Election-Campaign Law

New Mexico ecosystem: A standard for other states to follow

By Paul Gronke

More kudos for the New Mexico ecosystem report that Mike referenced below:

Our study of election administration in New Mexico is now available, ?Assessing Electoral Performance in New Mexico Using an Ecosystem Approach.? Thad and I worked on this project, which was lead by Lonna Atkeson.

I highly recommend the report to any local or state official who is considering an internal evaluation of their election system. The team performed much more than an “audit” (which is typically understood to be a post-election comparison of the votes as reported and a selected recount of ballots).  They conducted a top to bottom review of elections systems, from early and election day precinct setup, to poll worker training, to ballot administration, to post election audit and review.

Election administration, as most readers here know, is a complex, multifaceted enterprise with many, many stress points.  I would argue that any system, whether in a state that has never had a close election or an election controversy or in a state that consistently manages 50-50 contests, should conduct an “ecosystem” review at least once a decade.

Final note: lots of credit goes to the Secretary of State of New Mexico, Mary Herrera, for being such a willing partner on the project, and Governor Bill Richardson for promoting the work and the final report.

Full post as published by Election Updates on May 07, 2010 (boomark / email).