Dear Friends,

Hello to everyone!

This past week at the Republican Party of New Mexico we continued our work to prepare for the upcoming redistricting process. We want to fight for fair districts by encouraging our legislators to fight for competitive lines. It is a long and complex process and over the summer we will strive to keep you informed on what is coming up and how you can get involved. Please also check in with the New Mexico Legislature’s Redistricting site for the latest news and information on the public comment period.

Last Thursday night, at the Dona Ana County Lincoln-Reagan Day dinner, guests were treated to a wonderful speech from Governor Susana Martinez on her bold plans to improve New Mexico’s education system and ensure a brighter future for New Mexico’s kids. State Representatives Rick Little and Terry McMillan were also on hand to provide updates and insights from the 2011 legislative session. Spirits were high and the turnout was exceptional. The number of young people in attendance was especially impressive and encouraging. Congratulations to County Chairman Russell Allen and the committee on a great event and a job well done.

RPNM is looking forward to Independence Day next weekend and all the Fourth of July activities that will be happening around New Mexico in the days ahead. I personally have watermelon and fireworks on the brain already.

If you plan to attend your town’s parade or Fourth of July celebration please take a picture and submit it to communications@gopnm.org. We would love to have photos and/or short videos from Republican floats, booths or patriotic moments that you are willing to share. Celebrating America’s birthday and honoring our freedom, and those who sacrifice to ensure that our Country will endure, is a special and moving occasion. We would be grateful if you would let your Republican friends from around New Mexico share in your celebration.

Please find below a couple releases and stories from the past week that you don’t want to miss:

State’s Unemployment Rate Falls for Third Month – New Mexico Business Weekly (6-23-11)             Thanks to Governor Martinez stellar leadership.

Vote Probe Should Be Welcome – Albuquerque Journal (6-23-11)                                                             Thank you Secretary of State Duran for fighting to make the voice of New Mexicans heard.

CBO Budget Outlook By The Numbers – RNC Research (6-22-11)                                                                 Facts tell the story in the latest non-partisan Congressional Budget Outlook report released this week.

We are in the patriotic spirit here at RPNM and we want you to know that we are extremely grateful for your continued involvement in the Republican Party of New Mexico and for your participation in the great American political process.

Best regards,

Bryan Watkins

Executive Director

Republican Party of New Mexico

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Vote Probe Should Be Welcome

Opinion

By Bryan Watkins, Executive Director, Republican Party of New Mexico

Albuquerque Journal

6/23/2011

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2011/06/23/opinion/vote-probe-should-be-welcome.html

There are a couple of questions that the people of New Mexico deserve to have answered by the Democratic leadership of this state.

Why are Democrats so scared of Secretary of State Dianna Duran doing her job? Why are Democrats objecting to process?

Let’s start by getting one thing straight. Under the duties of the New Mexico secretary of state, it reads: “The primary role is the state’s chief election officer. The secretary of state oversees the entire election process.”

For those who don’t know the story, Duran has turned over 64,000 voter files to the State Police for review, as they exhibit some irregularity. Some of the flagged voter records will be identified simply as benign variations in form. Some may be not so benign but, either way, the review will be conducted and the outcome will be determined by law enforcement.

New Mexico voters deserve to know that their vote counts and that the voting process in New Mexico is conducted lawfully and with integrity.

If all that comes from the secretary’s investigation is a clean bill of health on New Mexico’s voting process, then that is great news.

The New Mexico electorate can then go into the voting booth with the confidence that the voting process is sound and that the voice of hardworking New Mexicans is being expressed through the vote.

Unfortunately, New Mexico Democrats want to deny the people of New Mexico that confidence.

The executive director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico contended in a statement released last week that the secretary’s investigation was tantamount to a witch hunt. He said, “There has never been a successful prosecution for voter fraud in New Mexico.”

Then state Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque, told fellow members of the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee that the massive scope of Duran’s investigation shocked him. He said, “I can’t remember one documented case of voter fraud.”

The reality is that there are many examples of voter fraud convictions in New Mexico.

A couple examples to refresh Forrester’s and McSorley’s memories include: In 1992, an Albuquerque community activist, and former state Democratic Party worker, and her assistant pleaded guilty and were convicted on federal charges of voter fraud.

Democrats’ claims about voter fraud don’t pass the straight face test. To suggest there is no voter fraud in New Mexico is sheer absurdity. Only folks cut from the same cloth as Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Mary Herrera could subscribe to such fiction.

Democrats’ criticism of the secretary for demanding integrity and lawfulness in the voting booth shows they are not serious about weeding out corruption.

Less than a year ago, in 2009, a former Democratic municipal court judge was convicted of false voting, making a false statement on his candidate declaration and falsifying documents in a municipal election. Just last month that same judge’s wife was convicted of voting in Doña Ana County in 1998 and 2000 – but not 2004 – with the knowledge that she was not a qualified voter.

Once again, Democrats are playing fast and loose with the facts and short-changing New Mexico families in the process.

Duran is fighting to protect the integrity of the voting process and ensuring that the voice of hardworking New Mexicans is heard loud and clear.

The U.S. Supreme Court has commented on the importance of vigilance in protecting the integrity of the election process, saying, “not only is the risk of voter fraud real” but “it could affect the outcome of a close election.”

New Mexicans deserve a clean, honest election process and they deserve to have confidence that each vote was cast within the bounds of the law.

Duran deserves thanks for her tireless work to protect the voice of New Mexico voters and to provide confidence that the election process is conducted free from fraud and abuse.