New Mexico
New Mexico same-day voter registrations surged in this election
New Mexico saw a record number of people in this election using same day registration. That made for some logistical challenges. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver told New Mexico in Focus. Producer Jeff Proctor why she supports offering this option and why it’s increasingly popular.
MAGGIE TOULOUSE OLIVER: Actually, we’re still trying to process those numbers. We know that towards the end of the day on election day, over 8,000 on election day alone. It was so many that it literally crashed our system. We were able to get the system back up, but by that point, county clerks and their teams were already so overwhelmed that they were unable to keep up, which is totally understandable. So we started registering folks on paper, which is definitely part of the process. It’s provided for in law and rule. But our county clerks are still going through those and processing them and adding them. So if I had to guess, I think we’re going to have over 10,000 election same-day registrations alone.
NMPBS: Do we have a sense of affiliation split on the same day registrations?
TOULOSE OLIVER: Well, during early voting, Republicans were definitely taking advantage more than Democrats, and we saw that actually the first time we ever implemented same-day registration the first election in 2022 and a lot of that came from, you know, the Southeastern part of the state, where we have folks that are coming and living here. They’re working in the oil fields, right? And they’re working in potash and all these areas. And so we do have people who, you know, they’re not home in Texas or Oklahoma or Kansas, they’re here. They’re working, so this is where they’re voting. And, you know, I’ll be interested to see the geographics once we have a chance to analyze of where everybody came from this time.
NMPBS: Me too, just as a concept, Maggie, why do you think same-day registration is important for the larger mosaic of our elections?
TOULOUSE OLIVER: Well, you know, I’m just am, and always have been, a huge believer in having the biggest participation possible. Because when people of all backgrounds, you know, ages, colors, economic backgrounds, come together and have their voice made registered at the polls, we elect leaders that look and feel more like us as a people, right? It’s more representative, you know, 28 days before an election, which is the “registration deadline,” is really arbitrary, and people, especially younger people, are people who haven’t participated before. They don’t necessarily know that, right? And so we just really need to provide that opportunity for folks to make sure they can still participate, even if their daily lives and what they know about the voting process didn’t align with meeting a particular arbitrary deadline.
NMPBS: What is your motivation to continue doing this work, particularly in this political climate.
TOULOUSE OLIVER: Yeah, thank you, Jeff. It’s really hard. It has been hard always. I mean, this is incredibly stressful, incredibly time-consuming work. I found my calling when I became county clerk of Bernalillo County. I can’t think of anything more meaningful that I could be doing than making sure that the wheels of democracy continue to turn. I’m a huge believer. Yes, I’m a member of the Democratic Party, but I always like to say I’m a small d democrat too, because I’m just a big believer in our democracy. I will tell you when I had to make a decision about whether or not to run again for reelection in 2022 after everything that happened in 2020 and particularly, you know, threats to my life, my family, you know, having to relocate for weeks on end, uou know, working with the FBI, things like that, I really did have to dig deep to decide if that is what I wanted to continue to do. And I just decided that this isn’t the time. Our democracy is, you know, is at risk right now. It remains to be seen what the fallout of this particular election is, although I suspect it’s going to be extremely different from 2020, but it just felt like this was not the time to abandon this work. I’ve got two more years left in my term. I intend to see those all the way through and then figure out what’s next for me.
You can see the full interview online.
DONA ANA COUNTY, N.M. – (KFOX14/CBS4) — Some El Paso Electric customers in New Mexico are speaking out against a proposed rate increase that could raise the average monthly household bill by more than $40 by late next year.
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, which will decide whether to approve the proposal, held a public comment hearing earlier this week in Las Cruces.
During the meeting, customers and community members questioned the size of the request and whether the utility is doing enough to serve customers in southern New Mexico.
“This is a border town. It is a college town. It is a retiree town. It’s a military town. We’re not rich like Santa Fe, and the rates just keep going up and up and up,” said Kathy Lucero, a Las Cruces resident.
“We ratepayers and energy consumers should not be asked to subsidize these excessive profits,” said Lynn Moore, a Dona Ana County resident.
