Secretary of State Debate

For those of you who missed the September 29th debate between NM Secretary of State Mary Herrera and challenger Dianna Duran, and also missed the subsequent broadcasts on KSFR, 101.1-FM radio, and Comcast cable Channel 16, KSFR has the debate archived and available via streaming audio.

Each segment is about 30 minutes.

Click here for Part 1.

Click here for Part 2.

Many thanks to KSFR News for providing this information!

Social Networking = Direct Democracy?

One of those facts that was tucked away in our high school Civics or Government classes is that the United States is a Representative Democracy, not a Direct Democracy. While some smaller communities may be able to allow each citizen to directly vote on certain issues, most federal, state, and municipal decisions are made by the Senators, Representatives, and Councilors elected by the citizens. While changing this on a federal level would require an overhaul of the US Constitution, there's a new tool available to directly "cast a vote" on everything from the bills in Congress to your approval of the US President.

Visible Vote is accessible online, and there are also apps available for Facebook, iPhones, Blackberries, and Androids, so you can cast your vote anywhere. You can see real-time statistics by bill and by state, and there's a chart comparing how closely aligned various Senators are to their Visible Voting constituents. For example, 41.18% of Visible Vote Voters in New Mexico voted for the Jobs Bill of 2010. While it would be nice if this website could also link back to the text of the bills on THOMAS, the Library of Congress's legislation database, it does provide an interesting snapshot of how the wired world is feeling politically.

March 2nd Regular Municipal Election Information

The City’s Regular Municipal Election will take place on Tuesday, March 2.

Voters will elect the Mayor and one City Councilor from each of the City’s four council districts. The Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.

City Clerk’s staff will be available to answer questions or provide additional information at the City Clerk’s office at 200 Lincoln Avenue or by phone all day March 2 at:

• 955-6326
• 955-6519
• 955-6520
• 955-6521

Click here for polling locations.