A Libertarians Perspective, Transparency and Non-Partisan Control an Op‑ed by Steven Edwards, Libertarian

Alamogordo is a town where practical problems should decide elections: potholes, blight, public safety, schoolrooms, and honest budgeting. Instead our municipal contests are being reshaped by a Republican county party machine, managed by the state Republican Party Chair and a former chair operating out of the District 51 Representatives office who's salary is  paid for by New Mexico taxpayers.  This syndicate or machine treats nonpartisan ballots as a playbook for partisan control, stifling transparency and choking open political dialogue.

The Otero County Republican Party has taken a hands‑on approach to local politics, organizing candidate recruitment, hosting forums, and laying out an internal “election process” that reads like a slating manual for local and school‑board offices. That kind of concentrated party activity matters because it moves campaign infrastructure and public‑facing events from neutral civic space into partisan turf, giving organized interests outsized power to shape who gets heard and what information voters receive.

County election officials proclaim a mission to protect citizens’ voting rights and maintain election integrity. That mission rings hollow when partisan actors seek to control moderators, exclude journalists from school forums, or order local reporters to stop streaming candidate events. 

Recent incidents in Tularosa and Alamogordo demonstrate a pattern: objections to moderators with a record of critical reporting, the narrowing of invitation lists for supposedly public forums, and direction to halt livestreams that would have kept voters informed. Those actions erode basic expectations of openness and invite chilling effects on civic engagement.

This is not just a local squabble. Otero County’s electoral environment shows strong partisan Republican victories that reinforce the incentives for a dominant party to consolidate influence at every level of government in the county. Where one party wins consistently, the temptation to protect that advantage by controlling access, messaging, and event logistics grows. 

When the Republican party leadership and insider apparatus becomes the gatekeeper to information, ordinary voters and underfunded candidates are left at a distinct disadvantage.

Libertarians defend individual liberty and a truly open civic sphere. 

Our principles demand three immediate responses to preserve fair and free local elections:

• Require that municipal and school‑board forums follow clear, neutral rules guaranteeing moderator selection and unfettered media access; public candidate events must be open to all qualified candidates and to transparent recording by accredited local outlets.
• Enforce campaign‑disclosure timelines and reporting so party coordination, slating, and financial support are visible to voters before they cast ballots.
• Insulate election administration from partisan manipulation by ensuring neutral oversight of certification, audits, and public‑meeting access consistent with the stated mission of election offices to protect voter rights.

Alamogordo’s voters deserve open public forums focused on daily life, not a partisan script imported from county and state Republican headquarters. 

If we allow any party to become the arbiter of who may speak and how voters learn about choices, we cede the public square and trade accountability for control.

I call on citizens, civic groups, and neutral officials to restore nonpartisan norms, insist on transparency, and reclaim our forums so elections remain free, fair, and centered on local needs. It's time we put a stop to insider machine driven politics and have clean, open and fair elections allowing the public full access to the candidate. 

Note: Steven Edwards lives part time in Mexico and is a shareholder in several local Alamogordo Business interests.