Voter ‘glitch’ merits thorough investigation
Short of quantitative data to reference, investigators must rely upon qualitative, anecdotal information to find out if a theory is warm or cool, close to an answer or maybe way off.
If the reports this newspaper has received so far are any indicator, then the theory that something is seriously wrong with the voter registration process at the Taos Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) seems to be red hot.
The question is: Is anyone doing anything to fix the problem?
Our reporter looked into the matter this week and did not find a clear answer. Spokespeople at the MVD and New Mexico
Secretary of State’s Office both said they were unaware of the issue. Taos County Clerk Valerie Montoya said she and other clerk’s’ offices have raised the issue for years. The lack of information from both the state and the county is concerning.
One would think a “glitch” that could be preventing voters from casting ballots in a critical U.S. presidential elections should prompt swift action. How many people tried and failed to cast a ballot in June’s decisive primary election as a result of the glitch is anyone’s guess at this stage, and deeply troubling given the stakes for candidates and constituents alike.
The onus is on voters to double check that their voter registration went through, according to Montoya and Deputy Clerk Anna Martinez. That’s not an adequate response. Government officials shouldn’t hold voters responsible for their own failures when their systems don’t work properly. The clerk should use her position to call attention to this issue, and the state should be marshaling every resource at its disposal immediately and thoroughly investigate the problem and resolve it well before the election begins. Election day is 48 days away. Early and absentee voting will begin in just a few weeks on Oct. 8.
Taos County isn’t the only place where an MVD glitch is thwarting voters at the ballot box. National Public Radio reported Tuesday (Sept. 17) that the MVD in Arizona allowed 97,000 Arizonans to vote in state and local elections over the last 20 years without providing proof of U.S. citizenship.
American voters — voters in any democracy — shouldn’t have to worry about whether their election systems are working properly, especially amid former President Donald Trump’s ongoing, unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him.
Any legitimate obstacle preventing eligible Americans from registering to vote isn’t just a problem, it’s an emergency for basic democratic rights.