{"id":177868,"date":"2016-08-24T10:22:22","date_gmt":"2016-08-24T16:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=177868"},"modified":"2016-08-25T08:44:13","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T14:44:13","slug":"oliver-plans-focus-on-increasing-voter-turnout-as-secretary-of-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/08\/oliver-plans-focus-on-increasing-voter-turnout-as-secretary-of-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Oliver plans focus on increasing voter turnout as secretary of state"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This is one of two profiles of the candidates for secretary of state in the Nov. 8 general election.\u00a0Read our profile of Republican Nora Espinoza <a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/08\/boosting-voter-turnout-is-partisan-not-secretary-of-states-job-espinoza-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Maggie Toulouse Oliver thinks the secretary of state should work to increase voter turnout. She says she\u2019ll do just that if elected to the position, and points to her past efforts as Bernalillo County\u2019s clerk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was very active in advocating for online voter registration and automated voter registration at the Motor Vehicle Division,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93268\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-93268\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Oliver-Maggie-Tolouse-336x224.jpg\" alt=\"Maggie Toulouse Oliver\" width=\"336\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Oliver-Maggie-Tolouse-336x224.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Oliver-Maggie-Tolouse.jpg 550w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Courtesy photo<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maggie Toulouse Oliver<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Getting more voters to the polls is a frequent topic in the United States. Turnout was actually up in this year\u2019s June primaries compared to presidential primaries in New Mexico since 1996, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abqjournal.com\/788478\/turnout-sets-record-for-nm-primary.html\" target=\"_blank\">the Albuquerque Journal<\/a>. New Mexico\u2019s turnout was also six points higher than the national average in this year\u2019s primaries, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2016\/06\/10\/turnout-was-high-in-the-2016-primary-season-but-just-short-of-2008-record\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Pew Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But this year\u2019s primaries buck recent trends. Turnout had been declining in Las Cruces city elections <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/11\/will-voter-turnout-rise-or-drop-in-las-cruces-predictions-are-mixed\/\" target=\"_blank\">since at least 2003<\/a>, until it was flat last year. Also last year, Albuquerque had its lowest turnout for a city election <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/10\/low-voter-turnout-is-becoming-the-norm-what-can-we-do-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\">in decades<\/a>. Across the United States, 2014\u2019s midterm congressional elections saw\u00a0the lowest turnout\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/analysis\/2014\/11\/13\/2014-midterms-defined-by-low-voter-turnout\" target=\"_blank\">in 72 years<\/a>. And the United States trails <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2015\/05\/06\/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\">almost\u00a0all other developed nations<\/a>\u00a0in voter turnout.<\/p>\n<p>To help increase turnout, Oliver said she wants New Mexico to register people to vote automatically whenever they interact with a government agency, as laws have already mandated in California, Oregon, Connecticut, West Virginia and Vermont. People would have to opt out if they don\u2019t want to be registered, as opposed to having to intentionally opt in under the current system.<\/p>\n<p>In this year\u2019s election, Oliver, a Democrat and the current Bernalillo County clerk, faces Republican Nora Espinoza, who represents the Roswell-area District 59 in the N.M. House of Representatives.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of state, whose duties include being New Mexico\u2019s top elections administrator, doesn\u2019t normally appear on the ballot on the same year as a presidential election. The 2015\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/10\/dianna-duran-has-resigned\/\" target=\"_blank\">resignation of Republican Dianna Duran<\/a>, who was convicted of <a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/12\/duran-accepts-judges-sentence-must-report-to-jail-friday\/\" target=\"_blank\">using campaign funds for personal use<\/a>, led to the appointment of Brad Winter <a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/12\/abq-councilor-brad-winter-named-secretary-of-state\/\" target=\"_blank\">to the job<\/a>, but only until the next election, which is this\u00a0Nov. 8. Winter agreed not to seek election, so the race is wide open.<\/p>\n<p>The winner will hold the seat for two years. Elections for secretary of state will return to their normal four-year cycle in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>This is Oliver\u2019s second campaign to become secretary of state. She narrowly lost the 2014 election to Duran.<\/p>\n<p>Other initiatives Oliver supports to increase voter turnout include expanding mobile voting centers so that people in rural parts of the state can vote more easily and developing a voter education and outreach program through the SOS Office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve long had a passion for voter rights and voter education and encouraging people to participate in the democratic process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Having served as the voting custodian for New Mexico\u2019s largest county for nearly eight years, Oliver said encouraging voter participation on a statewide level would be a natural progression for her.<\/p>\n<h3>Ethics and campaign finance reform<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/10\/flawed-nm-campaign-reporting-system-needs-reform-many-say\/\" target=\"_blank\">Reforming the state\u2019s campaign finance reporting system<\/a> and other ethics laws has been a hot topic ever since Duran was charged with illegally using campaign funds to keep her personal bank account in the black while gambling at New Mexico casinos. As secretary of state, Oliver said she would work to restore voters\u2019 confidence in the SOS Office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPart of the reason why we\u2019ve seen a downturn in voter turnout is that voters in the state have been receiving the message from elected officials that government is corrupt and it doesn\u2019t matter if you participate,\u201d she said.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Oliver attributed this mindset to a lack of enforcement of state ethics rules. While state law requires the secretary of state to audit\u00a010 percent of campaign finance reports, violators discovered during Duran\u2019s tenure usually went unpunished.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVoters see that historically elected officials in New Mexico aren\u2019t held accountable by the Secretary of State\u2019s Office,\u201d Oliver said.