New Mexico voting issues

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Election and registration information

Voter ID requirement:

As used in the Election Code, "required voter identification' forms of identification as chosen by the voter: (A) a physical form of identification, which may be: (1) an original or copy of a current and valid photo identification with or without an address, which address is not required to match the voter's certificate of registration or a voter identification card: or (2) an original or copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, student identification card or other government document, including identification issued by an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo, that shows the name and address of the person, the address of which is not required to match the voter's certificate of registration; or (B) a verbal or written statement by the voter of the voter's name, year of birth and registered address; provided, however, that the statement of the voter's name need not contain the voter's middle initial or suffix.

  • If a voter fails to provide the required voter identification, the voter shall be allowed to vote on a provisional ballot.
  • Each application for an absentee ballot shall be subscribed by the applicant and shall require the applicant's printed name, year of birth and registered address to be supplied by the applicant, which shall constitute the required form of identification.
  • A first time registrant who submits the registration by mail may only use options under (A)(1) and (A)(2).

Provisional voting

If you do not have the required ID, or are not on the voter rolls, you can cast a provisional ballot. If a voter failed to bring ID with him to the polls, the voter may bring ID to the county clerk up until the Friday before the third Tuesday.[1]

By administrative rule, county clerks determine whether the provisional voter is eligible. County commission functions as canvass board and actually “counts” the ballots. If a voters’ provisional ballot may be rejected, the voter is notified by registered mail and has until the Friday before the third Tuesday to contact the county clerk to provide additional information.[1]

  • The outer envelope of the provisional ballot serves as a voter registration application.

Voter bill of rights

Every registered voter in New Mexico has the right to[2]:

  • Inspect a sample ballot before voting;
  • Ask for and receive instructions on how to operate the voting machine or mark a paper ballot;
  • Ask for and receive instructions on how to cast a provisional ballot if your name is not on the list of voters or if you are required to provide identification and did not bring it to the polls;
  • Vote a provisional ballot if you registered by mail for the first time in this county and did not provide identification when you registered or do not have it with you today; If you provide a current address in this county and valid photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address, you may vote on the voting machine today;
  • Vote by emergency paper ballot if the voting machine is broken and cannot be repaired in a reasonable length of time;
  • Ask for, receive and vote another paper ballot if your paper ballot is spoiled or defective;
  • Cast a ballot if you are in line when the polls close;
  • Be assisted by a person of your choice if you are disabled or need help reading the ballot (your employer or an agent of your employer, an officer or agent of your union or a candidate on the ballot for this election are not allowed to provide assistance); and
  • Vote free from intimidation by election officials or any other person.

False voting, bribery, coercion, or intimidation are election crimes and subject to prosecution.

To Report Complaints or Irregularities in the Polling Place, Call:

  • Office of the Secretary of State
  • 1-800-477-3632
  • Polling Places Are Open From 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Early voting may be done Tuesday-Friday from 12:00 Noon to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. beginning on the 3rd Saturday before the Election and ending on the Saturday before the Election.

You may also vote in your County Clerk’s office 28 days before the election during regular hours of business.

Voting machines

2008 election

For the 2008 election New Mexico used the following voting machines. For a county-by-county list of the specific machines (and the source for this section) see Verified Votings' Verifier tool.

Main article: Voting machines


Optical scan machines:

Assistive Devices for Marking Paper Ballots:

Governmental election authorities

Secretary of State: Mary Herrera

Contact information:

  • Bureau of Elections, Office of the Secretary of State
  • (505) 827-3600 or (800) 477-3632
  • Elections@state.nm.us
  • This web page has a complete list of country clerk contact information for every country.

Election threats

Summary
  • On voter registration, Mass voter roll purges are investigated in a report by Greg Palast of BBC. Common Cause rates the preparedness for the 2008 election of New Mexico's voter verification system, voter rejection systems, 3rd-party registration system and NVRA implementation as "unsatisfactory."
  • On voter education, Common Cause rates the preparedness for the 2008 election of New Mexico's absentee ballot and voying machine education as "unsatisfactory."
  • On absentee and early voting, ... (needs information)
  • On voter suppression and intimidation, Obama supporters report receiving text messages advising they should vote Wednesday to avoid lines. Common Cause rates New Mexico's deceptive practices law as "unsatisfactory."
  • On polling places and voting, Common Cause rates New Mexico's preparedness for the 2008 election for poll worker training and voting machine and ballot distribution as "mixed." FairVote says there could be problems on election day because there is no standardized method for allocting poll booths.
  • On provisional ballots,... (needs information)
  • On vote verification and security,... (needs information)
Main article: New Mexico election threats


State and local non-governmental election organizations

League of Women Voters

LWV of New Mexico
Katherine Campbell, President; Linda Moscarella, Co-President

  • 2403 San Mateo Blvd. NE Suite W-16C
  • Albuquerque, NM 87110
  • Phone: 505-884-8441
  • Fax: 505-884-8488
  • http://www.lwvnm.org

Local Leagues:


United Voters of New Mexico

Description[3]: United Voters of New Mexico provides a forum for information sharing, citizen action, and educational opportunities to improve the accuracy, accountability and transparency of our election process. We are comprised of a broad coalition of citizens and not- for-profit organizations who are concerned about voting integrity issues in New Mexico and across the country.

Email: info@UVoteNM.org


Voter Action New Mexico

Articles and resources

See also


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 From Project Vote New Mexico Provisional Voting Survey.
  2. ↑ Voter bill of rights page at Secretary of State Bureau of Elections
  3. ↑ UVNM description from their website. Retrieved October 23, 2008.

External resources

Poll location

Election Protection hotlines

Voting information

Voting rights

Voting requirements

Election officials, election reform groups, and elected officials

Absentee voting

Disabled voters

Student voting rights

State ballot

  • See how organizations you trust recommend you vote on ballot measures and other statewide contests at TransparentDemocracy.

Languages

  • Help in other languages from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. 中文, 日本語, 한국어, Tagalog, Tiếng Việt, Español

Voting machines

Election law


External articles

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