Future Vision | Katharine Clark

”Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”

Writer and futurist Joel Barker

Effective leaders can create a clear, measurable vision for their organization’s future direction. This vision establishes benchmarks, formulates long-term strategies, and creates a sense of purpose that motivates people to keep moving forward through challenges.

My team and I have a dream, a vision, and an action plan for our Santa Fe County Clerk’s office. And we’re ready to make this vision a reality.

Continuing to Set a Standard of Excellence

I am very proud of our team in Santa Fe County. We have won several national awards, and I have created a national profile for Santa Fe County elections. In a state that, according to MIT’s analysis of the 2022 election, already has the highest election administration numbers in the country, we will continue to usher in innovative firsts to keep setting the pace for voters and constituents to have the best clerk’s office possible.

Practiced Advocacy

Working with our County Commission, we secured a building that will be a dedicated elections warehouse. We also secured 2.5 million from the legislature for renovation and other equipment and will focus on acquiring the necessary, updated voting tools. A future project phase is to create a separate archival storage facility at that site with foam-based fire retardant to protect paper and microfiche documents. Currently, these important documents are stored in a building fitted only with sprinklers, and, in case of fire, they would be damaged or destroyed by water. These documents are our history, our heritage, and we must do all we can to preserve them.

Increase Voter Participation and Expand Civic Engagement

We want to broaden our strategic voter outreach by building on our current civic engagement programs to go beyond our high schools and reach into our senior, veterans, and community centers. Our voter turnout here in Santa Fe County is still only about 31% in a regular election. Even though this is the highest in the state, we can and will do better.

Create More Innovative Voter Tools

We will create a county-wide app featuring a contemporary, responsive design optimized for mobile use. This will increase voter outreach as it makes essential information available to more voters.

Dedicated Electronic Portal

For customer convenience, we are looking to establish a dedicated e-recording portal. Currently, customers must go through a third-party vendor to record real estate records and pay a large monetary deposit. The dedicated e-portal would be direct and no longer require a monetary barrier to entry. In Colorado, once clerks established a direct in-office e-recording portal, e-recordings grew to 90% of the total recordings as constituents took advantage of the convenience of being able to record from home.

Modernize Election Laws

The right to vote is foundational to our democracy. Our Santa Fe County Clerk’s office will continue to increase efficiency in elections and ensure there are no long lines or delayed election results. We will continue to be a loud voice at the roundhouse supporting new infrastructure and election processes that make voting as easy as possible.

Build Certifications and Career Paths

I plan to work with our legislature on professionalizing the work in the clerk’s office as a career path and work to ensure higher pay for certifications earned, whether that is on the elections side or the records and recording side.

Growing Permanent Absentee

This is the first year that New Mexicans can choose to receive an absentee ballot for every election. Voters can now make an online request to receive a permanent absentee ballot for all elections. And they can make this request year-round, not simply during election time. Our office intends to ramp up communication outreach to ensure that voters are informed about permanent absentee status.