Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME) Spearheads Poll Observations on Election Day
Santa Fe, NM – It’s Election Day, and local elections are underway in much of the state. At over 110 polling places in 11 municipalities – Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clayton, Farmington, Gallup, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Silver City and Taos – ONME poll watchers are using their checklists to assess how elections are running this year. Election observers are trained on relevant laws, procedures, and safeguards in New Mexico’s electoral process and verify that those procedures are consistently followed.
During Election Day, ONME watchers will observe the entire day at their respective voting locations, note the procedures that were followed and what happened during voting set up, poll opening, the voting process, and closing. This structured observation effort includes a number of different components – including noting whether polls open and do so on time, how many precinct board members were present, that instructions and notices are posted and in easily visible locations, voters have access to the language assistance they need, voters with disabilities are receiving the accommodations they need, and that the voter check-in and voter identification process is occurring consistent with state law. A full summary of what is observed on Election Day can be found here.
“New Mexico was the first ever statewide, nonpartisan election monitoring effort in the U.S last year. While still a new initiative, we have a lot to be proud of as we mark another successful election observation effort this year,” said Carmen Lopez, Co-Lead of ONME. “This Election Day, we are reminded of just how vital local elections are to our communities – and how we rely on the engagement of community members to carry out this important effort. The attentiveness and dedication shown by election observers and volunteers throughout our numerous poll worker trainings this year give me confidence that our upcoming findings will be comprehensive and insightful.”
ONME will compile and share a comprehensive year-end report that summarizes observers’ findings throughout early voting and Election Day, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement in election processes, and supporting ongoing dialogue about election integrity and best practices.
For more information about ONME’s election observation initiative or to learn how to get involved, visit https://observenmelections.org/.
About Observe New Mexico Elections
The mission of Observe New Mexico Elections is to increase transparency and trust in New Mexico’s elections by training and deploying nonpartisan election observers throughout the state. Observers will report on how election laws and procedures are followed, representing all voters 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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