Questions are being raised about how New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is working with outside groups to conduct voter education ahead of the state’s new semi-open primary election — and which organizations are involved — all while she is on the Democrat ballot herself, vying for lieutenant governor.
New Mexico is preparing for its first semi-open primary election, which will allow unaffiliated voters — often called independent or “decline-to-state” voters — to participate in either the Democratic or Republican primary without changing their party registration in advance. The change affects hundreds of thousands of New Mexico voters and represents one of the most significant election changes in recent state history.
But while the policy change itself has received attention, comments from Toulouse Oliver about how voter education efforts will be conducted are now drawing scrutiny.
In an interview reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican, Toulouse Oliver acknowledged that many independent voters may not yet be aware of the change and said voter education would be necessary to inform them of their new ability to vote in primary elections. However, she also indicated that her office would not be acting alone.
“Hopefully between the combined efforts of my office and partner organizations … we can get the word out,” Toulouse Oliver said, according to the report.
That statement has prompted questions about exactly which “partner organizations” the Secretary of State’s Office is working with — and whether taxpayer-funded voter education efforts are being coordinated with outside advocacy groups.
The Secretary of State also indicated that her office would be conducting a digital-focused outreach campaign due to budget constraints, saying the office would rely heavily on digital marketing tools to target voters who need to be informed about the change.
Meanwhile, several advocacy organizations have publicly acknowledged they are conducting their own voter education efforts related to the semi-open primary. Leftist groups such as Common Cause New Mexico and New Mexico Voters First have said they are part of a coalition working on outreach efforts, along with other far-left organizations including NM Native Vote and the League of Women Voters.
These groups describe the effort as a “layered campaign” that will include community events, social media outreach, radio advertising, and a website intended to inform voters about how the new primary system works.
Supporters of the semi-open primary say the change will increase voter participation and give independent voters more influence in candidate selection. They argue that candidates will now have to appeal to a broader range of voters rather than focusing only on party bases during primary elections.
However, critics say the involvement of outside organizations in voter education — particularly when coordinated alongside a government office — raises questions about messaging, influence, and whether the outreach will truly remain nonpartisan.
The Secretary of State’s Office has long argued that it faces budget limitations and must rely on partnerships and digital outreach to reach voters efficiently. But the reference to unnamed “partner organizations” working alongside a taxpayer-funded office has led some observers to call for more transparency about who those partners are, what role they are playing, and how the outreach efforts are being coordinated.
With the June primary approaching, voter education efforts are expected to ramp up significantly in the coming weeks. But as those efforts expand, questions about coordination between government offices and outside advocacy groups — and who exactly is helping “get the word out” — are likely to remain part of the conversation.