The New Mexico Green Party has been continuously ballot-qualified since 1992, and the New Mexico Libertarian Party has been continuously ballot-qualified since it completed its last party petition in late 2005. Under New Mexico’s Tax Code, section 7-2-31, all qualified parties (whether qualified minor parties, or qualified major parties) should be listed on the state income tax form. This is so that a taxpayer can choose to send a contribution to any listed party.
However, the 2007 New Mexico income tax form lists only the Democratic and Republican Parties. The state tax office says the Secretary of State informed the tax office that only the Democratic and Republican Parties are ballot-qualified.
Well, that’s easy enough to fix:
1) Add the amounts given to the Republican and Democratic parties, then divide by two to get an average.
2) Deduct that average, times two, from the paychecks of the Secretary of State’s paycheck, pension fund, home equity, whatever.
3) Give the Greens and the LP the money.
How about letting them be write-ins? Also how about suing the person(s) responsible to recoup the fund?
The form said if you wanted to contribute to the Democratic Party, to enter “1” in a particular box. If you wanted to donate to the Republican Party, to enter “2” in that same box. So there was no way to actually write-in a party; no blank line was on the form.
Why doesn’t someone in New Mexico (i.e. someone with standing) file a complaint with the Secretary of State’s office?
Sounds actionable to me.