SANTA FE, N.M. - Se está terminando la sesión legislativa, y mientras varias cuentas de ley introducidas se firmarán a ley, muchas otras se quedan atrás. La cuenta de ley HB488 se ve frente a la pared. Esta cuenta proveería fondos para reembolsar a organizaciones sin fines de lucro y a interventores públicos que enfrentan compañías grandes como la PNM ante la Comisión de Regulación Pública (PRC) con casos como el incremento en tarifas por servicio.

El Comisionado de la PRC para el Distrito 1 (ABQ), Jason Marks, dice que las compañías de servicios públicos gastan más de un millón de dólares en cada caso, dejando atrás a los grupos que abogan por el medio ambiente, a las personas de bajos recursos y otras áreas de interés público.

"Vienen con un abogado, uno o dos testigos, dependiendo que organización sea, y existe una gran desventaja en estos casos."

Marks añade que la manera en la que funciona la ley, los consumidores de servicios públicos terminan siendo responsables por el costo total del caso legal. Las compañías de servicios públicos han discutido, y Marks lo reconoce, que múltiples interventores de interés público pueden juntos ir en contra de una compañía de servicios públicos, pero comúnmente son derrotados. La cuenta de ley se encuentra en pausa en el comité de la Cámara de Comercio e Industria.

La Representante Eleanor Chavez patrocinó la cuenta de ley HB488. Dice que entiende las restricciones en el presupuesto actual, pero reembolsar los gastos a los interventores públicos crea fondos disponibles para que organizaciones sin fines de lucro los usen para servir al público de otras maneras, incluyendo tratar de frenar el incremento en tarifas por uso de servicios públicos.

"Interventores en el pasado han tenido éxito, pero es muy costoso para ellos y puede en verdad drenar los fondos, por ejemplo, de una organización sin fines de lucro que quiere actuar como interventor. Creo que esta cuenta de ley en verdad crea un poco más de igualdad entre los dos lados de los casos legales."


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During every big election, tens of thousands of California voters make a mistake on their mail-in ballot and often get differing advice on how to fix it, depending on who they ask. A new bill aims to standardize the response.

Assembly Bill 1072 would require the Secretary of State and county elections officials to come up with clear answers, applicable statewide.

Kim Alexander, founder and president of the California Voter Foundation, said the problem causes widespread delays in counting.

"In Orange County in the last election, officials had to duplicate over 40,000 ballots," Alexander pointed out. "There are other reasons why ballots have to be duplicated, but the primary one is that the voter made a mistake filling out their ballot, indicated a different choice, and it has to be remade."

Common mistakes include accidentally filling in the wrong bubble, signing the witness signature box or signing their spouses' envelope. If there is time, the county will often send a new ballot.

Alexander noted a common set of instructions should be posted on the website of the Secretary of State and every county registrar.

"They are instructed, typically, to cross out the choice and fill out the choice that they preferred and draw an arrow to it or circle it to indicate that is their intent," Alexander explained. "What they should not do is initial it, and sometimes voters think that's what they should do."

The outlook for the bill is good. It is currently on the consent calendar for the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


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An Indiana debate over history and power is growing. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith recently defended the Three-Fifths Compromise in a social media video. The compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxes.

Beckwith called it a "great move" for America at the time, and praised the group WallBuilders, describing them as the "gold standard" for teaching U.S. history.

The Indiana Citizen investigated both claims. Publisher Bill Moreau called on Hoosiers to pay attention.

"We have been working on a project since the first of the year that we called: 'One Heartbeat Away: Do Christian nationalists have an agenda for Indiana?' Lt. Gov. Beckwith is literally one heartbeat away from being governor," he said.

If Beckwith became governor, he could shape education policy. That includes choosing textbooks. The Indiana Citizen's report found WallBuilders promotes views rejected by most historians. Some Hoosiers agree with Beckwith and say his views reflect America's religious roots.

Moreau encouraged Hoosiers to stay informed and take a closer look at the history Beckwith promotes.

"Understand what Lt. Gov. Beckwith said about the Three-Fifths Compromise," he added. "How he attributes that analysis to this group called WallBuilders - which he considers to be 'the gold standard for learning the real history of America.'"


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Seattle's City Council voted last week to put the city's Democracy Voucher Program on the ballot to be renewed in August and supporters of the program are looking to take it statewide.

Launched in 2017, the program gives each resident four $25 vouchers to donate to participating candidates. Data show the program has boosted voter turnout, increased small donors fivefold, and encouraged more women and people of color to run.

Spencer Olson, spokesperson for the nonprofit People Powered Elections Seattle, said voucher programs counter nationwide voting rights rollbacks and model a more inclusive democracy.

"It's proof that we can reduce the influence of big money, can expand participation, and can give regular people a stronger voice in who represents them," Olson outlined.

People Powered Elections has been working on a bill for next session to bring democracy vouchers to Washington's state legislative races. Participating candidates must get a minimum number of signatures and small donations to qualify and must adhere to contribution and spending limits.

Critics of the program said it creates new avenues for corruption because candidates will be motivated to lie about where the contributions come from. Olson countered so far in Seattle there has been no evidence of widespread misuse or fraud, adding there are robust legal safeguards in place.

"Anyone who commits theft, forgery, trafficking or unlawful transfers of democracy vouchers face steep penalties and fines and up to time in jail," Olson pointed out.

Olson noted Seattle's success has inspired interest from other cities and counties. He added a statewide voucher program for legislative elections could create infrastructure to expand it locally, helping smaller communities hold more competitive races.

"I used to live over in Kittitas County for many years, and it was very common to have an uncontested election or not even have anyone run for local office," Olson recounted.

A bill to bring a voucher program to Washington's state elections will be introduced next year.


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