SANTA FE – New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver today released details of the robust participation by New Mexicans during the public comment period on her proposed campaign finance rule, which is intended to provide much needed guidance regarding New Mexico’s Campaign Reporting Act (CRA). The final rule is expected to be completed this fall with an October 2017 effective date.
The Secretary of State’s office received 327 written comments during the public comment period. Of the received comments, 287 were in support of the rule, 34 of the comments were against the rule and six were considered neutral. Eighty-eight (88) percent of the submitted comments support the proposed rule.
“New Mexicans have made it clear that they want additional disclosure in political campaigns,” said Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver. “You have a right to know who is paying for the TV commercials and ads that are trying to influence your vote, and I’m going to keep fighting for additional disclosure and transparency in our elections.”
On June 13, 2017, Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver released her proposed campaign finance rule and encouraged New Mexicans to actively participate by providing official comment on the rule. The deadline for submitting written comment on the proposed rule was ultimately extended by a week to give New Mexicans as much time as possible to participate. All 327 statements are available for review on the Secretary of State’s website.
While only required by law to hold one public hearing on the proposed rule, Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver held three public hearings – one in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces. All three of the hearings were also live-streamed for the public on the Secretary of State’s website.
The draft rule provides guidance on how to more fully and accurately disclose campaign finance information in order to increase transparency to the public. The rule also defines the terms “coordinated expenditures” and “independent expenditures” and provides reporting guidance on these types of campaign expenditures. The final rule will ultimately help candidates, elected officials and political committees covered under the CRA comply with campaign finance disclosure and reporting requirements.