New Mexico State Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto told the Northeast Heights meeting on Sept. 24 that the state election system has a series of layers and checks that are screening most balloting problems out. Ivey-Soto is one of the foremost election security experts in the state and has great insight into the way the system actually works.
He says New Mexico is ahead of many states in the way we secure elections because we use paper ballots, and can physically re-create election results if needed. There are also many other ways the state works to keep voting secure.
In New Mexico the Secretary of State runs the election system, but each individual county clerk runs the election process in the county. In practical terms that means the state has more than 1,500 ballot styles that are printed out individually as each voter goes to the polls. It’s an intentionally awkward process that makes it much harder to artificially change results in elections.
New Mexico now has online voter registration through the Secretary of State’s office, but voters must have physical addresses on their registration forms and proof they actually live at the physical place the first time they vote after they register. It is a check to see that people who register are placed in the correct voting districts, and that they actually have some physical connection to the address.
For people who want to learn more about the current issues, monthly unit meetings are a great way to find out more from the best experts in the state. It is also a good way to meet people interested in the same issues.