April 11, 2017
After several years of work, Voqal grantees, Common Cause New Mexico and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) won a huge victory for democracy in New Mexico. Through diligent organizing and education, these two groups helped pass several laws that will increase voter turnout and mitigate the influence of money in politics.
Specifically, the work of these two groups and its partners led to the state legislature passing bills that will:
- Increase donor disclosure for outside groups
- Consolidate local elections onto one day to increase turnout
- Increase lobbyist reporting and slow the revolving door
- Fix some loopholes in the state’s public financing system
Following the passage of these important reforms, Viki Harrison, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico, said, “This is truly a great day for New Mexico. Both of these measures are exactly what New Mexico voters have been clamoring for since the horrible decisions by the Supreme Court in Citizens United and Arizona Free Enterprise.”
As believers of an engaged and empowered public, Voqal supports efforts like these aimed at making it easier for the average citizen to make their voice and votes heard during elections. We are proud to have supported past work in this area and look forward to the improved democratic involvement in New Mexico that will no doubt result from the hard work of Common Cause New Mexico and NMFOG.