Commentary: The NM Pediatric Society and NM Voices for Children have launched a voter-education website,www.YouDecideNM.org, that shares the responses to issue questionnaires from candidates running for New Mexico Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives (NM-1, NM-2 and NM-3), and State Land Commissioner. Both organizations are 501c3 nonprofits and, therefore, do not endorse candidates for office. The website launch is accompanied by an internet advertising campaign to alert New Mexicans to the site.
“Elections are foundational to our democracy, so we wanted to get candidate positions on a variety of topics,” said Brian Etheridge, MD, FAAP, president of the NM Pediatric Society. “We asked about a range of issues – from child health and well-being to education funding, the economy, the 2020 Census, public land use, and more.”
The questionnaire was sent to all of the candidates in the six races listed. All candidates in each race received the same questions and were given the same word limit (250 words for each question) and amount of time to return their answers. Each candidate was also asked to send a photograph of themselves and a short (150 words or less) biography, if they so desired. The candidates were contacted to confirm receipt of the questionnaire, and the deadline was extended twice to provide candidates with additional time to respond.
“Due to term limits and some incumbents not seeking reelection, this election will change New Mexico’s political landscape so we hope this site will be useful as voters consider who they will support,” said James Jimenez, executive director for both NM Voices and NM Pediatric Society.
The website will be live until Tuesday, November 6, 2018.