New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico Senate Bill SB487 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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28	28	SENATE BILL 487
29	29	57TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 2025
30	30	INTRODUCED BY
31	31	Antoinette Sedillo Lopez
32	32	AN ACT
33	33	RELATING TO ELECTIONS; AMENDING AND ENACTING SECTIONS OF THE
34	34	ELECTION CODE TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY VOTING PROCEDURES; PROVIDING
35	35	ABSENTEE VOTER ASSISTANCE UNITS.
36	36	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
37	37	SECTION 1. Section 1-3-2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1969,
38	38	Chapter 240, Section 51, as amended) is amended to read:
39	39	"1-3-2. PRECINCTS--DUTIES OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS--COUNTY
40	40	CLERKS.--
41	41	A. For the conduct of any statewide election during
42	42	the period beginning January 1 of the next succeeding
43	43	even-numbered year until December 31 of the odd-numbered year
44	44	thereafter, in June or July of each odd-numbered year, the
45	45	board of county commissioners shall by resolution:
46	46	[A.] (1) designate the polling place of each
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74	74	precinct that shall provide individuals with physical mobility
75	75	limitations an unobstructed access to at least one voting
76	76	machine;
77	77	[B.] (2) consolidate any precincts pursuant to
78	78	Section 1-3-4 NMSA 1978;
79	79	[C.] (3) designate any mail ballot election
80	80	precincts pursuant to Section 1-6-22.1 NMSA 1978; and
81	81	[D.] (4) create additional polling places in
82	82	existing precincts pursuant to Section 1-3-7.1 NMSA 1978.
83	83	B. The county clerk may designate secure congregate
84	84	facilities and collaborate with facility administrators to
85	85	determine expected voting needs ."
86	86	SECTION 2. Section 1-3-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1975,
87	87	Chapter 255, Section 30, as amended) is amended to read:
88	88	"1-3-4. CONSOLIDATION OF PRECINCTS--VOTER CONVENIENCE
89	89	CENTERS.--
90	90	A. The board of county commissioners shall
91	91	establish voter convenience centers through the use of
92	92	consolidated precincts for voting in a statewide election.
93	93	Absentee voter assistance units for secure congregate
94	94	facilities established pursuant to Section 6 of this 2025 act
95	95	shall not be considered voter convenience centers and shall not
96	96	be subject to precinct consolidation requirements.
97	97	B. When precincts are consolidated and voter
98	98	convenience centers are established for statewide elections:
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127	127	(1) the resolution required by Section 1-3-2
128	128	NMSA 1978, in addition to the other matters required by law,
129	129	shall state therein which precincts have been consolidated and
130	130	the location of the voter convenience center within that
131	131	consolidated precinct;
132	132	(2) any voter of the county shall be allowed
133	133	to vote on a regular ballot at any voter convenience center in
134	134	the county;
135	135	[(3) each voter convenience center shall be a
136	136	consolidated precinct composed of no more than ten precincts; ]
137	137	(3) each voter convenience center shall serve
138	138	no fewer than ten consolidated precincts on election day for
139	139	general elections and fifteen consolidated precincts on
140	140	election day for local and primary elections;
141	141	(4) each voter convenience center shall comply
142	142	with the provisions of Section 1-3-7 NMSA 1978;
143	143	(5) each voter convenience center shall have a
144	144	broadband internet connection and real-time synchronization to
145	145	access the voter registration electronic management system;
146	146	(6) the county clerk may maintain any
147	147	alternate voting locations or mobile alternate voting locations
148	148	previously used in the same election open for voting on
149	149	election day as a voter convenience center, in addition to the
150	150	voter convenience center established within each consolidated
151	151	precinct; provided that the locations otherwise meet the
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180	180	requirements of a voter convenience center; [and ]
181	181	(7) the board of county commissioners may
182	182	permit certain precincts to be exempted from operating as a
183	183	voter convenience center or being a part of a consolidated
184	184	precinct if the precinct is designated as a mail ballot
185	185	election precinct pursuant to Section 1-6-22.1 NMSA 1978;
186	186	(8) if twenty-five percent or more of voters
187	187	in a precinct are on the permanent absentee list, that precinct
188	188	shall count as one-half of a precinct when determining the
189	189	number of precincts served by a voter convenience center; and
190	190	(9) if fifty-five percent or more of voters in
191	191	a precinct are on the permanent absentee list, the precinct may
192	192	be designated as a mail-only precinct, in accordance with
193	193	Section 1-6-5 NMSA 1978; provided that a precinct designated as
194	194	mail-only shall not count toward the number of consolidated
195	195	precincts served by a voter convenience center.
