New LWVSNM President & Officer Elected
Liz Rodriguez-Johnson
Rose Jacobs
Members of the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico have elected a new President for 2025/26. Liz Rodriguez-Johnson was elected during the LWVSNM Annual Business Meeting. She is currently the organization’s 2nd Vice President and will begin her new position on May 1. Also elected was Rose Jacobs. She will serve a two-year term as Director of Voter Services. She is a relatively new member to the nonprofit organization.
New and renewing members, women and men (see student information below), are encouraged to join from April through August 2026. Yearly membership dues are $75 per person; however, the national League of Women Voters offers a “pay-what-you-can” option, allowing a minimum amount of $20 to become a member. Donations above the $75 membership fee are also welcome. Click here to get more information about signing up online.
For any student who is 16 years of age or older, who is currently enrolled in school, are also welcome to join for only $20 per year. The League will pay for one-half the cost. Students should contact League Treasurer Kathy Brook (kathybrook@comcast.net) to arrange for the financial match.
LWVSNM Participates in No Kings Rally
Several LWVSNM members were spotted on Saturday, March 28 at the No Kings Rally at Albert Johnson Park. Many of the signs were developed as a League activity. Voter Services Coordinator Rebecca Courtney helped and inspired others to draw expressive signs. Hundreds of peaceful protestors showed up for Las Cruces’ third rally. CNN reported that more than 3,100 rallies were expected across the country. Indivisible was the local protest sponsor. The previous Las Cruces rally was in June 2025.
LWVSNM Annual Business Meeting – April 11
All 110 LWVSNM members are invited to attend the 2026 Annual Business Meeting on Saturday, April 11 beginning at 2:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the DACC East Mesa Campus, Sonoma Ranch Blvd, in the DASR Building, Room #232. A Zoom link will be sent prior to the meeting to all members who intend to particpate from home. Among the items of discussion are election of new Officers and Board members, approval of the 2026/27 Budget, and approval of an updated Position on Public Libraries.
The meeting materials have been emailed the documents in advance for review. If you have not received the materials, contact Past President Jo Galván Nash (jogalvan.nash@gmail.com). Members are asked to print their own documents; however, anyone who cannot print from home can contact Jo by April 8 and a meeting packet will be printed for you.
Thank you, Doña Ana County Lawmakers
The Legislative session ended on Thursday, Feb. 19 and the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico wish to thank each and every one of our area legislators for their hard work on behalf of New Mexicans. Many important pieces of legislation, including some that the League advocated for, were passed and are now before the Governor for her consideration.
Ranging from medical malpractice to allowing voters to determine whether to provide legislators with professional salaries, the long list of bills, memorials, and resolutions can be reviewed. Go to nmlegis.gov and at the top of the page click on the “Legislation” menu tab. If you don’t have a bill number, you can search bills by subject matter, such as “Education,” “Taxation,” or “Environment.”
Legislators Discuss Proposed Bills Prior to Session
January 20, 2026 was the opening day for the NM Legislative Session. Several League priorities are being addressed, including some that were discussed with Doña Ana County lawmakers during a December 2025 event. The Legislative Conversation and Social was widely attended by League members, and members of two co-hosts — AAUW of Las Cruces and NAACP of Doña Ana County — which are also non-profit organizations.
The event is an annual gathering to bring the League’s priorities to legislators and vice versa. Legislators who attended were: Sen. Carrie Hamblen, Sen. Joseph Cervantes, Sen. Bill Soules, Sen. Jeff Steinborn, Rep. Joanne Ferrary, Rep. Sarah Silva, Rep. Nathan Small, Rep. Rebecca Dow, and several legislative aides. Topics that rose to the top included healthcare, education, water resources, salaries for state legislators, and others. To watch the Legislature in action, go to www.nmlegis.gov/ and click on webcasts. You can select which committees you’d like to monitor.
Thank you for Voting, but our work is not done
The League of Women Voters of Southern NM thanks each and every resident in Doña Ana County who voted in the Local Regular election on Nov. 4, 2025. But the work of the LWVSNM must continue as we encourage more citizens in our county to vote in our local, state, and federal elections. Results from the NM Secretary of State’s office reports that throughout New Mexico, 350,997 ballots were cast in November, which is 25.32% of the total number of eligible voters of 1,386,040.
In Doña Ana County, the voting percentage was lower than the state’s percentage; only 18.74% of the county’s eligible voters cast a ballot totaling 26,574 out of a potential 141,730 voters. The League will work to increase this percentage in the next election in June 2026.