Happy Monday and Happy first day of early voting!
If you are a city of Santa Fe resident, today is the first day of early voting. Your vote matters especially in this election, where a new mayor for the city of Santa Fe will be chosen.
The Human Rights Alliance is not allowed to endorse a particular candidate as it is not part of its not-for-profit pursuit – we can, however, do our best to inform and educate you about the candidates.
As most of you are aware by now, eight candidates are running, and the city conducts voting by ranked choice. Here is the link to the collaborative questionnaire that the HRA conducted with a group of three other NFPs. Here’s the link to the answers. At this point, six candidates have filled out this questionnaire. Please take a moment to review all of their answers.
One recommendation is that if a candidate does not take the time to fill out the questionnaire, that should be a red flag.
Also, be on the lookout for the content of their answers. Upon review, some candidates have used AI to answer the questions. Before you cast your vote for any candidate, do a bit of a background check on them – you never know what you might find that will indicate who they are as a person and if they will represent and uphold your values and the law.
We suggest you wait another week or two before casting your ballot.
Also, keep in mind that the mayor and council races are non-partisan – meaning those running do not indicate that they are running as a Democrat or a Republican. However, all of them are part of one party or another. Please research each of your choices to learn more about their political positions.
Here are a few links and bits of information that may be helpful:
City of Santa Fe Ranked Choice voting information: https://santafenm.gov/city-clerk-1/elections/rank-choice-voting
Santa Fe County early voting locations: https://www.santafecountynm.gov/clerk/elections/pollinglocations
In good Health and solidarity, grassroots change and involvement are key to maintaining our democracy.
