Better living through better policy.

Topic: Public records

SPPI Files Public Records Request Regarding New Mexico Lottery Contract Procurement

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date February 27, 2026
No Comments on SPPI Files Public Records Request Regarding New Mexico Lottery Contract Procurement

SPPI seeks transparency and legal clarity regarding the New Mexico Lottery Authority’s procurement process and transition planning for the state gaming system contract.

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Domestic Policy Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial New Mexico Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion SPPI v Watson et al. Technology The Constitution Top Issues Transparency Updates

SPPI Calls on NMFOG to Address Albuquerque’s Transparency Failures

Post author By Liam Gray
Post date December 18, 2024
No Comments on SPPI Calls on NMFOG to Address Albuquerque’s Transparency Failures

This press release is also available as a PDF. ALBUQUERQUE, NM—The Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) has formally sent a letter to the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG), urging the organization to take action against the City of Albuquerque and City Clerk Ethan Watson for repeated violations of New Mexico’s Inspection of Public […]

Tags Ethan Watson, Government Transparency, Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), Mayor Tim Keller, New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG), Open Government, Transparency

Arizona Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Education Education Freedom and Reform Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal Legal and Judicial Political Thought Press Progressivism Public Opinion SPPI v Mesa Public Schools Technology The Constitution Top Issues Transparency Updates

Update on SPPI’s Public Records Case Against Arizona’s Mesa Public Schools

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date October 28, 2024
No Comments on Update on SPPI’s Public Records Case Against Arizona’s Mesa Public Schools

SPPI’s hearing against Mesa Public Schools will address the district’s minimal response to our public records request, which yielded less than 50 email addresses despite serving over 60,000 students.

Tags Arizona Public Records Law, Mesa Public Schools, School Choice, Transparency

Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Domestic Policy Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial New Mexico Political Thought Press Progressivism Public Opinion SPPI v Watson et al. Technology The Constitution Top Issues Transparency Updates

SPPI in the News: Exposing Albuquerque’s Public Records Misconduct

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date October 12, 2024
1 Comment on SPPI in the News: Exposing Albuquerque’s Public Records Misconduct

Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) has been featured in multiple news outlets this past week, spotlighting our ongoing efforts to ensure government transparency in Albuquerque. Our recent lawsuit against the City of Albuquerque, which seeks to uncover potential misconduct in handling public records requests, has garnered significant attention in local media. SPPI Files Lawsuit to […]

Tags City of Albuquerque, CivicPlus, Database, Ethan Watson, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Government Transparency, Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), Mayor Tim Keller, NextRequest, Open Government, Transparency

Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Domestic Policy Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal Legal and Judicial New Mexico Political Thought Press Progressivism Public Opinion SPPI v Watson et al. Technology The Constitution Top Issues Transparency Updates

SPPI Files Lawsuit to Expose Potential Misconduct in Albuquerque’s Public Records Request Process

Post author By Liam Gray
Post date September 18, 2024
3 Comments on SPPI Files Lawsuit to Expose Potential Misconduct in Albuquerque’s Public Records Request Process

The Institute has sued the City of Albuquerque for violating the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act by refusing to provide access to a public records request database.

Tags City of Albuquerque, CivicPlus, Database, Ethan Watson, Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), Mayor Tim Keller, New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG), NextRequest, Open Government, Public Records

Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Government Transparency and Accountability Legal and Judicial New Mexico Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion The Constitution Top Issues Transparency Updates

The Politicization of the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date September 10, 2024
3 Comments on The Politicization of the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office

The Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) is committed to promoting transparency and accountability in government. This policy brief addresses the ongoing politicization of the Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) in New Mexico under Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Specifically, it critiques her selective disclosure of voter data to favored entities while denying the same data […]

Tags Elections, Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), James O. Browning, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico Secretary of State (NMSOS), Open Government, Transparency, Voter, Voter Reference Foundation LLC (VRF), Voting

Courts Crime and Justice Data Domestic Policy Energy & Environment Energy Economics Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial New Mexico Renewable Energy Technology The Constitution Top Issues Transparency Transportation Updates

The Government Really Thinks We’re Stupid

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date August 29, 2024
No Comments on The Government Really Thinks We’re Stupid

Behold New Mexico's mythical 1,000-cylinder car: when data fabrication gets a little too creative!

New Mexico’s lack of transparency and fabricated data are undermining public trust, stifling honest policy debate, and disproportionately burdening lower-income families with unjust mandates.

Tags Data Integrity, Fabricated Data, Government Accountability, Government Transparency, Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), New Mexico Department of Taxation and Revenue (NMTRD), New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), Open Government, Public Records, Transparency

Domestic Policy Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial New Mexico Political Thought Public Opinion Technology Top Issues Transparency Updates

Transparency and Trust in New Mexico’s Election Technology

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 23, 2024
2 Comments on Transparency and Trust in New Mexico’s Election Technology

New Mexico recently unveiled the Online Candidate Nominating Petition Signature Portal, a digital platform designed to simplify the nomination process for candidates. This initiative, part of a broader movement to enhance electoral accessibility and security, represents a significant leap forward. However, as with any venture into new technological territories, there are bound to be growing […]

Tags Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico Online Candidate Nominating Petition Signature Portal

Arizona Courts Legal Legal and Judicial SPPI v Mesa Public Schools Transparency Updates

SPPI Files Lawsuit to Compel Mesa Public Schools to Provide Public Records

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date May 16, 2023
2 Comments on SPPI Files Lawsuit to Compel Mesa Public Schools to Provide Public Records

The Southwest Public Policy Institute has filed a lawsuit against Mesa Public Schools in Arizona to compel the release of public records in compliance with Arizona Public Records Law.