The Center for Election Innovation & Research recognized Maggie Toulouse Oliver for her work supporting election administration, voter access and election security.

Organ Mountain News report

SANTA FE - New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver has received a lifetime achievement award from the Center for Election Innovation & Research.

The organization recognized Toulouse Oliver on Wednesday, June 24, during its “A Decade of Defending Democracy” event in Washington, D.C., according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

“Thank you so much to the Center for Election Innovation and Research for this special recognition and for always promoting trust in our election system,” Toulouse Oliver said. “Each moment in my experience as an election official has ultimately driven me to help create a more modern, accessible and secure process for voters in New Mexico and advocate for the integrity of elections nationwide. I could not have done any of it without the support of so many. I am so grateful for countless colleagues, staff, friends and family who continue to inspire and support me.”

CEIR Executive Director and Founder David Becker called Toulouse Oliver “a steady, principled voice for election integrity and voter access.”

“I first met Maggie nearly 20 years ago when she was the Bernalillo County Clerk in Albuquerque,” Becker said when announcing the award. “She brought a passion for democracy to that job. She brought a deep knowledge of election processes to the Secretary of State’s Office.”

Becker said Toulouse Oliver put politics aside to work across political differences.

“I saw first-hand how she put politics aside to form bonds with people across the political aisle — to find common ground with those that she might disagree with on some issues, but she could find agreement on others,” he said.

Toulouse Oliver has served as New Mexico secretary of state since 2016. She previously served as Bernalillo County clerk beginning in 2007.

As secretary of state, she has implemented transparency rules for financial disclosure and campaign finance reporting, modernized the state’s online campaign finance system and helped craft legislation including same-day voter registration, automated voter registration and New Mexico’s Native American Voting Rights Act, according to her office.

Toulouse Oliver is also the immediate past president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. She previously served as the organization’s president, president-elect, treasurer and chair of its elections committee.

The Center for Election Innovation and Research is a nonprofit organization focused on election administration, voter participation, election integrity and election security.