FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 5, 2024
Local Democracy Advocacy Groups Thank City Council for Upholding Veto of
Undemocratic Election Measure
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, Albuquerque City Council voted to uphold the mayor’s veto of an unprecedented charter amendment that would have significantly altered the city’s electoral process. Council President Dan Lewis’ and Councilor Klarissa Peña’s joint proposal, if approved by voters, would have allowed candidates for Mayor and City Council to win an election by securing a plurality of the votes, effectively eliminating the need for runoff elections except in the rare case of a tie. In this system, a candidate could have won outright with as little as 12% of the vote in a non-partisan, multicandidate race.
Currently, candidates must win with at least 50%, a majority of votes, otherwise they compete in a runoff election.
In response to the veto being upheld, election reform and community groups issued the following statements:
“We are heartened that the Council has upheld majority voting – the bedrock of democracy. Thank you to the Councilors who voted to uphold the veto for listening to their constituents and protecting our city’s democracy. Winning without a mandate from a majority makes it harder for elected officials to govern and would increase divisions within our city. We understand that Councilors are concerned about low-turnout and expensive runoff elections. The next step is to seriously consider an instant run-off process, which avoids another election and ensures that the winner eventually gets a majority through an elimination process. – Mason Graham, Policy Director Common Cause New Mexico
“AFSCME believes deeply in democracy. While no system is perfect, Albuquerque elections require a majority of voters for a candidate to win. We look forward to working with Council and the Mayor to explore ways to improve turnout, and thank the Councilors who upheld Mayor Keller’s veto for their commitment to preserving our democracy.” – Connie Derr, AFSCME Council 18 Executive Director
“We are grateful to the Albuquerque City Councilors who voted to uphold Mayor Keller’s veto of the proposed charter amendment. By maintaining the requirement for candidates to secure a majority of the vote, the Council has protected the integrity of our democratic process and ensured that our elected officials have broad support from the community. This decision reinforces the principle that leaders should be chosen by a majority, not a small fraction of the electorate.” – Jessie Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Center for Civic Policy
“The City Council took an important step forward for protecting democracy last night. By upholding Mayor Keller’s veto of the resolution to put a charter amendment on the ballot, the Council staved off what would have allowed an undemocratic alteration to our election process to move forward. We especially applaud Councilor Klarissa Peña for listening to her constituents and reversing course and supporting the veto of a resolution she introduced. That is leadership in action. Now is the time to have a deeper discussion with the City’s residents of simpler and more effective ways to address concerns about low voter turnout and expensive runoff elections.” – John Martinez, Conservation Voters New Mexico
“At Monday’s City Council meeting, we witnessed courage by members of the Council voting to honor and uphold Mayor Keller’s veto of dangerous rollback efforts that threaten our democracy. We know that lowering thresholds in city elections is not the answer. Instead, hardworking families within the community of Albuquerque are better served by collaborative efforts to expand voter access and innovative action to increase voter engagement within those very elections. We in the organized Labor community stand ready to partner with others and are committed to continuing this work no doubt.” – Ashley Long, President, New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
A special thanks goes to Mayor Tim Keller for vetoing the dangerous measure.