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Couy Griffin on Trial: A Tale of Two Realities
Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin’s trial for betraying his oath of office to defend the Constitution got underway in Santa Fe in mid-August with Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, denying he knew he was doing anything illegal in the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6. Griffin was convicted in June by a […]
Election results hold both hope and hazard
The June 2022 primary saw the first full-fledged use of same-day registration, where voters wanting to cast a ballot for the first time, or after a lapse or a change of address, did not have to make it happen weeks in advance. They could simply appear on Primary Election Day — or during the early […]
Even as fires rage, fireworks ban a tough nut to crack
It seems like common sense. With wildfires eating up over 160,000 acres in Northern New Mexico and costing tens of millions of dollars for fire suppression, why not ban the sale of fireworks during the peak fire season of the year — Fourth of July? It’s a question that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tried to […]
‘Junior’ budget bills fill in the gaps
When Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed the so called “junior bill” a couple of weeks ago, she opened what former Gov. Bruce King called a “Box of Pandoras.” Legislators of both parties and all ideological stripes immediately called for an extraordinary session to override the veto of one of the few bills that had […]
The games people play
Last week’s frustrating end to this year’s legislative session left election reformers, voting rights advocates and others wondering: how could this happen? How could one senator filibuster for over two hours, killing arguably one of the most important bills of the session: the New Mexico Voting Rights Act? And how, days earlier, could Republicans — […]
Drawing N.M. district lines in the shadow of 9/11
As the state’s Citizens Redistricting Commission prepares to issue its draft district maps on Sept. 16, I can’t help but think back to the tumultuous redistricting process in 2001 when I was a state senator. The census figures came in on time that year, but that was the only thing that was easy. The population […]