El Paso Electric is asking for a $70.4 million increase to its base rates for customers in New Mexico.
El Paso Electric seeks $70.4M hike; average NM bills could rise nearly $42 a month
The utility says the request is needed to recover costs from more than $400 million in New Mexico system investments, including upgrades, reliability improvements and rising costs.
After the hearing, Israel Chavez, a local civil rights attorney, said accessibility is also a concern as the utility asks customers to pay more.
“El Paso Electric closed its office on Water Street. There is no physical office to go to if you live with a disability, if you don’t have the technology to access your utility bill or to talk to somebody, there is no place to go unless you go to El Paso. And I think it’s wrong for El Paso Electric to cut services and then increase rates,” Chavez said.
In a statement addressing concerns about access, El Paso Electric said, “El Paso Electric continues to provide reliable service, along with a range of customer support resources to meet diverse needs, including assistance with account access, bill understanding, and payments.”
The utility added, “We recognize that changes like this can have its challenges, particularly for customers who may face barriers to technology or prefer in-person support. However, we remain committed to ensuring our customers feel supported and have access to the help they need when they need it.”
El Paso Electric said customers can still manage their accounts online, call customer care, or use authorized payment kiosks throughout its service area.
The New Mexico PRC has not made a final decision on the rate request.
If approved, the increase would start taking effect next year in two phases.
FULL PUBLIC COMMENT HEARING
Final community meeting on proposed EPE rate hike in New Mexico draws mixed reactions
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CHIMAYO, N.M. (KRQE) – A suspect is dead following a shooting involving the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office in Chimayo on Highway 76. Deputies are said to be okay. New Mexico State Police is investigating the shooting.
KRQE News 13 will provide updates as they become available.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A leader in the New Mexico Republican Party was arrested Wednesday, accused of a deadly hit-and-run in Las Cruces.
Former Treasurer of the Republican Party in New Mexico, Kimberly Ann Skaggs, 54, was arrested Wednesday and charged with leaving the scene and tampering with evidence, jail records show.
Police documents show the charges stem from a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Monday afternoon, which killed 40-year-old bicyclist, Andrew Brown.
Investigators believed Skaggs was involved after an investigation revealed that Skaggs allegedly was driving fast in the area, fled the scene after the crash and then tried to hide the vehicle from authorities.
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The investigation
According to police documents, a witness at the scene of the crash– 850 N. Fairacres Rd.– described seeing a dark blonde-haired woman flee in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Afterwards, investigators said they saw on Flock cameras– A.I. powered license plate readers– a black Cadillac Escalade traveling near the site of the crash minutes before the incident.
READ MORE: Dona Ana County expands Flock license plate cameras as officials cite crime-solving gains
The license plates showed that the vehicle belonged to Skaggs and that, in September 2025, the Las Cruces Police Department had given her a citation for “racing on streets-exhibition driving.”
Investigators stated that a business on Picacho Ave. captured what they alleged was the same black Cadillac Escalade driving fast.
Then, the documents described how investigators tracked down the Escalade using OnStar’s live GPS tracking, discovering the SUV was at a property on the 5000 block of Northwind Road, which investigators said the Dona Ana County Assessors Office confirmed is a property owned by Skaggs.
On Tuesday, at around 6:41 p.m.– over 24 hours after the deadly hit-and-run– investigators executed a search warrant on the property and described finding the black Cadillac Escalade behind a home, under a red metal carport.
Investigators noted damage on the SUV consistent with the crash, highlighting that there was blood splatter near one of the front tires, markings on the front bumper consistent with hitting a bicycle and parts missing, which investigators said were the same parts found at the scene.
Dona Ana County jail records show Skaggs was booked on Wednesday afternoon and remains jailed without a bond.
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About Skaggs
On the official website of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Skaggs was listed as the treasurer before she was removed.
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Republican Party to learn more and are waiting for a comment regarding the arrest.
Also, according to election statistics, Skaggs ran for State Representative in District 36 in 2022 and 2024, losing both times to Democrat Nathan P. Small.
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