At first glance at this map tracking how New Mexicans are doing complying with the state's stay at home order you might think it's a political map with red representing Republican areas and green for the Dems. Well, it's close.

It seems the counties least likely to stay put are rural, mostly Republican counties while blue BernCo and much of the Dem north get an "A" grade" for staying hunkered down. Lincoln is the only county south of ABQ that gets a green A.

It's yet another example of the sharp divide between the cities and rural counties that has come into sharper focus since the elections of Trump and MLG.

The info is based on cellphone tracking and was released at the Governor's news conference Monday by Dr. David Scrase, Secretary of the Human Services Department. He said NM overall earns only a "C" grade for limiting the interpersonal mingling. MLG chastised the public that have been seen gathering in large numbers in big box store parking lots and other locales, saying:

This is not safe for your family. It’s unfair to your neighbors. It’s unfair to every single New Mexican.

Compliance in Dona Ana County falls short while big BernCo and Santa Fe make the grade. Some of it has to do with Las Cruces not being in the ABQ media market where the stay at home message is pounded home.

The noncompliance in rural New Mexico can be seen as somewhat political. They did not vote for MLG and she gets her worst poll ratings there and Trump gets his best. But the coronavirus is nonpartisan and as Dr. Scrase warned, rural areas are far from exempt from its effects.

SLOW DOWN MAGGIE?

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was going to do her dardnest to avoid an all mail in election but now she's joined with county clerks in seeking an emergency order from the NM Supreme Court to go to an all mail election for the June 2 primary because of the coronavirus threat. Too fast? It does raise questions:

Mailing hundreds of thousands of ballots to Dem and R primary voters and not getting a ton of returns?

Can't the state cut down on the number of days early in-person voting is conducted as well as the number of Election Day precincts?

 Can't counties quickly hire some of the many young people thrown out of work because of the shutdown and let them replace older poll workers worried about going out?

And how are we going to get mailed ballots to the many members of the Navajo Nation in short order?

Many more questions will arise in this debate. Back to the return issue with the state GOP:

The lawsuit exemplifies these mail-in ballot dangers as manifested in the 2019 Albuquerque Public Schools bond and mill levy election. In that local election, more than 53,000 mail-in ballots out of 121,454 were returned as undeliverable.

The R's have filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to stop any all mail election.

Let NM think about this, Supremes and MTO, before you change precedent forever. Creative solutions are out there. Sometimes democracy is expensive and inconvenient. But it's worth it.

ALLIGATOR ASKS?

Joe, what company would get the contract for all those mail ballots the state would order if we went to all mail elections this year? Do they have a lobbyist?

Answers go to: newsguy@yahoo.com

RUILOBA RUlLING

Rep. Ruiloba

Reaction now to that court ruling we told you about Tuesday that removed ABQ Dem state Rep. Patricio Ruiloba from the June 2 primary ballot after Republicans challenged his petition signatures for not listing the humber of his district (12). An oil and gas Alligator snapped at the R's:

Ruiloba should have followed the proper procedure. But (NM GOP Chairman) Pearce and  (House Minority Leader) Townsend getting involved have guaranteed them the loss of a pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-oil and gas vote, further jeopardizing their ability to get anything done at all with their phone booth caucus.

You gotta love that Alligator angle. That's why we keep them well fed.

Ruiloba confirms that he is appealing his removal from the ballot.There is no R running. Independents and write-ins have until June 25 to file petitions to get on the November ballot.

MEDIA AND CORONAVIRUS

KOB-TV hunkered down when asked to reveal which member of its staff had contracted the coronavirus, with the general manager telling employees in a memo:

. . . As this virus moves through our community, I believe this will be a nonissue.

But the critics demanded transparency and they got it this week when news reporter Chris Ramirez revealed that he had contracted the virus, probably while traveling to New York. Fortunately, he says he has recovered. See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

THE BOTTOM LINES

We interviewed with Santa Fe radio talk show host  Richard Eeds Tuesday. Hmm. . . Wonder what there was to chat about? You can hear it here. Eeds also interviewed Senator John Arthur Smith, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, about his outlook for the state's finances.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020