THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO

2008 VOTERS GUIDE ON LINE

This is the on-line version of the League of Women Voters of Los Alamos 2008 Voters Guide.

The offices for which candidates will appear on the November ballot are

COUNTY OFFICES

• Los Alamos County Councilor
• Los Alamos County Clerk

• President and Vice President of the United States
• United States Senator
• U.S. Representative, Congressional District 3

• NM State Senators, 5th, 6th and 39th Districts
• NM State Representative, 43rd District
• NM Public Regulation Commission, District 3
• District attorney, First Judicial District
• Justice of the State Supreme Court

• Justice of the State Supreme Court
• Judge of the State Court of Appeals
• District judges, First Judicial District

The Voters Guide also covers proposed Constitutional Amendments that will be on the November ballot, as well as 2008 Capital Projects General Obligation Bonds and a 0.125% increase in the gross receipts tax to support regional transportation and Atomic City Transit.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What qualifications are required for someone to register to vote in New Mexico?

Voters must be U.S. citizens, must be at least eighteen on or before election day, and must reside in New Mexico. Application may be made in person or by mail, but note the identification requirements below for applications made by mail.

The County Clerk's office is located in Suite D at 2451 Central Avenue, which is the westernmost trailer of the four on the west side of Ashley Pond in Los Alamos.

What type of identification, if any, must be presented in order to register to vote in New Mexico?

For mail-in registration only, if the applicant is registering for the first time in New Mexico, the applicant must submit, together with his completed and signed application form, a copy of one of the following types of identification showing both the name and the NM address of the applicant:

• a current and valid photo ID such as a driver's license (note that the DMV can issue similar IDs to non-drivers)
• a utility bill
• a bank statement
• a government check, paycheck or other government document.

No identification is required if a voter is merely changing his registration (name, address and/or party affiliation) within the state of New Mexico.

How will the applicant know that his registration has been accepted?

The applicant should receive a voter registration card from the County Clerk within 15 days. This card will list the voter's polling place and districting information. It is not a voter identification card and need not be presented when voting.

You can also check that you are registered to vote and that your voter registration is up to date at VoterView, provided by the NM Secretary of State.

What form of identification is needed in order to cast a ballot?

With the exception noted above for mail-in registrants, no physical voter identification is required at the poll. The voter will be required to state verbally his name, address and year of birth. Other forms of ID are accepted but not required.

What if the voter arrives at the polls on election day and finds that his name is not on the list of registered voters?

The voter shall be permitted to vote using a provisional paper ballot provided that

1. his residence is within the county in which he offers to vote,
2. his name is not on the list of persons submitting absentee ballots, and
3. he executes a statement swearing or affirming that to the best of his knowledge he is a qualified elector, eligible to vote in that county, and that he has not cast a ballot or voted elsewhere in that election.

May I wear clothing or a button for a candidate I support when I go to the polls to vote?

This is a matter of some controversy across the country, but the position of the NM Secretary of State is clear. Although items of clothing are often considered to fall within the protection of the First Amendment, the SOS has instructed County Clerks and Election Judges that displaying buttons, hats, T-shirts, or other such items is considered electioneering and therefore, under New Mexico statute, not allowed within 100 feet of the polls. Electioneering within 100 feet of the polls is considered a "minor dismeanor" under the statute.

Does the vote tabulator warn of under- and over-voting?

When voting in person, the tabulator will reject a ballot where too many votes have been cast ("overvoting", for example, four votes in the county council race or two votes in the Senate race.) The voter may ask for another ballot and the original will be destroyed. However, the tabulator will accept ballots on which no choices have been made for some races or questions ("undervoting").

An overvote on an mail-in absentee ballot result in no vote being counted for that race or issue.

Be sure to complete the ballot correctly; fill in the bubbles completely. If you make a mistake, return the ballot to the pollworker and ask for replacement ballot. The pollworker will void the original ballot.

How does the "straight party" vote option work?

Voters may vote for a straight party ticket at the beginning of the ballot, which automatically casts one vote for each of the candidates of that party on the ballot. This choice will not cast any vote in the non-partisan judges' retention elections or on the bonds and amendment issues. Nor will it cast any vote in a race that is uncontested by a candidate of the selected party. Separate, explicit votes may be cast for these elections, races or issues without affecting the automatic votes implied by the straight party choice.

Voters who vote a straight party ticket at the top of the ballot may override that vote in a given race simply by marking the candidate of another parties whom they wish to designate. This does not change the automatic choices made in the remaining races.

In the County Council race, three candidates will be elected at large from a slate of five. This year that slate includes two Democrats, two Republicans, and one unaffiliated candidate. The straight party choice vote option works as follows for this race:

1. It casts a vote for each of the two council candidates in that party.


2. Since the voter may vote for up to three individuals, if the voter selects a third candidate from among the three remaining candidates, then this vote is added to the two automatic votes.


3. However, if the voter selects two additional candidates from among the remaining three, the automatic votes are cancelled entirely. In this case the voter may wish to explicitly mark one of the candidates from his own party, or he may choose to undervote.

You can find information about your congressional and state candidates by address or zip code at Project Vote Smart, including in many cases extensive list of positions supported by the candidates.

The Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission will release its evaluation of judges up for retention elections on September 18, 2008. Information about the First Judicial District can be found at the court's web site.

Information about voter eligibility, registration and ID requirement, election dates and much more is available at VOTE411.org.

Count Every Vote New Mexico provides hot lines in Spanish and English giving access to lawyers and legal assistance in voting.

New Mexico Election Information from Election Protection: Voter Registration information, ID requirements, absentee and early voting information.

The Legislative Council Service has prepared a detailed analysis of the Constitutional Amendments, from which the material in the LWV Voters Guide has been condensed.

The 2008 Capital Projects General Obligation Bond Act (S.B. 333 in the 2008 regular legislative session) lists the projects to be funded by the General Obligation Bond Issues.

Maps of precinct boundaries and polling places for Los Alamos can be found at the Los Alamos County web site. Maps of legislative districts can be found at the New Mexico Legislature web site. A map of the PRC districts is found at the Public Regulation Commission web site.