Dear Editor;
As one of your Representatives in Cibola County, I wanted to answer a question about voter
information that one of my constituents asked in a recent edition of your paper.
Mr. Hall, you asked if it was legal that information was available to others about how you intend on casting your ballot (absentee, early or on election day). YES, lT lS LEGAL'
The state of New Mexico by statue allows any person from ANYBODY regardless of political affiliation to obtain early voting information from the Secretary of State's office for a nominal fee.
This is standard campaigning data and is used by many different entities, including non-profit organizations.
Academics who have studied this cite Harvard, which teaches exactly what I am doing. lt passes the ethical bar at Harvard and is way above the blue line for police activity. I know your intentions are to build mistrust during an election season, but I am not buying it. I am calling you out on it.
I made my home in Cibola County many years ago. I have coached just about every sport available io our youth. I have watched them grow. lt is more important to me now than ever that we can build back our economy.
The market and investors are buying clean energy. Times are changing. They may also change back. You can never count out minerals and investments. The Republican Party has promised oil refineries and uranium mines. They have had no success bringing jobs to Cibola County. Yet voters keep giving them opportunities. We are at the will of the investors on Wall Street.
Before the pandemic I had an event. My event was sponsored by Core Civic, because of this the Socialist Democrats of New Mexico protested my event. They said that we were worklng to put kids in cages. I don't support kids in cages and I stand by our prison workers and law enforcement. Core Civic and their employees are aware of the support I have lent them in the legislature.
I have worked hard to protect our economy, our families and our environment during my time as legislator. I welcome criticism... but not attacks on my integrity.
Representative Eliseo Lee Alcon
Bronze Star Recipient, US Army, Vietnam War
Shared truths
Dear Editor;
Recently, in several news outlets around the state, two women courageously shared their truths about difficult and deeply personal decisions with abortion later in pregnancy. One said that she and her husband were thrilled to be having their first child. The second woman had a son already who couldn't wait to have a baby sister. Both women's excitement turned into nightmares as they faced horrific news late in the pregnancies about health risks.
Extremist organizations spreading dangerous disinformation about abortion won't tell you about these women. Their disinformation is intended to shame a woman facing a heartbreaking decision, vilify her health care provider, and provide wrong information to the public.
Those same extremists ask how I can call myself a Catholic if I am pro-Choice. As a devout Catholic who attended seminary in my twenties, my answer is easy. My Catholic faith, including the teachings of Jesus, compels me to help others, not judge or shame them. I remember clearly what life was like for women before Roe v. Wade, with thousands dying from illegal abortions every year. I don't want to return to those days.
My faith and my public service compel me to fight to end poverty, provide healthcare to every New Mexican, and to provide assistance to new parents and their infant children. I hope we will all call out inaccurate information for what it is - a distraction that keeps us from the most pressing issues that New Mexicans face every day.
Jerry Ortiz y Pino,
State Senator District 12
Editor’s notes: The Cibola Citizen seeks and welcomes letters to the editor on any and all topics. All letters must be no longer than 500 words (one full page, single spaced) and contain the writer’s name and contact phone number for verification. Unsigned letters will not be printed. The Cibola Citizen reserves the right to edit any and all submissions.