City Council election hopefuls Telles and Garcia can stay on the voting roster following the court decision
In a recent development, two Albuquerque City Council candidates, Stephanie Telles (District 1) and Teresa Garcia (District 3), will continue their campaign journey as they have been granted a place on the Nov. 4 ballot. This decision follows a judge's ruling in favor of the candidates at a hearing on Friday.
The ruling was in response to lawsuits filed by former state Sen. Jacob Candelaria and Sen. Antonio 'Moe' Maestas, attorneys with Candelaria Law LLC. The lawsuits alleged that both Telles and Garcia failed to submit the required 500 valid petition signatures before the city's July 7 deadline.
However, Judge Joshua Allison ruled in favor of the candidates, finding that the signatures submitted by Telles after the city's deadline were valid under state election laws. As a result, Telles now has 503 valid signatures, according to her attorney, David Ring. The outcome of the Garcia lawsuit, if filed, is yet to be determined. Candelaria and Maestas voluntarily withdrew their lawsuit against Garcia following Allison's ruling in the Telles case.
The key issue in the lawsuits was whether signatures are valid if they are submitted after the city's July 7 deadline but prior to an Aug. 26 deadline set by the Bernalillo County Clerk's Office. Ring argued that the city's July 7 deadline limits the right of voters to participate in the candidate nomination process and of candidates to run for office. He claimed that the city's deadline amounts to an unlawful attempt to abridge state law.
In the Telles case, Judge Allison dismissed the suit after finding that the signatures she submitted were valid. The city clerk's office accepted only 493 of Telles's 581 signatures as valid. The number of valid signatures Garcia submitted is not specified in the article.
Despite the ruling, Candelaria has announced plans to appeal the decision to the New Mexico Supreme Court. However, both Telles and Garcia will remain on the ballot for the upcoming Albuquerque City Council election on Nov. 4, as per the New Mexico Supreme Court's decision. Ring stated that the city's July 7 deadline, which limited the time for candidates to collect signatures, could potentially disenfranchise voters and candidates, and he will continue to advocate for fair election practices.
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