—possibly all new ones. Clearly, this surge can be credited to all the groups that have prioritized voter registration (SFR's Hip Hop Voter Project included, although our numbers are relatively small and our focus intentionally narrow).
But these new voters also have attracted negative attention. Next week, arguments continue in state The Supreme Court over whether to require them to show IDs at the pollls. This week, US Sen. Pete Domenici, R-NM, introduced legislation to mandate that and expressed his belief that NM courts could not be counted on to rule fairly in this matter because the judges were all Democrats (I'll paste an article about that below when I'm done writing this).
The problems are that in some counties, clerks are planning to require new voters to show ID, which some argue is required under the new HAVA act. Others say the groups registering voters were required to see ID from new voters, but that there is no way of knowing if they did or not. Whatever the case, the entire situation certainly could discourage new voters from going to the polls. Clearly, at the pragmatic level, showing an ID shouldn't be that big a deal. Most people have an ID. But for new citizens, perhaps, this could be intimidating. Not to mention that, if some people have to show IDs at the polls, and others don't, it's possible for poll workers to use the tactic to intimidate people.
This week I interviewed Denise Lamb, director of the state's Bureau of Elections, for an interview that will be in next week's SFR. Without giving away the interview, we discussed how rough this election has become, particularly in New Mexico. There are numerous court cases and the partisanship is at an all-time high. All for our five electoral votes. The right and the left have made this presidential election into a battle that, at this point, seems to not have as much to do with the difference in ideologies of the Democrat and Republican parties. This is a bloodfest, a level of divisiveness that people in my generation have never seen before. And given the level of technology available today, and the legal remedies that have become commonplace, it feels different than how I imagine the '60s must have felt. We aren't taking to the streets, we aren't trying to change the world, left or right. We're trying to outpress, outmaneuver, outspam, outlegal, outexhaust the other side. This is about psychological warfare, about spin. This is politics in the 21st century and, quite frankly, it's about the most depressing spectacle I've ever seen.

OK, here's the article on Domenici's legislation (Oh, by the way, if this upsets you, just remember that he wins re-election term after term after term, despite the fact that there are more Democrats than Republicans in New Mexico.)

September 22, 2004

Domenici would require voter ID

By James W. Brosnan
Scripps Howard News Service

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici wants Congress, not the Democrats he says fill New Mexico courts, to decide when state voters have to show identification.

The Albuquerque Republican introduced legislation Tuesday to require first-time voters in all states to show proof of identification if their voter registration form was not submitted in person to election officials.

That issue will be argued in the New Mexico Supreme Court next week.

But Domenici told New Mexico radio outlets Monday that some of the decisions made by New Mexico judges on election matters have been "pathetic."

"I am convinced you can't fix it in the state courts because every state judge I know - and I hate to say it because they are nice guys and nice ladies - they all are, with few exceptions, partisan Democrats," said Domenici. "They know what's going on, and they won't rule if there's a chance it will be anything positive for Republicans."

Domenici in introducing the legislation Tuesday said the cause of the problem is the proliferation of independent groups known as 527's that have recruited "largely untrained" paid volunteers to register voters.

"In many cases, the volunteers are being paid by the number of people they are able to register," said Domenici.

"I know that many people will believe my intentions in introducing this legislation are partisan. Skeptics will say that my motive is political. But voter fraud is not about partisanship or politics. It is about fairness," he said.

The legislation also doubles the fine for individuals who knowingly register voters illegally from $10,000 to $20,000.

Whether Congress will act on the bill before the Nov. 2 general elections is problematic.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Silver City Democrat, noted the Senate Rules Committee refused earlier to consider a minor change he proposed in the voter laws because it is an election year. His proposal would have made American Indian groups eligible for federal grants to make polling places accessible to the handicapped.

"There are two big challenges that we face in every election," Bingaman said. "First is getting the most number of voters to the polls. Second is ensuring that those who do vote are qualified. I favor proposals that help in both respects. But I believe we've had more trouble achieving the first objective than the second."

Bingaman also said he generally thinks the federal government should defer to the states on voting procedures.

Domenici spokesman Chris Gallegos said there are several legislative avenues that could be used to move the bill and Domenici considers it an "urgent and important matter."

http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/092204_news_voterid.shtml

Edwards in Santa Fe

On my way to hear John Edwards speak this morning in Santa Fe, I was struck—as one often is when one has to be somewhere at 8 am and has not had near enough coffee—by a sense of doom. This mood passed quickly (and returned and passed several more times), as I began the negotiation towards Milner Plaza.
The Plaza is part of the Museum complex—quite lovely and the morning was unbelievably sunny and beautiful. Logistically, though, a nightmare. Cars on both sides of the street, with Camino Cruz Blanca SUVS barrelling down the remaining two feet of road with sun in their eyes. I was almost struck down three times. A small group of pro-Bush people lingered outside the event. It made me realize, once and for all, the difference between people who are interested in politics (like me) and the people who are involved. I can't, for even a minute, understand what would make anyone stand outside a Democratic event in Santa Fe holding Bush signs. To what end? There was one clever Republican artpiece, though—a truck with two toilets on it that said "Flush the Two Johns" and had little Edwards/Kerry figurines on the commodes.
Anyway.
The Edwards event was billed as a town hall on health care. US Rep. Tom Udall, D-NM, who was in attendence, is a big fan of "town halls," as was Gov. Bill Richardson (who introduced Edwards), when he held Udall's seat for NM's third congressional seat. The event started one and a half hours late which, in my view, is unforgiveable but, as we all know, the view of impatient journalists isn't of huge interest to anyone these days. Meanwhile, the sun was unbelievably hot, so most of the 1000 people waiting fashioned hats to shield their heads, using the morning's newspaper. Subsequently, by the time Edwards arrived, there were a sizeable number of people wearing cone-shaped newspaper hats in the audience. 'Welcome to Santa Fe! I couldn't help laugh, given that the organizers were running around so ardently trying to "control" the image of the event, and there were the attendees wearing newspapers on their heads.
As usual, I eschewed the press containment area at the event. You will never learn less than by sitting with other reporters. I sat with the woman who had gotten my ticket in the seated rows, and who was volunteering. She said her job this morning was to be a "goonie," which meant to cause a disruption if anyone had snuck in and started yelling anti-kerry things. I found this a bit hypocritical, given how outraged the Dems claimed to be when Cheney wouldn't allow any anti-Bush people into his event, but whatever, I'm not going to get off on a soapbox about political hypocrisy—I'm not braindead, after all.
Despite my growing cynicism on the political discourse in this country, the process, the candidates, the point of any of it, I will say Edwards did a good job. He comes off like what he is: an intelligent articulate Democratic senator. And God knows there could be worse persona for the VP (like a mean-spirited guy obsessed with money and power, for example). He talked a great deal about health care costs, prescription drugs, that kind of thing, took questions from the audience and, in general, the event did actually have a sliver of feeling of being more than just a rally. Although I still question the smartness of having Edwards spend the morning talking health care policy with 1,000 people who are voting for him no matter what. I suppose it might have some fundraising value, and perhaps generate some news stories, although if any of the reporters/photographers saw that toilet art thing, that will easily be a front-page photo.