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Misleading Information shared to the public ahead of vote for HD 53 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 22, 2024

 

CHAPARRAL, NM – The scheduled vote to select a replacement for House District 53 (HD 53) by the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s State Central Committee (SCC) isn’t coming without some questionable decisions. Simply put, they’re not following their own by-laws. 

In an effort to push back the vote a few more days before the August 27th deadline to get prospective candidates names on the ballot and to give the residents of Chaparral a fair opportunity to hear from the candidates, CAFe Accion was told that that was not possible.

After several phone calls and conversations with several different members from the SCC and the Democratic party itself, there were several different pieces of information shared that were inconsistent. 

According to the by-laws, “3.4.1 – Open Public Meetings: All public meetings at all levels of the DNM are open to all members of the DPNM regardless of their status, as defined in Article I, Rule 3.4.”

In addition to that by-law, “3.4.2 – Meetings of the DPNM at all levels: shall be publicized fully and in such a manner as to assure timely notice to all party members.”

Objectives of DPNM candidate forums as listed in their by-laws – “to facilitate an open and transparent exchange of ideas and information between candidates and party members.” 

“To promote fairness and impartiality in the forum’s organization, ensuring that all candidates are given equal opportunities.”

There are eight members of the State Central Committee (this information is also inconsistent and unclear about how many members are actually on the committee) who will be able to vote for the replacement Democratic candidate at the meeting; the Democratic party of New Mexico has declined to release the names of the eight members, due to “privacy concerns”. In an August 7th article from the Source NM, Democratic party spokesperson, Daniel Garcia said he did not know if the August 22nd meeting would be open to the public. The same spokesperson for the party, quoted in a different Source NM article published on August 22nd, confirmed that all of the state Democratic Party members making the selection live in Doña Ana County. None of the voting members live in Otero County.

This piece of information published in an earlier article, does not align with the information that was shared with CAFe Accion. CAFe Accion staff were informed that the August 22nd meeting at 6:00pm would be a “candidate forum” that would not be open to the public, but available via zoom, and that the vote for candidates would not occur until 1:30pm Friday. Which is inconsistent with information relayed from an August 22nd Source NM article that noted the meeting & vote would occur August 22nd at 6:00pm. 

CAFe Accion calls for more transparency with this vote, since the public is not being properly represented according to the SCC’s own bylaws, there are no voting members from Otero County, and for communicating misinformation. CAFe Accion has not endorsed any of the candidates and is seeking real transparency from the party because its leaders that live in Otero county feel disenfranchised. CAFe Accion is building and creating a vehicle for leaders to have a fair and equal opportunity to choose their next candidate as they should have been able to do if the party was following their own bylaws. Chaparral has been historically disenfranchised and the information has not been properly communicated to the public. 

 

We must also note that most residents in Chaparral had no idea that Dr. Jon Hill had passed away or that the party had decided the process to select these eight  delegates to represent them in voting a new candidate. CAFe Accion wants to send condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Jon Hill.

 

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CAFé Acción is a power building grassroots 501c4 organization working to build independent political power for and with historically marginalized communities across Southern New Mexico.

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All About Elections

All About Elections

The New Mexico general elections are coming up next month. In fact, early voting has already begun. New Mexico citizens have been able to partake in early voting since October 11th. The official election day for the New Mexico General Election is November 8th. Here at NM Cafe we believe that voting is super important. We would never tell you who to vote for but we are here to provide you with all of the information that you need to make an educated decision and exercise your constitutional right properly. 

First of all, early voting ends November 5th and the last day to submit an application for an absentee ballot is November 3rd. November 8th is the last day for same day voter registration. You can find all absentee ballot drop off locations and early voting locations with this link. 

There are many things to vote for in this election but some of the most important are for the Governor, U.S. House of Representatives (aka Congress), and Secretary of State. You have probably seen many ads of various sorts for many of the candidates who are as follows: 

Governor

  • Democrat: Michelle Lujan Grisham and Howie C. Morales, Albuquerque and Silver City (I)
  • Republican: Mark V. Ronchetti and Anthony L. “Ant” Thornton, Albuquerque and Sandia Park
  • Libertarian: Karen Evette Bedonie and Efren Gallardo, Jr., Navajo, N.M., and Albuquerque

U.S. House of Representatives NM02

  • Democrat: Gabriel Vasquez, Las Cruces
  • Eliseo Luna (write-in), Roswell
  • Republican: Yvette Herrell, Alamogordo (I)

Secretary of State

  • Democrat: Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Santa Fe (I)
  • Republican: Audrey Trujillo, Corrales
  • Libertarian: Mayna Erika Myers, Hobbs

There are plenty of other categories, but those are the ones that have been receiving the most attention overall. If you would like to learn more about our statewide elections this article for the Las Cruces Bulletin.

There are also plenty of local elections that are  very much worth your time and attention such as County Sheriff, County Commission, and County Probate Judge. The candidates are as follows:

County Sheriff

  • Democrat: Kim Stewart, Las Cruces (I)
  • Republican: Byron Hollister, Las Cruces

County Commission

District 1

  • Democrat: Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez, Las Cruces
  • NOTE: Incumbent Democrat Lynn Ellins lost in the primary

District 3

  • Democrat: Shannon Reynolds, Las Cruces (I)
  • Republican: Patricia “Susie” Kimble, Las Cruces

County Probate Judge

  • Democrat: Judith Ann Baca, Las Cruces

You can learn more about local elections here.

Along with electing officials into office, there are several state constitutional amendments that are worth your consideration. You can also vote for bonds both locally and statewide. All of these decide where your taxpayer money goes so DO NOT IGNORE THEM! Every amendment is very important for you to pay attention to. The previous link also provides information on those amendments and bonds. 

Remember that although sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, your voice and your vote matters. We highly encourage you to exercise your right to help decide who represents you and what happens with the taxes that you have paid. You can use this link to check if you are registered to vote. Happy voting.