[LWVNM Action] Our Elections Are Secure-ABQ Journal Editorial-Be a voter advocate!

[Meredith Machen]

Editorial: Enough disinformation; our elections are secure

BY ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD
<https://www.abqjournal.com/author/editorial>
PUBLISHED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2022

With the fall general election just over a month away, it bears repeating
New Mexico elections are among the most fraud-proof in the nation. The
Secretary of State’s Office spells out all the security measures on its
website and, as we’ve noted previously, the county clerks who carry out
elections in New Mexico — a mix of Republicans and Democrats — agree the
system is robust, accurate and secure. New Mexico conducts pre-election
certification of all voting systems/machines, as well as mandatory
post-election audits after every election to double-check all counts were
correct. We also use 100% paper ballots to ensure there are physical
ballots that can be recounted/examined as needed.

And yet, former President Donald Trump’s persistent claim — with no
evidence to back it up — that he was the rightful winner of the 2020
election continues to undermine confidence in electoral processes
everywhere.

Legislative candidates who responded to a Journal questionnaire were asked
to respond “yes” or “no” to “Do you believe former President Donald Trump’s
claim that he was the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election?”

Some left the question blank. Others tried to qualify their answers. It’s
not hard to figure out what’s going on here. Whether or not candidates
accept that Trump lost, they don’t want to alienate his supporters. It’s a
frustrating feedback loop: Candidates feed voter distrust of the system,
then use that distrust to claim elections need to be more secure. We should
hope any candidate is educated on the safeguards and can express specific
concerns beyond a “gut feeling” — especially here where, by law, the public
can watch officials certify accuracy of voting machines before an election.

We encourage voters to get informed and involved. Candidate Q&As, profiles,
endorsements and more will be updated in the Journal’s Election Guide at
ABQJournal.com <http://abqjournal.com/>.

*This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written
by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the
opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.*
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BE a voter advocate!
Look for new PSAs that the League has produced about NM's election
procedures. They are short, snappy, and full of information.
We should be quite proud of our state for having one of the best systems in
the country and making sure that our elections are fair, accessible, and
secure.  The PSAs will be airing on NMPBS and elsewhere over the next
few weeks.

Please tell your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to look for their
customized ballot information on Vote411.org starting October 4. If they
haven't registered, there is still time up to the election. Please direct
people to the Secretary of State's website for more information:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/voting-and-elections/voter-information-portal/.
Please help get out the vote in this crucial election. Thank you.

Meredith Machen
meredith.machen at gmail.com
505 577-6337
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