-originally posted 2008-02-14 16:54:24- bumped. TheFatLadySings calls the New Mexico Secretary of State to find out what gives about the high number of provisional votes!

Voter disenfranchisement is a fact in New Mexico.

Although the Gubenatorial Mansion and both houses of the state legislature are comfortably controlled by Democrats, the systematic disenfranchisement that tossed New Mexico to Bush in 2004 threatens to throw the 2008 presidential election results to the Republicans as well.

Systematic voter disenfranchisement in 2004 occured in two stages. First, Governor Bill Richardson ushered a bill through the legislature establishing a February presidential "caucus" in advance of the traditional late primary. The "caucus" was actually a limited primary run by the Democratic Party rather than the state.

Richardson probably favored the "caucus" as a means of improving his own chances at the presidency by pushing New Mexico to the front of the voting pack.