SOS: New Mexico lawmakers' 'donate' button on websites legal

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico state lawmakers aren't supposed to raise money or campaign while they are in Legislative Session. But the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office said this week nothing in the state's campaign finance laws prevents them from having a "donate" button on their campaign websites. New Mexico Secretary of State spokesman Joey Keefe says the state law doesn't bar state lawmakers from having the "donate" button where supporters can actively give money to a campaign. But he says those lawmakers can't send out emails asking people to visit their websites to donate. Keefe says Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver encourages state lawmakers to remove the donate buttons as a "best practice." A number of state lawmakers are running for other offices.