A New Mexico voting rights bill that would expand voting access in the state, including restoring the rights of felons to vote upon release from incarceration, is headed to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to sign after final passage from the state legislature this week.
The bill, which Lujan Grisham is expected to sign, is a part of a broad package in the Democratic-controlled legislature to expand voting rights in New Mexico. On Monday, the state House passed a separate bill that makes intimidation against election workers a felony.
The bill headed to Lujan Grisham’s desk would allow ex-felons to vote and register to vote upon release from incarceration. Currently, New Mexico allows people with former felony convictions the ability to vote upon completion of their sentence, including probation or parole.
The bill, House Bill 4, that is headed for Lujan Grisham’s desk would allow for New Mexicans to become registered to vote through automatic voter registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles or other state or local public offices designated by the secretary of state. Voters can also opt-in to a voluntary permanent absentee voter list, in which a mailed ballot would be sent to a voter each time a statewide election takes place in their precinct.
It would also protect polling place access and against other election issues involving voters who live on Indian Nation, Tribal and Pueblo Land to make it easier to vote for Native Americans in the state. In addition, the bill would declare Election Day a school holiday.
“Our democracy, our sacred right to vote, is under threat,” Democratic state Sen. Katy Duhigg, a sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement.
“This bill will bring us one step closer to making equal access to the ballot box a reality for every qualified New Mexican. Each component of the act represents commonsense…
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