Richardson offers revamp of elections

By Shea Andersen
Albuquerque Tribune Reporter   23 November 2004

Gov. Bill Richardson today called for sweeping election reform in New Mexico.

In a news release, Richardson said he wants a paper receipt for every vote cast on voting machines and uniform statewide standards for all manner of provisional ballots. He also said he wants early processing of absentee ballots.

He did not, however, call for enhanced voter identification requirements.

Richardson's proposals would be considered by the Legislature.

Also today, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, an Albuquerque Republican, asked the federal Election Assistance Commission to review the way Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, a Democrat, spent federal election money.

In his letter to the Election Assistance Commission, Domenici said he was concerned that so much federal election money was spent on TV advertising.

The money was from the federal Help America Vote Act. According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, created by Congress to oversee implementation of the Help America Vote Act, New Mexico received $5,110,126 in funds in fiscal year 2003 and another $9,169,664 in fiscal year 2004.

"Among other expenditures, $1 million in HAVA funding was spent on an advertising campaign to educate people about their most fundamental right to vote," Domenici wrote. "Many New Mexicans have questioned whether this ad campaign was an appropriate use of the funds."

Vigil today called Domenici's efforts "a partisan attack."

She said she was directed by federal requirements to spend money on "voter education."

"It's as plain and black and white as it sounds," Vigil-Giron said. "How do I educate 1 million voters out there?"

During the election, Vigil-Giron narrated several ads on television outlining how, where and when to vote.

She was proud, she said, of an election that featured 141,000 more voters than the 2000 general election.

"Does he not want all those people to go vote?" Vigil-Giron said. "I don't know what his complaint is."

In other action today, the state Board of Canvassing certified the Nov. 2 general election results. Bush received 376,930 votes, or 49.8 percent, to 370,942 votes, or 49 percent, for Democrat John Kerry. Overall, 775,301 total voters cast ballots in the general election. But only 756,304 people voted for president.