<\/p>\n<p>To help restore people\u2019s confidence in the office, Oliver said she supports the creation of a state ethics commission comprised of Democrats and Republicans to set ethical standards of conduct in government and police violations. Oliver wants such a commission to be responsible for ensuring candidates follow campaign finance laws.<\/p>\n<p>A bill to create such a commission died in the Senate Rules Committee <a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/02\/the-charade-is-over-its-time-to-create-an-ethics-commission\/\" target=\"_blank\">earlier this year<\/a>. It\u2019s met a similar fate in the Legislature several times in the past decade. This year\u2019s legislation would have taken administration of the state\u2019s campaign finance reporting system from the secretary of state and given it to the ethics commission. The SOS and county clerks would have been required to ensure all candidates for office were entered into the system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFurther, the ethics commission would be required to notify county clerks and the SOS of any candidates who have unpaid fines or unfiled reports, who are not eligible to have their names placed on the ballot or to receive a certificate of election,\u201d the bill read.<\/p>\n<p>For now, without such an ethics commission, the SOS is charged with enforcing penalties for ethical violations and violations of the Campaign Reporting Act. But enforcement is difficult in part because there aren\u2019t clear,\u00a0written rules about how to enforce the state\u2019s campaign finance laws. To complicate matters, part of the state campaign finance law was ruled unconstitutional years ago, and the Legislature and governor have yet to fix the unenforceable provisions.<\/p>\n<p>Oliver said New Mexico\u2019s current campaign finance reporting system allows candidates \u201cto be less than clear\u201d about how funds are spent. \u201cOne of the challenges we have in New Mexico is a lack of clarity around disclosure,\u201d Oliver said.<\/p>\n<p>The SOS office under Duran\u2019s leadership was in the process of creating new rules when her crimes were revealed, and the rules were put on hold. That wasn\u2019t the first time such rules have been delayed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve always been scrapped before they\u2019ve been published,\u201d Oliver said. \u201cSo it\u2019s really important to finally get some rules on the books, even if they\u2019re not perfect at the outset. They can always be changed to handle real-world situations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As SOS, Oliver said she would work to make campaign finance laws and penalties for noncompliance clear.<\/p>\n<h3>Dark money<\/h3>\n<p>Another problem Oliver said she would work to combat as secretary of state is so-called \u201cdark money\u201d \u2013 spending from secret funding sources that affects politics and elections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t have any laws or rules on the books about what happens with an organization that\u2019s currently not required to disclose its contributors, but it\u2019s getting involved in elections and it\u2019s advocating for or against political candidates,\u201d Oliver said.<\/p>\n<p>During the 2015 Las Cruces municipal election, a right-leaning political action committee, GOAL WestPAC, spent <a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/01\/las-cruces-proves-money-cant-always-buy-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\">more than $86,000 on negative attacks<\/a> against incumbent Mayor Ken Miyagishima and City Council candidates Kasandra Gandara and Jack Eakman \u2013 who all went on to win their races. The donors who funded that PAC\u2019s spending were disclosed publicly, as required.<\/p>\n<p>But tied to the PAC was the nonprofit organization GOAL Advocacy. As a nonprofit, GOAL Advocacy does\u00a0not have to reveal who funds its\u00a0work, even though GOAL Advocacy also worked to get out the vote in Las Cruces and influence the election.<\/p>\n<p>The left spends money that&#8217;s difficult to trace\u00a0too \u2013 especially in active public-union states like New Mexico, where labor unions spent $2.8 million during the 2013-2014 election cycle, <a href=\"http:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2015\/03\/13\/unions-give-big-in-nm-politics\/\" target=\"_blank\">according to New Mexico In Depth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the funding for an ad currently airing on television from the left-leaning ProgressNow New Mexico that attacks Republican Gov. Susana Martinez remains secret. The group has reserved at least $94,000 in air time. \u201cWe\u2019re not talking about anybody on the ballot. We\u2019re not talking about any piece of legislation,\u201d ProgressNow\u2019s executive director, Pat Davis, was <a href=\"http:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2016\/08\/16\/potential-carlsbad-sinkhole-used-in-attack-ad-against-gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">quoted by New Mexico In Depth as saying<\/a>. Davis was\u00a0explaining why disclosure of the ad\u2019s funding isn\u2019t required.<\/p>\n<p>Legislation is required to address dark money, Oliver said. She praised lawmakers, such as Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, who have tried for years, without success, to pass bills that would clarify and regulate some dark money. Of course, some political spending will remain secret in spite of state-level legislation as long as the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s <em>Citizens United<\/em> ruling remains in effect.<\/p>\n<p>Still, something that can be done without legislation to make money in politics more transparent is improving the state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfis.state.nm.us\/\" target=\"_blank\">campaign finance reporting system<\/a>. Oliver said the system needs to be made \u201ca lot more user-friendly and integrated\u201d so that what a candidate reports in his or her finance report matches what a lobbyist reports to the SOS.<\/p>\n<p>Oliver said the office, if she\u2019s elected, would immediately reach out to candidates and campaigns that did not file reports on time. Was there a technical issue? If not, she said the office would try to help a candidate \u201ccome into voluntary compliance as quickly as possible,\u201d rather than \u201cwaiting and letting things go for 100 days\u201d and then fining a particular campaign $5,000 for not filing, which may have only been accidental, she said.<\/p>\n<p>But ultimately, Oliver said, creating a state ethics commission is vital to restoring the public\u2019s confidence in the SOS Office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s really necessary so that the public can start seeing that the Secretary of State\u2019s Office is taking the job of holding our elected officials accountable very seriously,\u201d Oliver\u00a0said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI\u2019ve long had a passion for voter rights and voter education and encouraging people to participate in the democratic process,\u201d secretary of state candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2959,"featured_media":93268,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[708,3303,223,109,107,706,3285],"class_list":["post-177868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-2016-election","tag-2016-secretary-of-states-race","tag-campaign-finance","tag-ethics-reform","tag-roundhouse","tag-transparency","tag-voting-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2959"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}