FBI Announces New Election Safeguards

The FBI announced new election safeguards, including the establishment of a command post in Albuquerque, NM, and the assignment of a prosecutor to monitor any possible violations of election laws.

The New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, FBI officials, and the US Attorney’s office stated that these precautions are unprecedented and they will supervise election activities 24/7 up to Election Day and the days after as votes are tallied.

According to the FBI, apart from the disinformation issues, no other foreign government attempts to tamper with the election infrastructure have been discovered as of yet. 

President Trump has criticized the efforts supporting mail voting many times before, stating that it will result in voter fraud. Due to a recent court ruling, this year both parties will be able to closely scrutinize ballots for the first time in decades.

“New Mexicans should be extra vigilant about the election information they encounter, and rely on state and local election officials for trusted information about voting,” Maggie Toulouse Oliver stated.

Maggie Toulouse Oliver also advised citizens of New Mexico to contact county party leaders who select and train official poll watchers. According to Oliver, it’s against state law to intimidate voters or to campaign within 100 feet of a polling place. 

Election monitors from both political parties are authorized to call the state police to enforce the laws.

The online registering for voting in New Mexico closes on Oct. 6th. Absentee voting and in-person absentee voting at county clerks’ offices around the state starts on the same date.

New Mexican voters can register at their county clerk’s office through Oct. 31st and vote in-person at voting stations from Oct. 17th. Although legislation allows it in future elections, voters cannot register and vote on election day this year.