Audrey Trujillo is a true hero for New Mexico
After the 2020 Presidential Election, many Americans across the country felt that their vote didn’t count. Many voters believe that the election was stolen and the confidence in our electoral process was no longer there. Why is that? We have seen election rules meant to secure the electoral process loosened prior to an election, expanded usage of unsecured ballot drop boxes that have the potential to be ripe with fraud, unsolicited mail-in absentee ballots sent across the state in mass, weaponization of the voter laws and rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, voter rolls that haven’t been updated, and voting machines used to count ballots being compromised.
With all these irregularities, it’s no wonder why people believe we have predetermined selections, not fair elections. In New Mexico, the incumbent Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is the one who administers and oversees the electoral process. Under her tenure, election integrity has been eroding away in the state of New Mexico. Maggie Toulouse Oliver claims that she has been upholding election integrity, but her actions show otherwise. For example, this year the state legislature failed to pass SB 144, an omnibus election bill. SB 144 started off as a page and a half. Once she finished adding to it, SB 144 was now over 160 pages long. This bill undermined our current election laws, and would open the door to potential fraud. She repeatedly referred to this legislation as “My bill”.
Fortunately, when it went to the Senate, the Republicans were able to successfully kill the bill using the filibuster. On July 22nd, 2021, she held a hearing and implemented rules stripping mail-in ballot verification protections. This opened the door to potential fraud without consideration from the state legislature. These rules have had the same effect as if they were law, passed by the Legislature, and signed by the Governor. You have the inalienable right to vote, but you also have the right to know if your vote is being counted and the results will be fair.
Election integrity and voting rights are not supposed to be apolitical, but Maggie Toulouse Oliver has taken advantage of these very important issues for political gain. But there is hope for the future as Maggie Toulouse Oliver has opposition in November from a 15generational Hispanic woman who has been fighting for your constitutional rights for a very long time. That woman is Audrey Trujillo. Born and raised in New Mexico, Audrey Trujillo is a woman of integrity and honesty.
She has always been a mover and a shaker; from a young age, she was always at the forefront of any decisions that needed to be made. When politicians tried to take away your constitutional rights in Santa Fe, Audrey was there fighting for you. As your next Secretary of State, Audrey will bring back election integrity and transparency to New Mexico’s elections. She will clean up the voter rolls, implement measures to secure our elections, give each county clerk the tools necessary to protect their voter precincts from fraud, advocate for voter ID, and push for changes in the rules to limit absentee voting to only disabled, elderly, military and voters who are temporarily out of the state on business.
Our votes are sacred and need to be held to the highest standards. Under the administration of Audrey Trujillo, Every legal vote will be counted and every secure measure will be put in place to protect voter rights and integrity of the process. She is the right person for the job as Maggie Toulouse Oliver has tried to discredit her with false allegations. Recently, a slanderous hit piece from the Albuquerque Journal insinuated that Audrey Trujillo is a racist and anti-Semitic. Maggie Toulouse Oliver cited the article in a fundraising email.
Audrey is a 15 generational Hispanic woman born and raised in New Mexico with Jewish ancestry. Calling her a racist is abhorrent and ignorant. I’m a Black Puerto Rican American born and raised in New Mexico. I know Audrey and she’s not racist or anti-Semitic whatsoever. For Maggie Toulouse Oliver to use these lies defaming her character for campaign contributions is disgusting and despicable. Maggie Toulouse Oliver knows she’s not going to win and is playing dirty politics to derail Audrey’s grassroots campaign. Audrey is a True Hero for New Mexico and she will bring back honesty and integrity back to the office of the Secretary of State.
A vote for her is not only a vote for election integrity but for New Mexico’s future. The position of Secretary of State is the most important government position because it concerns our elections which are paramount to a free republic. Without the right to vote in free and fair elections, we have no country. In Audrey’s own words, “The citizens of New Mexico deserve free, fair, honest elections and that starts with a Secretary of State who believes in one vote per registered eligible voter.” If you believe in New Mexico, vote for a True Hero, and Audrey is that True Hero.
Freddie Lopez is a patriotic American living in Santa Fe, New Mexico He is also the campaign manager for Audrey Trujillo. You can follow him on Twitter @freddiearlopez.
Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.
