LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A quiet threat to New Mexico’s election integrity

New Mexico’s elections aren’t perfect, but they’re ours — until Senate Bill 218 hands them over to Santa Fe. This bill, rammed through the Senate Rules Committee on Feb. 12 by Chair Sen. Katy Duhigg and Sen. Heather Berghmans, isn’t the “technical fix” they claim. It’s a power grab, giving Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver unchecked sway over how we vote, from voter rolls to polling places. The hearing laid bare the stakes — and the arrogance behind it.

The amended SB 218 — page 57, line 4 — repeals Section 1-22-3.1, stripping municipalities like Rio Rancho of their right to run independent elections. That’s no small loss; it’s a gut punch to local control. The secretary says it’s about saving resources for six holdout towns, but Sen. Jay Block pressed her: Which ones asked for this? She couldn’t name them. Meanwhile, the bill’s vague wording — Section 1-2-2.1 — lets her “establish uniform procedures” with little oversight, sidelining county and city clerks who know their turf. At the hearing, the Clerks Association, a bipartisan group, unanimously opposed SB 218. Their plea? Ignored.

Sen. Block grilled her on election security, citing Sandoval County’s machine snafus — wrong CF cards, botched uploads. Her fix? More training she can’t enforce. Clerks begged to speak, but Duhigg cut them off, gavel down: “You didn’t sign up an hour before.” Mayors Greg Hull, Jack Torres and Lynn Crawford showed up to fight for their towns — same story. Shut out.

This isn’t modernization; it’s centralization with a smile. The secretary’s team boasts we’re tops in election administration, but Block’s right: If clerks can’t follow state law — three elections he wouldn’t certify — why trust Santa Fe with more? SB 218 risks errors, distrust and a rural vote left in the cold. It will remove the right of Rio Rancho to require voter ID. Stop it before it kills what keeps our elections ours.

Ramona Goolsby

Rio Rancho