Only 43% of New Mexicans say they trust state lawmakers. That was one of the findings of a new poll commissioned by a think tank pushing for ethics reform in the Roundhouse.
Think New Mexico hired BSP Research, which sampled over 800 registered voters in the poll on ethical reform, and 81% said they were in favor of higher ethical standards.
This comes as voters will decide in November on a constitutional amendment to pay lawmakers.
About 64% of New Mexico registered voters said they will only support paying legislators if lawmakers comply with mandatory ethical reforms.
Gabe Sanchez, University of New Mexico political science professor and BSP director of research, presented the findings and said the legislature should be addressing these concerns concurrently.
“If we're going to make these moves to professionalize the legislature, the public is saying, ‘let's do it in concert with each other.’”
The survey also found a lack of trust among the legislature, with only 43% of respondents saying they trust lawmakers to do what’s right all or most of the time and 25% saying the legislature represents their voice.
There is no required ethical reform attached to constitutional amendment 4. But Fred Nathan Jr., Executive Director for Think New Mexico, is hopeful that the legislature will look at the polling data in the upcoming session and propose ethical reforms in the future.
Think New Mexico is a non-partisan think tank that recently released a report that calls on policy reforms within the legislature to better restore public trust in state government. Those include more financial disclosures and requiring lawmakers to recuse themselves from voting on legislation where they have financial conflicts of interest. It also includes reforms around lobbyists, as well as dark money and advocacy groups.
Support for this coverage comes from Thornburg Foundation.
