Election officials prepare for controversy over close vote
By JULIE ANN GRIMM | The New Mexican
September 19, 2004

Bracing for intense scrutiny over the Nov. 2 election, New Mexico election officials met in Santa Fe to brush up on state rules and encourage one another for the strenuous days that lie ahead.

"This is going to be a difficult election," said state Elections Bureau Director Denise Lamb in her closing remarks of a three-day training session.

"I know I say that a lot, but I think you can tell. You've seen the news. ... People are very hysterical. The political parties are not going to be acting nice."

National political parties and other groups are already retaining lawyers for potential lawsuits over the outcome of the presidential election.

Lamb warned that county clerks have been fielding attempts to prove wrongdoing by local officials, and more will probably come. She encouraged clerks to refer inquiries about election law to her office.

"This is your armor," she said Friday, holding up a bound copy of the state's election handbook. "When these folks come at you, you want to make sure this is what you have been doing, and that we are all doing this together."

About 120 county clerks and other election workers attended what Lamb called "election school." By state law, the secretary of state's office must hold a training meeting before each statewide election. Because the state held a special election last September and had a primary election in June, the meeting was the third like it to be held recently.

Lamb said she has every confidence that New Mexicans who compile election results are going to perform well during the election. But she acknowledged the state has been identified as a battleground for the presidential election and chose its last candidate by a margin of less than 400 votes.

"It's the old election prayer," she said. "Dear Lord, don't let it be close."

The training session also included appearances by advocates for the disabled and officials from the federal Department of Justice who are advising county clerks on complying with the Help America Vote Act.

Several voting-machine vendors set up demonstrations of machines that produce a paper receipt. Such devices have been the topic of much debate as more precincts nationwide move to touch-screen electronic-voting methods. Some have questioned whether electronic machines' accuracy can be verified without a paper receipt.

Santa Fe County Clerk Rebecca Bustamante did not attend the training meeting, but five county elections workers were present for the sessions at the Courtyard Marriott on Cerrillos Road. The presumed next county clerk, Valerie Espinoza, was also at the training.

Democratic-clerk nominee Espinoza said she learned a lot about the details of the election process and about the paper-trail-producing voting machines she hopes to purchase when she becomes clerk. Espinoza faces no opposition in the general election and will probably take over the post on Jan. 1. Bustamante was not eligible for re-election because of term limits.