Members of the Los Alamos County Board of Registration meeting Thursday via Zoom. Courtesy/LAC

From the Office of the County Clerk:

The Los Alamos County Board of Registration (Board) met Thursday, March 4, to review the list of 333 eligible voters to “purge” based upon confirmation mailings sent out to inactive and National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) flagged voters in August 2018.

This list of eligible voters was compiled through unbiased efforts of the New Mexico Secretary of State (NM SOS), pursuant to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, (NVRA).

Due the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this public meeting was noticed and conducted virtually, via Zoom.

The following Board members, having been appointed by the County Council, were in attendance:

• Danielle Gardner;
• Cameron Counters;
• James Cline; and
• David Schiferl
• (Board member JoAnn Johnson was not in attendance).

Also in attendance were County Clerk Naomi Maestas, Elections Manager Steve Fresquez, Chief Deputy Clerk Adrianna Ortiz, Senior Deputy Clerk Victoria Martinez and Senior Deputy Clerk Victoria Montoya.

Pursuant to New Mexico State law, the Board shall meet every odd year, to review the list of eligible voters to “purge”, following guidelines set forth by the New Mexico Secretary of State.

Following the review, the Board then directs the County Clerk to cancel the registration of any voter who has been sent a notice in conformance with 1-4 -28 NMSA and who:

1) The registrant was mailed a confirmation mailing in August 2018;

2) The registrant is currently in “Inactive” status;

3) The registrant has not updated his or her registration address since being mailed the August 2018 confirmation mailing; and

4) The registrant has not voted in any election since being mailed the August 2018 confirmation mailing.

The Board reviewed the records on the list and verified they indeed met the criteria outlined above, thus, directing the County Clerk to cancel the registration of 333 voters from the Los Alamos County voter rolls.

“It has been my pleasure and privilege to serve on the Los Alamos County Board of Registration,” Board Member Schiferl said. “County Clerk Naomi Maestas, and her staff, as well as my fellow Board Members, made the entire voter cancellation process fair, efficient, and pleasant! Keeping the voter lists up to date in a fair and efficient manner is crucial for our well-functioning democratic government.”

Board Member Counters added, “One of the highlights of being a member of Board of Registration has been working with County Clerk Maestas and her staff. I have had the opportunity to see their exceptional dedication and diligence to ensuring the integrity of the voting process in Los Alamos County.”