Group says N.M. is ‘on the cutting edge’ of elections

An independent research group issued a report today that said New Mexico “is on the cutting edge of election administration” after examining the state’s management of the 2006 general election and the switch to paper ballots that accompanied it.

The study found that more then eight in 10 voters rated their experience as excellent or good, according to a news release from the governor’s office. The report came from the CalTech/MIT Voting Technology Project.

The report said the state “has executive and local leadership forging aggressively ahead with the intent of building a better, strong, efficacious and more voter confident voting system.”

“This independent report confirms that our state’s transition to a paper ballot system has been successful,” Gov. Bill Richardson said in a news release. “Voters and poll workers favored the new voting process and gave it high marks for reliability, privacy and ease of use. Our experience clearly demonstrates that states can transition to paper ballot in less than a year and conduct accurate and transparent elections.”

According to researchers, New Mexico is the first state to move statewide from a predominantly electronic voting system to a single durable paper ballot system using optical scanners. Richardson pushed hard for the shift, and the report is evidence that the work of the governor and others who pushed for paper ballots made a positive difference.

But that doesn’t mean the switch was easy or that there weren’t problems. Officials are still investigating a $3 million budget shortfall in the secretary of state’s office that resulted from the shift to paper ballots and administration of the 2006 election.

Some of the report’s findings, according to the governor’s office, include:

• That the state’s system “is fundamentally working, where voter problems are infrequent and where voter and poll worker confidence is generally high.”

• “Voters and poll worker data also indicated that both groups were largely favorable to the new voting process. Poll workers gave the new process particularly high marks on reliability, privacy and ease of use.”

• Over eight in 10 voters rated their voting experience excellent or good. Three in five poll workers indicated that voters were satisfied with the new system, and 65 percent of poll workers considered the optical scan paper ballot system better than previous voting systems.

The report recommends some further improvements in voter, poll worker and poll judge education, poll worker and poll judge training and precinct preparations, the release states.

“We listened. We acted. New Mexico now has a progressive process for its voters – one durable, unified paper ballot system that, with some recommended adjustments, will further improve the election process as we look to 2008,” House Speaker Ben Lujan said in the governor’s news release.