Former New Mexico Secretary of State Indicted on 50 Counts

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7368

By Ellen Theisen on 8/21/2009 12:01PM

Once again confirming checks, balances, and transparency --- not trust --- as the bedrock of democracy

Guest blogged by Ellen Theisen, VotersUnite.Org

Rebecca Vigil-Giron, who oversaw New Mexico elections for ten years, was indicted last Wednesday on 50 counts including fraud or embezzlement, money laundering, tax fraud, tax evasion, illegal kickbacks, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy.

Like last year's indictment of 13-year Monterey County, CA, Registrar of Voters, Tony Anchundo on 43 criminal counts, and last March's indictment of five Clay County, KS officials for changing votes at voting machines and showing others how to do it, Vigil-Giron's indictment reminds us that democracy thrives on checks, balances, and transparency --- and is threatened by conditions that force us to trust in election officials.

Am I wrong, or wasn't that state on the radar for some oddities?

the cost was prohibitively high so the recount request was abandoned.

There were 17,000+ more votes cast in the races for local judges than there were in the national election. People simply had their national votes erased.

17,000+ votes in a state with a low population is a huge amount, and that's the reason Stupid won this state by about 3000 votes. He'd barely lost it in 2000 and people here were very unhappy with him by 2004.

NM was stolen in 2004 and clumsily so. As I understand it, there are a few cases still grinding their way slowly through the legal system.

Richardson did stop a recount because there was no way crooked electronic voting machines could be recounted. The theft was obvious, but there was no way to verify whose votes were stolen and where.

The following year, he signed a law giving us 100% paper ballots, still Opti-Scan but able to be recounted manually.

Pre election polls in NM identified the state as a battleground. They were wrong. Angry voters elected Obama by a 15% margin and defeated all GOP candidates for national office.

:shrug:

:blush:

I wonder if she has any dirt on Karl she would be willing to dish, maybe something will come out during her testimony. I'm bet that Karl was her best friend forever, until she was indicated then it's Rebecca who never heard of her.

Karl Rove played a lot of dirty politics in NM. As well as the crooked rethuglicons who lived there, old Petey Domenici (wasn't he under investigation, I wonder what came of that) and Heather Wilson are two of the sleaziest members of that NM Party. Remember they both played a huge role in getting David Iglesias fired as US Attorney there because David wouldn't play dirty politics for the "Party Loyalty" criminal ring in his state or the DC crowd.

I 'm still holding out Hope for Lady Justice.


edit: typo