During the Oct. 9 Sandoval County Commission meeting, election scholar Lonna Atkeson, a professor at Florida State University and professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico, presented her evaluation of the county’s election system, highlighting how elections are growing and how they are becoming more competitive.
Atkeson, who has been writing about New Mexico elections since 1998 and began evaluating them in 2006, has conducted extensive research on election integrity in the state. She assesses voters’ experiences to help develop a more robust election system, ensuring transparency and enhancing public confidence.
“I can tell you from being in the trenches for 25 years that we have a much better election system,” Atkeson said. “Our election system is very strong.”
According to Atkeson, New Mexico’s voter turnout reached 928,230 during the 2020 presidential election, with Sandoval County contributing 76,806 of those votes. Since 2000, voter registration in the county has doubled from 55,000 to more than 110,000.
“We might actually cross a million voters this election year [in New Mexico],” Atkeson said. “I’m expecting a big election in Sandoval County.”
Atkeson told commissioners that, in recent decades, there has been a national trend of individuals moving to areas where their political beliefs align with those of their neighbors. In New Mexico, this manifests at the county level.
“Sandoval County is a little less blue, it’s a little more independent than the state and it’s a little bit more Republican,” she said.
Atkeson showed election results from all 33 counties, noting most counties in the state are “landslide counties,” meaning they support one party by more than 50%. She noted Sandoval County is among the least sorted counties in New Mexico, with a slight Democratic edge.
“Sandoval is a very, very competitive county compared to all of the other counties in New Mexico,” Atkeson said.
Her team chose to evaluate Sandoval County because “it’s a really interesting county,” noting its competitiveness and diverse mix of rural and urban areas, as well as the presence of several Native American tribes. She praised Sandoval County Clerk Anne Brady-Romero and Deputy Clerk Joey Dominguez for their efforts to enhance voter access and services by opening additional vote centers.
According to Atkeson, the data collected can facilitate changes in the election process and address critical questions, such as how to improve training and operations, effectively organize poll workers and enhance the overall voter experience at vote centers.
Voter confidence is the judgment of the election process of voters, which includes whether voters believe the process was fair and if their vote was counted correctly. Factors such as the friendliness of poll workers, availability of parking, shorter wait times, privacy for casting ballots and a smooth voting experience all raise voter confidence.
Atkeson said election observers play a crucial role in enhancing voter confidence by providing a “human dimension of security.” These observers include partisan poll watchers and challengers, as well as registered election observers who are authorized by the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office or the U.S. Department of Justice. Additionally, there are nonpartisan observers, such as citizen, international and academic observers, who monitor the election process to ensure its integrity.
“New Mexico is the only state in the country that allows academics to have a special place at the election process to observe and report on the elections,” she said.
After the presentation, Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block raised a question about why voter ID wasn’t included in the discussion. Citing Pew Research Center data, Block noted that 81% of Americans favor voter ID laws. He added that it ranks as the nation’s second-highest priority for election reforms, just behind requiring electronic voting machines to produce a paper backup of ballots.
Atkeson responded by stating that, based on her research, voters in New Mexico who present IDs tend to feel more confident in the integrity of the voting process.