Friday, September 25, 2026 from 12:00 noon – 2 pm
Carmen Lopez
Carmen J. López is a Consultant for the Carter Center’s Democracy program. Since 1989, The Carter Center has stood as democracy’s guardian, conducting over 125 full and limited election observation missions in 40 countries and three Native American nations while pioneering the techniques that set today’s global standards. Currently, The Carter Center is building a U.S-based election observation network. Mrs. Lopez is supporting the build-out and co-leading the effort in New Mexico. She is from Las Vegas, NM, resides in Santa Fe, NM and is the President of CL Strategies, a company that supports communities to build an engage, representative and accessible democracy. She previously served as the Senior Director of Democracy at the State Innovation Exchange, the Democracy Policy Officer at the Thornburg Foundation, the Deputy Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Higher Education Department, the Data and Policy Director at America Votes-NM, and the U.S. Congress and NM Legislature. Carmen earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Political Science and Women’s Studies from Mount Holyoke College.
A growing number of countries have fragile democracies and are experiencing backsliding in core freedoms of opinion, expression, and speech. Since 1989, The Carter Center has stood as democracy’s guardian, conducting over 125 full and limited election observation missions in 40 countries and three Native American nations while pioneering the techniques that set today’s global standards. The Carter Center is leading the movement in the U.S. in 2026 to increase citizen engagement in election monitoring, document election practices and share findings publicly. Observation initiatives are currently underway in New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan with plans to grow in 2028 that are working to increase transparency and public trust in elections. Observe New Mexico Elections is recruiting observers in all 33 counties to watch 5 different election processes, including early and Election Day voting. Observers will participate in training and receive guides, checklists, vests and lanyards and report back on what election procedures they observed. Data from more than 275 observers in 33 counties will be centrally compiled, analyzed, summarized and shared with the public.
To Share:
Observe New Mexico Elections (ONME) is a nonpartisan effort to strengthen trust and transparency in state elections. Led by New Mexicans and supported by The Carter Center, ONME trains voters from all 33 counties to observe electoral procedures, report impartially, and provide timely public information. To learn more about observing, visit https://observenmelections.org/get-involved/. Apply to be an observer here.
Registration: This SFWAF lunch is $26 for members and $36 for nonmembers. You may pay by check made out to SFWAF and mailed to The Santa Fe World Affairs Forum, Santa Fe, PO Box 31965, NM 87594 or with a credit card using our Paypal account. Please indicate on your check or if using Paypal please note in “add special instructions to the seller” that your payment is for the Friday, September 26, 2026 program.
Members: if you have not yet paid your 2026-27 membership dues, you may include the $50 per person annual dues in your payment for this program, but please also note in special instructions that dues are included. Because we are a 501(c)(3) organization, dues and contributions are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.
If you are not a member or plan to bring a guest who is not a member, please include your best contact information and your guest’s name. We use nametags. If you are interested in membership, please email us: sfwaforum@outlook.com.
Payment for this program is non-refundable after Friday September 18, 2026. We strongly prefer that payment be made by Paypal or check postmarked by September 18, 2026 at the latest to facilitate check in. It is also very helpful if you are sending a check to email us at sfwaforum@outlook.com to let us know you plan to attend.
If you are not a member but interested in membership, please see our membership page and email sfwaforum@outlook.com for additional information.
Because we are a 501(c)(3) organization, dues and contributions are tax deductible.
For pricing and reservations, click here: https://sfwaf.org/payment/
Location: SFCC Board Room (#223) is in the West Wing (Administration building). The college is located at 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87508. Enter through the building’s main entrance (on the left side of the building behind the flag poles). The Board Room is on the corridor to the left of the Campus Center.
Directions: From Rodeo Road turn south onto Richards Avenue. Turn into the campus main drive. Parking lots are in front of the building. From I-25 take the Cerrillos Road exit, turn east onto Governor Miles Road and then right onto Richards Avenue. Then follow directions above.
The Speaker
