The Office of the Secretary of State expressed disappointment in an order entered by a Supreme Court panel Friday to put poll questions on the Bernalillo and Santa Fe County general election ballots.
“I am disappointed in this order,” said Secretary of State Dianna Duran, “we of course will comply with this order, but what it means is that Bernalillo County voters will be using a ballot printed in tiny 7-point font, just so people can be presented with a meaningless public opinion poll.”
A makeshift panel of three judges quickly assembled in the Supreme Court building to enter an order.
The attorney for the Secretary of State argued that if the Election Code means anything, it must mean that the only questions that can be placed on the ballot are those that are legally permitted by law. That prompted a disturbing response from a justice, who said: “It doesn’t say only those questions permitted under the law or by the Constitution.” This baffling statement led to the conclusion the court believes that unlawful questions can be placed on the ballot.
Duran reiterated a point she had made earlier: “It had been my prayer that the court would follow the law and not yield to partisan pressure. The reason I take a comprehensive, very detailed view of the Election Code on these kinds of questions is that decisions like this have ramifications that will last forever. Good luck putting the public opinion poll genie back in the bottle.”
Duran also expressed sadness that two counties have set the example of knocking serious issues off the ballot just so that politicians can play with the ballot and play with the voters. Now the court has okayed that.