NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was in Washington D.C., on Wednesday testifying before Congress to discuss ways to increase confidence in elections. Toulouse Oliver was among the six top election officials from states fielding questions from lawmakers on the House Administration Committee. She said more needs to be done […]
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was in Washington D.C., on Wednesday testifying before Congress to discuss ways to increase confidence in elections. Toulouse Oliver was among the six top election officials from states fielding questions from lawmakers on the House Administration Committee.
She said more needs to be done to combat the rise in misinformation that is eroding the public’s trust. “This false information then, has led in turn to increased threats and harassment to election workers, political violence, frivolous and burdensome public information requests to election offices, mounting legal costs, and decreased overall confidence in our elections. This is a vicious cycle that must be mitigated for the good of our country,” said Toulouse Oliver.
Toulouse Oliver said the state tracks voters’ attitudes and knowledge across election cycles and added her office then provides facts to address the public’s concerns. A big point of contention at Wednesday’s hearing was Republican claims of undocumented immigrants voting. Toulouse Oliver shot that down. “Misinformation about who votes in our elections is another key factor that diminishes overall voter confidence. The issue of noncitizen voting is a prominent example of this. Noncitizen voting simply does not happen in any systematic way in New Mexico or in the nation more broadly,” said Toulouse Oliver.
Lawmakers also asked if a photo ID should be required to vote. Toulouse Oliver said it’s not a magic bullet to increasing confidence and argued that a lot more needs to be done.