About the Scorecard

Conservation Voters New Mexico’s 2011 Legislative Scorecard provides objective, non-partisan information about the conservation voting records of all members of the 50th Legislature of the State of New Mexico.  Scorecards are a clear and comprehensive way for you to see how you are being represented on issues that matter to you.

Vote Selection

Each vote was selected solely on the basis of environmental values embodied in the legislation.  In preparing this scorecard, we sought input from legislative and environmental leaders; however, responsibility for the final set of selected votes rests entirely with Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM).

Thousands of votes are taken during a legislative session in New Mexico.  Many of these votes represent overwhelming agreement on non-controversial issues or amendments.  To provide better insight into the various positions of our legislators, CVNM tends to select measures that illustrate the key debates and fierce disagreement over conservation policy in the state.

CVNM selected the most critical votes on each issue.  In some cases, a vote on an amendment to a bill or a procedural motion was more important than voting on the bill itself.  In others, a procedural motion is the only public indication of a legislator’s position on a measure.  In all cases, the actual vote included in the scorecard is detailed in the vote description.

We encourage you to read the descriptions of each vote to determine how well your legislators represented you on the issues and bills that are most important to you.

Recording the Votes

If a legislator voted in support of the pro-conservation position, his or her vote is recorded on the chart as ; votes against the conservation position are indicated with .  If a legislator was excused from voting, this is noted by an , and the vote does not count positively or negatively towards their final score.  If a legislator was not excused from voting but chose not to vote, they are recorded as ‘absent’ .

Wherever possible, the votes included in the scorecard were taken on the floor of the House or Senate, where every legislator has an opportunity to vote.  However, some of the most important actions are taken in legislative committees—on measures that never reach the floor.  In these cases, CVNM has presented the relevant committee vote(s), and only the positions of legislators who serve on those particular committees are indicated.  If the sponsor of a measure does not serve on a committee for which a vote is being scored, their sponsorship is considered representative of their position, and is recorded with a   or , as appropriate.

CVNM Priority Votes

Let’s face it: not all votes are equal.  Some votes are more critical than others, either because of the issues at stake or the personal courage required of legislators who take the pro-conservation position.  Here, we try to represent the most critical measures by classifying them as “priority” bills, with this symbol: 

Priorities were determined in advance, and conveyed to legislators.  Although a high percentage of votes included here are considered “priority”, that wasn’t true of the range of bills on which we advocated.  Of the 120+ bills on which CVNM expressed a position, only 27 were considered “priority”.  Naturally, however, priority votes are more likely to be included here—so that constituents can see how legislators voted on the most critical issues of the day.

While labeling a particular vote a “priority” reflects the position of CVNM and other conservation advocates, it is an inherently subjective decision.  We encourage you to read the descriptions of each vote to determine how well your legislators represented you on the issues and bills that are most important to you.

Coming Soon…

For now, our previous scorecards are available here.  Shortly, the information from those editions will also be presented in this online scorecard—allowing you to view your legislators’ conservation records for every year since 2005, all with a single click!