1-26-2026 10:40pm

Guest Commentary When Oaths Are Broken, Democracy Is Not a Hypothetical

Chris Edwards Editor

Note this guest commentary submitted to us by Martin Modey Hicks, Former Council Member and Mayor of Grants...

"Pundits on television and some Democrats in Congress have recently suggested that Donald Trump might cancel the 2026 midterm elections. That claim deserves skepticism. In a constitutional republic, elections are not optional. They are guaranteed by law, protected by state constitutions, and reinforced at the local level through municipal charters.

In New Mexico, cities operate under charters that are legally grounded in both the state and federal constitutions. Elected officials swear an oath not to a party, but to the Constitution, the laws of the state, and the people they serve.

Now consider what happens when that oath is ignored.

Imagine elected officials voting to change election laws without voter approval. Imagine them extending their own terms in office without a vote of the people. Imagine holding an election and seating a candidate who does not meet the basic residency requirements of the district they claim to represent. Imagine watching all of this happen after those same officials publicly prayed for guidance and then ignored the legal advice of their own city attorney, who warned that their actions violated the law and could be corrected.

This is not a thought experiment.

If you are a registered voter within the city limits of Grants, New Mexico, this is your lived reality.

On March 29, 2023, the Grants City Council voted to change local election laws and extend their own terms by approximately 21 months without voter approval. On December 17, 2025, the same council voted to seat an individual in a district where that person did not reside, despite being advised otherwise by the city attorney. And on the first Tuesday of March 2026, the city will fail to hold a required municipal election, denying residents the right to elect their mayor, municipal judge, and councilors from Districts Two and Four.

These actions are not procedural oversights. They represent a clear pattern of disregard for the charter, the constitution, and the voters.

Equally troubling is the silence. No intervention from state officials.

No response from federal representatives

No accountability from agencies tasked with protecting election integrity.

The people's right to vote was diminished, and those sworn to protect it looked the other way.

An oath that can be broken without consequence is not an oath at all. When elected officials knowingly act against the law they swore to uphold, they forfeit the moral authority to govern.

Every member of the Grants City Council who participated in these actions should resign.

Realistically, they will not. That leaves only one remaining path: legal accountability and permanent electoral consequences. These officials should never again receive the trust or the vote of the citizens they failed.

Democracy does not end with dramatic announcements on cable news. It erodes quietly, locally, and procedurally, when those in power decide that the rules apply to everyone but themselves.

Sincerely,

Martin Modey Hicks

Former Council Member and Mayor of Grants

Note: Martin “Modey” Hicks, full name Martin W. Hicks, served as mayor of Grants, New Mexico—a small city of about 9,000 residents along historic Route 66 in Cibola County—for multiple terms until he chose not to seek reelection in 2022, when he was succeeded by Erik Garcia. A former Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party, citing his former party’s shift “far left,” Hicks gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for boldly defying New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public health orders by encouraging small businesses to reopen, allowing the city-owned golf course to operate, and organizing events like a Fourth of July vehicle parade, arguing that the restrictions were unconstitutional overreach harming the local economy and that “the governor is killing the state over a little bug.” His actions sparked legal battles, including a New Mexico Supreme Court ruling requiring compliance with state orders, lawsuits from the former city manager, and city council injunctions against him, yet he remained a vocal defender of constitutional rights, civil liberties, and local self-determination. After his mayoral tenure, Hicks ran for Cibola County Commissioner in District Three and has continued participating in local governance discussions, such as charter compliance at city council meetings as recently as late 2025.