Nonpartisan organization places observers in 11 locations from Las Cruces to Clayton, Gallup to Carlsbad
Santa Fe, NM – Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME), a nonpartisan effort to strengthen trust and transparency in state elections, provided initial findings from its 115 observers at 107 polling sites in 11 municipalities across the state. Initial findings indicate a safe (no intimidation or violence) and secure election with high voter turnout in some areas. ONME will continue to receive and compile insights from its 115 trained election observers. A full report and an accompanying summary will be finalized and available in December.
Similar to ONME’s observation efforts during last year’s general election, the nonpartisan election observation network will again compile and share a comprehensive report that summarizes observers’ findings, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement in election processes.
“New Mexico was recently recognized as the top state in the country, according to MIT’s Election Performance Index, for overall election performance – including voter registration, security, and accessibility,” said Carmen Lopez, Co-Lead of ONME. “There’s been a high level of transparency built into our system over time by lawmakers and the Secretary of State in cooperation with County Clerks, fostering trust in our elections. We have an impressive foundation when it comes to conducting elections, and this year is no different. Preliminary feedback from observers gives us great confidence that municipal elections were run well with minimal challenges across the board.”
Specifically, election observers noted that 98% of polling locations where ONME was present opened on time and remained open throughout the day without significant disruptions. Observers also reported there were substantially fewer issues with same day voter registration, a noted issue during the 2024 general election.
Leading up to early voting and Election Day, ONME trained registered voters to serve as impartial election observers for local elections in Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clayton, Farmington, Gallup, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Silver City and Taos. Observers received training on relevant laws, procedures, and safeguards in New Mexico’s electoral process and then visit polling sites to report on the extent to which procedures are consistently followed.
About Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME)
The mission of Observe New Mexico Elections is to increase transparency and trust in New Mexico’s elections by training and mobilizing nonpartisan election observers throughout the state. Observers report on election laws and procedures, without interfering in the electoral process. Findings from their observations will be compiled to assess the overall quality of elections in New Mexico.
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