SOS election expenses on his radar

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Office of the State Auditor has identified a pattern of chronic budgetary shortfalls related to the state’s election expenses. In a letter to Secretary of State Brad Winter, State Auditor Tim Keller outlined 10 consecutive fiscal years of under-budgeting, which created a need for $25 million in emergency loans, grants and special appropriations to fund elections.

The letter calls on the Office of the Secretary of State to promptly implement best practices for accurate budgeting of election costs. The current practice creates an unnecessarily high level of financial risk in the state’s ability to regularly and fully...

Presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump will make an appearance in New Mexico next week according to the schedule on his campaign website.

Trump’s campaign announced an event at pm on Tuesday, May 24, at the Albuquerque Convention Center. It will be the first campaign appearance by a Republican in New Mexico this year.

Trump is the lone remaining Republican candidate, after 16 other candidates dropped out.

New Mexico’s primaries take place on June 7, though New Mexico may be a tough sell for Trump, even when he has all-but locked up the Republican nomination.

New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanic and Latino residents. Trump has made inflammatory statements...

SANTA FE – Conservation Voters New Mexico, a Santa Fe-based political nonprofit, is formally endorsing incumbents Benny Shendo, D-Jemez Pueblo, of the New Mexico Senate, and, D. Wonda Johnson, D-Church Rock, of the state’s House of Representatives, officials announced May 10.

“(CVNM) continues its efforts to build a strong political voice for our air, land and water by endorsing candidates who will work for resilient New Mexico families and sustainable families,” Liliana Castillo, a spokeswoman for CVNM, said.

Castillo noted that the endorsements are connected to New Mexico’s June 7 primary. Shendo is an attorney and graduate from the University of Colorado. Shendo’s...

Audit Aims to identify causes of statewide backlog

SANTA FE – New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller announced May 5 that the Office of the State Auditor is conducting a statewide audit of the inventory of untested sexual assault evidence kits, commonly referred to as “rape kits.”

The OSA will survey all law enforcement agencies statewide regarding their practices for handling rape kits and has selected certain law enforcement agencies around the state for a special audit to perform a detailed review of policies and procedures related to the kits.

The special audit will outline best practices needed to clear the backlog and prevent it from happening again.

“Clearing the backlog...