FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT JONAH COHEN SEPTEMBER 27, 2006
505-298-3662
GOP Files Lawsuit Against AG Madrid and SOS Vigil-Giron
(Albuquerque, NM) - The Republican Party of New Mexico, along with candidates Barbara V. Johnson (nominated for Second Judicial District, Division 2) and Roger Gonzales (nominated for House District 68), are filing a lawsuit today against the Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Attorney General Patricia Madrid. An emergency hearing was requested of the District Court in Santa Fe asking that the names of Barbara V. Johnson and Roger Gonzales be placed on the ballot for the 2006 General Election, and that the name of Hector Balderas be removed as the Democratic candidate for State Auditor.
The Republican Party has a vested interest in ensuring that the election laws of the State of New Mexico are applied fairly to all political parties and not in an arbitrary or capricious manner. Duly selected nominees of the Republican Party of New Mexico have been unfairly and illegally removed from the ballot by Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Attorney General Patricia Madrid.
"Republican nominees have been disfavored and stricken from the General Election ballot while a Democratic candidate has been illegally included," said Marta Kramer, executive director of the state Republican Party. "They have been irreparably harmed because Patricia Madrid and Rebecca Vigil-Giron are re-writing election law to favor their political party."
"More importantly, the voters of HD 68, which includes all or part of San Miguel, Mora, Guadalupe, Colfax and Taos counties, have been disenfranchised because they will not be allowed to vote for any candidate," added Lyn Ott, the election integrity director of the state Republican Party. "The Governor is simply going to appoint a replacement for HD68 and rob the people of their right to vote for a representative." Also at issue is that the Democratic nominee for State Auditor--chosen by the Democratic Party at their Pre-Primary Nominating Convention in March--did not withdraw by the statutory deadline: Tuesday, September 5, 2006. The vote by the Democratic State Central Committee to replace the official Democratic nominee with another candidate was illegal and therefore a nullity, since the elected nominee had been claiming to be running for State Auditor up until September 13, a day after the deadline for filling vacancies.
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