With thousands of young people on the march, women activated by the “Me Too” Movement, and a new crop of candidates for state elections, this year’s elections could be an indication of our state’s appetite for reforming a system that my organization, Common Cause New Mexico, has often found wanting.

Common Cause is a non-partisan organization which does not endorse candidates, but like all ordinary citizens, we have a vested interest in a functioning democratic system which represents the voices of everyday people. We’ve been focused on controlling the influence of big money and special interests on elections and the decision-making process, guaranteeing access for qualified...

If you’ve ever done much research on your family history, you’ve likely run across old census records. These yellowed documents—many hand-written with quill and ink by enumerators who went door-to-door to gather the information—were used to determine how many representatives each state had in Congress. Today’s Census is still incredibly important, but now it is much more high-tech. It involves cutting-edge technology, years of planning, extensive research, and thousands of Census workers across the country. Far from being a thing of the past, the decennial Census count that takes place every ten years determines crucial day-to-day realities for all residents in the U.S. It...

Icarus is a famous story from Greek mythology.  Icarus was the son of Daedalus, an inventor commissioned by King Minos to build a labyrinth to trap the Minotaur, a half-man; half-bull creature that terrified the island of Crete.  However, Daedalus also knew that King Minos was up to something bad so he warned the king’s daughters of their father’s treachery and was swiftly imprisoned in the very labyrinth he designed to trap the dreaded Minotaur.

But Daedalus was a gifted inventor.

Daedalus designed powerful wings so that he and Icarus could fly away and thus escape the labyrinth and the Minotaur. Since the wings were held together by wax Daedalus warned his son not to fly too...

New Mexico is home to a large Native American population, but business opportunities for Native women can be elusive. The Native Women’s Business Summit — scheduled for April 13-14 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW in Albuquerque — aims to change that.

Summit co-founders Vanessa Roanhorse and Stephine Poston want to increase the number of businesses owned by Native women. They believe that by harnessing the strength and support of Native women already in business, others can be encouraged to create their futures through businesses ownership.

The summit is a forum where Native women can network and learn from each other, said Roanhorse. “A lot of...