by Logan Brown
Have you seen or heard about the state-wide referendum project? There are five bills (listed below) that
were passed into law during the 2023 legislative session. They passed despite resistance from republican legislators and a large outcry from the citizens (close to a million emails and phone calls were sent to state legislators in opposition to these bills). Countless volunteers across the state are actively collecting signatures for the referendums right now. We need 180,000 legible signatures from registered voters throughout NM calling for a referendum on these bills. If enough signatures are collected, these 6 laws will be place on the 2024 ballot. Some of these laws were crafted specifically to limit local governments from being able to govern themselves on the issue of abortion and transgenderism. These laws directly and indirectly go against parental rights, freedom of speech, fair elections, and local control which are all important to everyone, regardless of political party.
Roosevelt county locations to learn more and sign petitions: Creighton’s Town and Country (1625 S. Ave. D) on Saturdays from 10AM-3PM. Farm Bureau Insurance (101 E. 1st) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:30-5PM. Legacy Church (820 W. 18th St.) on Sundays from 9AM-12PM. Roosevelt county needs a minimum of 1,168 signatures by June 12th, 2023. With the potential for some signatures to not be validated, the goal (extra 10%) for Roosevelt County is 1,635 signatures.
Curry county locations to learn more and sign petitions: Trinity Family Medicine (701 Arizona St. A)
on Mondays through Fridays at 7AM-4PM. In the Master’s Centre, (next to the Java Loft) at 810 E. 21st St. Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays from 10AM-5:30PM. Legacy Church (3401 N. Norris St.) on Sundays from 9AM-12PM. Curry county needs a minimum of 2,569 signatures by June 12th, 2023. With the potential for some signatures to not be validated, the goal (extra 10%) for Curry County is 3,596 signatures.
GET TO KNOW THE 6 LAWS UP FOR REFERENDUM
(The following was taken from the referendum project’s website)
HB7 (click to read more)
-Anyone (including abusers) can direct a minor to abortion or transgender interventions, both surgical and chemical, without parental notification.
-Those who, by religious or conscientious objection, discourage these procedures or notify the minor’s parent, can be fined.
-No state or local ordinance that conflicts with this bill, may be enforced. The ‘born alive’ ruling will not be enforced (door to legalized infanticide). bill as it is written
SB397 (click to read more)
-Facilitates HB7 by calling for “school-based clinics” which would have authority to provide medications or refer for surgeries including abortion and transgender procedures on minors without parental notification. -Religious or conscientious objections by staff members could be met with heavy fines. bill as it is written
SB13 (click to read more)
-This bill works in tandem with HB7 by protecting from liability those who refer for, assist in or perform
abortion or transgender procedures, even on a minor.
-It violates the 10th Amendment by disallowing enforcement of a subpoena from another state. this lays out a welcome mat for sex trafficking, and child predators, and questionable medical practitioners.-SB13 blatantly violates freedom of speech by silencing all electronic forms of pro-life speech that would be used to discourage an individual or entity from seeking, providing, or receiving abortions or transgender interventions. bill as it is written
HB4 (click to read more)
-This bill invites voter fraud by heavily promoting automatic voter registration, with or without the consent of the person being registered. It lowers voter qualifications to include even the incarcerated. It increases 3 rd party access to voter rolls, inviting 3rd party manipulation.
-encourages absentee and mail-in voting, increasing points of collection with permanent drop boxes, making ballots highly susceptible to tampering. bill as it is written
SB180 (click to read more)
This bill is littered with new rules to withhold information from the public, obstruct the referendum process, and increase the possibility of rigged elections. bill as it is written
HB207 (click to read more)
-Prohibits public contractors, including our faith-based public contractors, from refusing or otherwise limiting or putting conditions on services to a person because of a multitude of identifiers including gender identity, sexual orientation, or even serious medical condition.
-Religious Freedom Threat – This language strips a faith-based organization of the ability to refuse services or employment to someone who does not hold their same beliefs.
Some points to clarify. The referendum process is very specific and is regulated by the NM Constitution
and state law. This process is being followed to the best of everyone’s ability. There are two different types of referendums: (1) the 25% referendum. 25% of signatures are required, based on the last election (2022) which equals 178,701 signatures. The deadline for this referendum is 90 days after the last legislative session ended, or June 16th
. Our local deadline is June 12th to give time to make sure as many signatures are valid and to get
them to the people at the state level. If the needed signatures are collected and validated, the law(s) will be put on the 2024 ballot. The laws will not go into effect until after the election if the citizens of NM decide they want them. If the citizens decide they do not want the laws, then the laws do not go into effect. (2) the 10% referendum. 10% of signatures are required, based on the last election (2022) which equals 71,476 signatures.
The deadline for this referendum is 1 year after the end of the legislative session. Since the 2024 election will be happening within the 1-year timeframe, the signatures must be submitted 4 months before the 2024 election day (July 2, 2024). If the needed signatures are collected and validated, the law(s) will be in place between the time the signatures get validated and the 2024 election. The citizens of NM will still get to decide if they want these laws or not at the ballot box. The referendum process is the last stop for we the people to have our voice heard when elected officials are no longer representing the citizens they are supposed to represent. If a person is not registered to vote, they can register themselves online at https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/OVR/WebPages/InstructionsStep1.aspx. Based on the state statutes, citizens can vote even if they are not registered to vote, if they are a qualified elector. Ideally, we would like everyone who is able to register to vote, to register (and sign the referendums). A qualified elector is anyone who is 18 years old at the time of the 2024 election and has a valid driver’s license issued from New Mexico. Qualified electors can sign but will need to provide a copy of their driver’s license when signing. Lastly, those who sign the petitions should ONLY sign each petition one time. If you sign more than once this is considered a 4th degree felony.
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD AGAINST THESE 6 LAWS. FIND A LOCATION TO SIGN AND
BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WITH YOU!
For more information or to get involved go to: bettertogethernewmexico.org/referendum-nm/
You can also email us at easternnmreferendum@gmail.com or call/text at 575-468-050
