Barbara Vigil, ONME Board Member and former New Mexico Supreme Court Justice
People want to know that their vote matters, the election process works, and that the voting system meets high ethical, accountability, and transparency standards. Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME) is here to tell you that, based on our statewide observations, we have reason to be proud of the way our elections are administered in New Mexico.
ONME trains nonpartisan election observers throughout the state to monitor elections in their communities and ensure compliance with election law. Observers arrive at their local polling place early, leave late along with election workers, and watch how voting and elections are conducted without interfering in the electoral process. Last year, 160 New Mexicans observed elections in 29 of New Mexico’s 33 counties. During this fall’s municipal elections, 111 election observers were stationed across 106 polling sites in 11 New Mexico municipalities from Carlsbad to Farmington, Gallup to Albuquerque. Observers found that the election processes they observed were smooth and well-administered, polls opened and closed on time, and voters were able to cast their ballots securely and without major disruption. ONME released its initial findings in an executive summary this week. This year’s election showed us what’s possible when we come together to ensure secure, accurate, and transparent elections.
Of course, the reason so many people participate in this effort is not just to identify what we’re doing well, but also to note areas for improvement. Overall, we see that additional steps are needed to ensure counties are providing the language translation and interpretation services required by federal law, improving physical accommodations for people with disabilities, and ensuring clear, consistent signage and instructions in polling places.
With minimal challenges overall, we should feel encouraged that our municipal elections were run efficiently, securely, and with transparency. Fortunately, this high standard of election processes is not new – New Mexico is a recognized leader in election performance, and other states are turning to us to replicate ONME’s election observation initiative. A strong foundation of election integrity has been built into our system over time by lawmakers, the Secretary of State and the County Clerks. Now, it’s up to all of us to continue this strong trajectory – and ONME is proud of our observers who are at the helm of this effort in their communities. It’s inspiring to see the bipartisanship of the observers involved, all of whom represent a diverse cross-section of the communities in which they serve.
As a member of my community and an ONME Advisory Board Member, I care deeply about voting and the election process, and it’s exciting to see another successful observation effort come to fruition and yield insightful findings. We celebrate the standards of excellence that election administrators have set across New Mexico. We also look forward to seeing improvements in counties’ training of their election officials about voting access for individuals with disabilities and those with language access needs. The longer we continue this effort and build on what we learn each time, the more we are able to increase the level of transparency and public knowledge about the inner workings of our elections – a goal we can all support now, and in the future.
Click here to read the full opinion piece by Barbara Vigil, ONME Board Member and former New Mexico Supreme Court Justice in the Las Cruces Sun News.