Katharine Clark

Provide a short bio of yourself and tell us how you got into public service?

I’m a two-term Santa Fe County Clerk with more than 25 years of experience in elections, public service, and executive management. I am a fifth-generation union member who grew up in a multigenerational military and union family where service was expected, not optional.

My parents worked hard, taking on extra shifts to make sure my sister and I had everything we needed, and taught me that protecting democracy and standing up for working families mattered.

Over the years, I’ve worked in government, legislative policy, community organizing, and election administration. I ultimately got into election work because I believe democracy only works when the person running the election ensures people trust the system and have equal access to the ballot.

As county clerk, I’ve focused on running secure, transparent, efficient elections that always fully report on election night while modernizing operations and improving voter access, for which my office has won 13 national awards in election administration and innovation. I am the only person in New Mexico to hold both the national election administration certification and the statewide election certification.

I earned a dual BA from UC Berkeley in Cognitive Neuroscience and Moral Psychology, and an MBA in human resources, public policy, and strategic management from UNM. I currently serve as the elections subcommittee vice-chair of the National Association of Counties, elected member of the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and founding member of the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions, which represents 70% of US voters.

Both you and your primary election opponent have run elections at the county level—what would you change at the statewide level that isn’t working right now?

I would modernize and operationalize the Secretary of State’s Office to meet the demands of modern elections. County clerks across New Mexico are doing tremendous work, but the state needs to provide stronger technology, clearer coordination, better cybersecurity support, and more consistent operations across all 33 counties.

I also believe New Mexico’s Election Code needs a comprehensive overhaul. Right now, it has become overly complicated, inconsistent, and difficult for both voters and election administrators to navigate. We should simplify procedures, modernize outdated sections of law, strengthen transparency requirements, and make the system easier for voters to understand and trust.

I’ve already been leading this work. I’ve written election legislation that was highlighted by the Legislative Finance Committee and later incorporated into the Secretary of State's administrative rule. I’ve developed innovative election and transparency programs at the county level that are now being adopted more broadly by the Secretary of State’s Office. I also spearheaded the overhaul of the county clerk certification program through NMSU’s NM EDGE program because I believe election administration should be treated as a professional field with modern training and high standards.

As Secretary of State, I would overhaul the agency’s outdated website and technology infrastructure, modernize the voter file and election reporting systems, and create a statewide voter app with real-time election information, turnout updates, ballot tracking, and voter tools. I want New Mexico to lead the nation in transparency, accessibility, and election performance.

I also want to continue expanding voter participation. In Santa Fe County, we’ve worked aggressively to increase turnout through voter outreach, expanded access, transparency, and modernization. I want to bring that same approach statewide by expanding vote-by-mail access, improving voter education, strengthening language access, and making the voting process easier to navigate.

Most importantly, I believe voters deserve fast, accurate election results they can trust. As county clerk, I’ve delivered 100% election night reporting, and I want to bring that culture of operational excellence statewide so New Mexico sets the national standard for professional, transparent election administration.

How would you respond if the federal government tried to impose new voting requirements—like stricter ID laws or national oversight of elections?

I would defend New Mexico voters and New Mexico’s authority to run its own elections. I’ve already stood up to federal overreach before — including pushing back against efforts to intimidate voters at polling locations and joining a successful summary judgment against Trump administration interference.

I also joined a coalition of election officials that traveled to Washington, D.C. to provide expert insight and push back against the SAVE Act because I believe eligible voters should not lose access to the ballot due to partisan federal mandates or unnecessary barriers.

New Mexico has secure elections, and we should not allow partisan federal interference to make voting harder for eligible voters. I will always follow the law, but I will also fight any attempt to disenfranchise eligible voters, politicize election administration, undermine local control, or impose one-size-fits-all federal mandates that do not reflect the realities of New Mexico communities. I will always work to protect voter access, voter privacy, and New Mexico’s authority to administer its own elections.

What is the biggest vulnerability in New Mexico’s election system today — and how would you fix it?

One of the biggest challenges facing New Mexico elections is the combination of misinformation, aging infrastructure, cybersecurity threats, and emergency preparedness. Our election systems are secure, but public trust is being undermined by conspiracy theories, political attacks on election workers, emerging AI-driven misinformation, and the reality that elections now operate in an environment of increasing cyber threats, natural disasters, and infrastructure strain.

I’ve already been leading on these issues. I’ve managed elections during northern New Mexico wildfires, helped support other counties during emergencies, and developed nationally recognized resiliency and transparency programs in Santa Fe County. I also serve in a leadership role with EI-ISAC because cybersecurity and election infrastructure protection have become essential parts of modern election administration.

We need stronger statewide emergency procedures, better continuity planning, upgraded election technology, and modernized infrastructure. Every major voting and tabulation site should have reliable backup power and resiliency systems, so voters never lose access to democracy during outages or emergencies.

I also believe New Mexico should lead nationally on proactive “prebunking” strategies and public education programs like our multi-award-winning Democracy 101 initiative to combat misinformation before it spreads.

Most importantly, we need to support county clerks and frontline election workers who are under increasing pressure and threats. Trust in elections is built through preparation, transparency, communication, and operational excellence.

How do you balance making voting more accessible with maintaining voter confidence in election integrity?

Access and security are not opposites — strong election systems require both. New Mexico already verifies voters while protecting eligible voters’ ability to participate. We can maintain voter confidence by investing in accurate voter rolls, secure systems, transparency, audits, and clear public communication.

I believe every eligible voter should be able to cast a ballot easily and securely, while also ensuring the public understands how elections are administered and protected.

The Secretary of State also enforces ethics and campaign finance rules—what is one reform you would push, even if it affects your own party?

I support stronger transparency requirements for dark money spending and faster, more accessible campaign finance reporting, campaign finance limits on school board races, and expanding public financing for campaigns. Voters deserve to know who is funding campaigns and political advertisements in real time — regardless of party.

I also believe enforcement mechanisms should be modernized so violations are addressed consistently and transparently, without political favoritism.
I would also pass a code of ethics for election officials to ensure fairness in elections.

What’s a moment from running elections in your county that changed how you think about voting in New Mexico?

Running elections during the COVID pandemic, wildfire emergencies, and periods of intense election denialism reinforced the importance of trust, preparation, and timely results. I saw firsthand how much voters rely on local election officials during moments of uncertainty, and I led other county clerks in coordinated efforts to ensure voters could absolutely cast their ballots.

Even under pressure, our teams continued delivering secure and accessible elections with some of the highest election performance metrics in the state because we stayed focused on service, transparency, and problem-solving. That experience strengthened my belief that New Mexico can lead the country in election administration if we continue to modernize and invest in the public trust.