KRWG Public Media is covering the New Mexico Secretary of State race. Election day is November 3rd. Democratic candidate Amanda Lopez Askin spoke with Scott Brocato.
Scott Brocato:
All right, Amanda, first talk about your experience and how it uniquely prepares you for the office of Secretary of State.
Amanda Lopez Askin:
Well, beyond being born and raised in southern New Mexico and being a very proud New Mexican, I have served as a Doña Ana County clerk. I'm starting my 9th year. I have administered 13 elections in the second most populous county in our state with, frankly, probably the most contentious elections.
I started in 2018 and it was a high-profile election that I took charge of. I started, I was sworn in and five days later; early voting started. So that was trial by fire in its own way, but I wouldn't trade it because it taught me a lot. The second was the 2019 ranked choice voting and first consolidated election. And my third and fourth were the primary pandemic and the general pandemic. So to say that I have great experience, it's absolutely going to serve me well as Secretary of State is very true.
Scott Brocato:
All right. Well, what are your thoughts on federal interference and state control of elections? And how would you plan to address it?
Amanda Lopez Askin:
Well, I will address it just as our Secretary of State has done, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, as well as join with our Attorney General, Raúl Torrez, in that I will stand front and center to deny access to private voter information as well as interference in our elections.
The reality is, elections have always been and will continue to be states' rights. Any overreach by the federal government is a violation of that, and we should all be outraged about that, regardless of what side of the aisle you sit on, so to speak. And the best thing about the executive orders that continue to come from the Oval Office is that they are unconstitutional. As being that, we will support all efforts to safeguard our elections and have them continue to be within our state's rights.
Scott Brocato:
What methods would you plan to employ to restore and/or further trust in New Mexico's elections?
Amanda Lopez Askin:
The great news is, every New Mexican should be proud of the elections that we administer. When I started as clerk, one of the things that I had to do was do a deep dive into elections, really try to understand the minutiae as I was on literally the front lines of elections. And I did that. And what I discovered just confirmed to me again and again that we have best practices related to elections, that we implement them well, that we have a whole host of checks and balances that we implemented every election.
I will say this is not just my opinion. MIT has ranked us continually in top in election administration. And up until recently, we were ranked number one. And I believe we're #8 or 9 now, but we're determined to fight our way back to #1. And that's because we do implement all the best practices. They're looking at all layers from voter registration to security, to access to mail-in ballots, polling locations--you name it, they're looking at it and we do a great job.
So part of my job is doing talking about that, going through the weeds, dispelling misinformation, and more importantly, dispelling malinformation, which is information that is specific and is meant to dissuade people from participating. So I have something to be very proud of as every other county clerk does in New Mexico. We run great elections and New Mexicans need to hear more about that.
Scott Brocato:
Well, the Secretary of State oversees campaign finance reporting and lobbyist registrations. How do you plan to guarantee transparency regarding that information?
Amanda Lopez Askin:
One of the things I've done over the last 18, 19 months that I've been running for office is talk to New Mexicans all over the state, not just in Dona Ana County. I always say you've been to one county in New Mexico and you've been to one county in New Mexico, because they're all diverse. They're all different. They all have their own needs and really their own perspective. And I do continue to hear discussions about campaign finance, campaign finance reporting, more transparency. And I think nobody can say that is not something that they don't want. I mean, I'd be shocked if they did.
I'm willing to get into the weeds to see what needs to get done, what feels like it is not transparent, and learn from the current system as to maybe what we can improve upon. I can already tell you the technology aspect of it is something that I think needs to be improved upon. And I know they're working very hard to making sure that access and the transparency, even on the public facing reporting, is something that needs to be addressed and make sure that we do everything we can to support the Secretary of State's office in their endeavors in doing that. And frankly, that involves a lot of money. We have to get fully...we have to get our full budget. We've never had that in the Secretary of State's office. We've always had to go back and ask for more money. And people are the power in every organization. We need to make sure that we have enough people to power what we want to be: a transparent, clear campaign finance reporting system and process.
Scott Brocato:
Well, what other aspect of the role of Secretary of State or your campaign do you think are important for voters to know?
Amanda Lopez Askin:
I think it's important to know that it has been 51 years since a Democrat has run while living in Las Cruces and been able to get on the ballot and win. And that was Jerry Apodaca in 1975. So I plan on winning. And when that happens, this is really a win for Southern New Mexico and the idea that leadership can exist outside of the Santa Fe Albuquerque corridor. And I am thrilled to be able and honored to be able to have the ability to do that. So I appreciate all the support and I'm looking forward to election night.
