New Mexico was ranked first in the nation for how it administers elections in 2022 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, proof in itself that — as county clerks for Bernalillo and Santa Fe Counties — we know what it takes to run secure, transparent, and trusted elections. 

So when the White House attempts to override what’s working, we take notice.

A recent Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump seeks to change how voting is managed across the country, by changing the federal voter registration form (an attempt to bypass the bipartisan, Congressionally appointed U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the body legally responsible for overseeing that form) and calling for a nationwide citizenship database to verify voter eligibility. Not only would such a database undoubtedly be outdated almost immediately, the Executive Order itself is based on an idea untethered from both technical feasibility and election law.

Worse, these proposed mandates ignore the very real expertise and infrastructure already in place, and seek to “solve” problems that largely do not exist or are already being managed at the local level. 

Local governments — especially counties — run elections. Clerk Clark introduced clear, bipartisan positions and got them adopted by the National Association of Counties, supporting robust federal election funding without interfering with local expertise on voting procedures. These positions support local control of election administration and improve voter roll accuracy through cooperative data-sharing with agencies such as the U.S. Postal Service and Social Security Administration.

Here in New Mexico, we walk the walk. Santa Fe County was the first in the state to launch ballot tracking by text. Bernalillo County has built robust poll worker pipelines and election education programs. Our counties are also investing in modernized warehouse facilities to strengthen the logistics and security of our election operations.

These are not systems in need of rescue. They are models of what’s possible when you combine smart investment, forward-thinking local leadership, and accountability.

We urge Congress to take a different approach: reaffirm control of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and protect its role as a nonpartisan, Congressionally appointed body. And, as some lawmakers consider similarly unrealistic proposals like the SAVE Act, we ask that our Representatives and Senators focus on what strengthens democracy: investing in tools, sustaining funding, and letting the experts run great elections, just as they always have.

Katharine Clark is the Santa Fe County Clerk and a Vice-Chair of the National Association of Counties Elections subcommittee.

Michelle Kavanaugh is the Bernalillo County Clerk and Secretary of the National Democratic County Officials.