Hold the Secretary of State Accountable on the Referendum Petition Procedures
The right to put a law up for Referendum is a right reserved by the people in the New Mexico Constitution, Article IV sec. 1. The Constitution states the legislature shall enact laws necessary for the effective exercise of the power hereby reserved. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. We have continued to see the erosion of our rights during the last legislative session.
The legislature changed the statute based on recommendations from Senator Duhigg and the Secretary of State (SOS). During hearings, the SOS was quoted stating, “The change from 10 days to review petitions to 30 days wouldn’t affect the amount of time petitioners would have to get signatures.”
She is wrong because the legislature did not change the New Mexico constitution to allow increased time for the gathering of signatures. During the rule-making process, we need to propose rules that make the petition submission and review process easier for the people, not the bureaucrats in office.
There needs to be more accountability and oversight on the Secretary of State concerning the referendum process. She had boasted during the legislative session that she had stopped almost 60 referendum applications since 2019.
Does that sound like a person working for the people?
During the current referendum efforts, she has blocked and stalled multiple efforts to get petitions approved. She has unilaterally designated laws for the preservation of public peace, health, and safety when the legislature is the only body that can designate laws.
Please help keep her accountable by sending a public comment using the form below. Feel free to edit the subject line and email as you see fit.
Hold the Secretary of State Accountable on the Referendum Petition Procedures
The right to put a law up for Referendum is a right reserved by the people in the New Mexico Constitution, Article IV sec. 1. The Constitution states the legislature shall enact laws necessary for the effective exercise of the power hereby reserved. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. We have continued to see the erosion of our rights during the last legislative session.
The legislature changed the statute based on recommendations from Senator Duhigg and the Secretary of State (SOS). During hearings, the SOS was quoted stating, “The change from 10 days to review petitions to 30 days wouldn’t affect the amount of time petitioners would have to get signatures.”
She is wrong because the legislature did not change the New Mexico constitution to allow increased time for the gathering of signatures. During the rule-making process, we need to propose rules that make the petition submission and review process easier for the people, not the bureaucrats in office.
There needs to be more accountability and oversight on the Secretary of State concerning the referendum process. She had boasted during the legislative session that she had stopped almost 60 referendum applications since 2019.
Does that sound like a person working for the people?
During the current referendum efforts, she has blocked and stalled multiple efforts to get petitions approved. She has unilaterally designated laws for the preservation of public peace, health, and safety when the legislature is the only body that can designate laws.
Please help keep her accountable by sending a public comment using the form below. Feel free to edit the subject line and email as you see fit.