PATRICIO M. SERNA
Former Chief Justice, Retired
New Mexico Supreme Court
Democracy does not fail all at once. It erodes quietly, not with the crash of broken laws, but with the silence of unasked questions. In New Mexico, one of the most troubling signs of that erosion is the growing normalization of elections without meaningful public debates.
Debates are not political theater. They are a civic obligation. They are the one moment in an election cycle where candidates are required to defend their ideas in real time, before the people who grant them power. When debates disappear, democracy becomes a one-way conversation-carefully scripted, tightly controlled, and fundamentally incomplete.
When New Mexico voters are told debates are unnecessary, impractical, or obsolete, I look back to what I believe. A debate is not about broadcasting talking points; it is about accountability. It is where a candidate must respond, not recite. Where ideas are tested against competing visions. Where voters, not consultants, shape the conversation.
The absence of debates disproportionately harms the public. When candidates do not appear together, voters lose the ability to compare leadership styles, assess credibility, or evaluate how contenders respond to pressure and disagreement-skills that are essential to governing. Democracy depends not just on what leaders believe, but on how they explain, defend, and adapt those beliefs when challenged.
The lack of debates also reinforces inequality. Well-funded candidates with strong name recognition can survive without public forums; lesser-known candidates cannot. Debates level the playing field by giving voters access to ideas rather than budgets. When those forums vanish, financial and institutional advantages grow even more decisive, narrowing the range of voices that can realistically compete.
It is tempting to dismiss the issue as a campaign strategy choice rather than a democratic failure. But when avoiding debates becomes customary, not exceptional, it reflects a deeper problem: a shrinking sense of obligation to the electorate. Democracy is not merely the act of holding elections; it is the ongoing practice of public justification. Leaders who seek authority owe more than visibility-they owe explanation.
New Mexico has a proud tradition of civic engagement, from local organizing to statewide reform efforts. That tradition deserves elections that invite participation, curiosity, and scrutiny. Debates-whether hosted by media, universities, or civic organizations-are among the most accessible tools we have to promote informed voting. They cost relatively little, reach diverse audiences, and elevate substance over exhibition.
Restoring debates will not fix every challenge facing New Mexico’s democracy. But refusing to defend ideas in public should never be treated as acceptable. Silence should not be a strategy that voters are asked to tolerate.
Democracy is not strengthened by avoiding disagreement. It is strengthened by confronting it openly, respectfully, and in public view.