196	196	C. Unless the county clerk receives a written
197	197	waiver from the secretary of state specifying the location and
198	198	specific provision being waived, each voter convenience center
199	199	shall:
200	200	(1) have ballots available for voters from
201	201	every precinct authorized to vote at that voter convenience
202	202	center;
203	203	(2) have at least one optical scan tabulator
204	204	programmed to read every ballot style able to be cast at that
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233	233	voter convenience center;
234	234	(3) have at least one voting system available
235	235	to assist disabled voters to cast and record their votes;
236	236	(4) have sufficient spaces for at least five
237	237	voters to simultaneously and privately mark their ballots, with
238	238	at least one of those spaces wheelchair-accessible;
239	239	(5) have sufficient check-in stations to
240	240	accommodate voters throughout the day as provided in Section
241	241	1-9-5 NMSA 1978;
242	242	(6) have a secure area for storage of
243	243	preprinted ballots or for storage of paper ballot stock and a
244	244	system designed to print ballots;
245	245	(7) issue a ballot to voters who have provided
246	246	the required voter identification after the voter has signed a
247	247	signature roster or an electronic equivalent approved by the
248	248	voting system certification committee or after the voter has
249	249	subscribed an application to vote on a form approved by the
250	250	secretary of state; and
251	251	(8) be in a location that is accessible and
252	252	compliant with the requirements of the federal Americans with
253	253	Disabilities Act of 1990.
254	254	D. The board of county commissioners may designate
255	255	additional voter convenience centers pursuant to the federal
256	256	Voting Rights Act of 1965 with considerations for:
257	257	(1) tribal voting access;
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286	286	(2) population density;
287	287	(3) historical and projected turnout; and
288	288	(4) community needs. "
289	289	SECTION 3. Section 1-3-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1969,
290	290	Chapter 240, Section 55, as amended) is amended to read:
291	291	"1-3-5. PRECINCTS--POWERS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.--
292	292	A. The board of county commissioners shall by
293	293	resolution:
294	294	(1) create additional precincts to meet the
295	295	requirements of Section 1-3-1 NMSA 1978; and
296	296	(2) divide, abolish, combine or adjust the
297	297	boundaries of any precincts as necessary to meet legal and
298	298	constitutional requirements for redistricting.
299	299	B. Any necessary precinct boundary adjustments
300	300	shall be submitted to the secretary of state no later than the
301	301	first Monday in December of each odd-numbered year to become
302	302	effective January 1 next succeeding the approval of the
303	303	boundary adjustment. No precinct shall be created, divided,
304	304	abolished or combined or the boundaries adjusted less than four
305	305	months prior to a statewide election, except by order of the
306	306	district court.
307	307	C. The county clerk shall notify the secretary of
308	308	state in writing of any proposed changes in precincts or the
309	309	designation of polling places made by the board of county
310	310	commissioners and shall furnish the current geographical
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339	339	boundaries, designation and word description of each new
340	340	polling place and each new or changed precinct.
341	341	D. The secretary of state shall review all new or
342	342	changed precinct maps submitted pursuant to this section for
343	343	compliance under the Precinct Boundary Adjustment Act and
344	344	Section 1-3-1 NMSA 1978.
345	345	[E. Precincts shall be designated solely by whole
346	346	numbers.]"
347	347	SECTION 4. Section 1-3-7 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1969,
348	348	Chapter 240, Section 57, as amended) is amended to read:
349	349	"1-3-7. POLLING PLACES.--
350	350	A. No less than one polling place shall be provided
351	351	for each precinct that is not a mail ballot election precinct;
352	352	provided that in a local election, a precinct that lies partly
353	353	within and partly without a district may be located in a single
354	354	polling place and use a single election board.
355	355	B. The board of county commissioners shall
356	356	designate as the polling place or places, as the case may be,
357	357	in each precinct, other than a mail ballot election precinct,
358	358	the most convenient and suitable public building or public
359	359	school building in the precinct that can be obtained.
360	360	C. If no public building or public school building
361	361	is available, the board of county commissioners shall provide
362	362	some other suitable place, which shall be the most convenient
363	363	and appropriate place obtainable in the precinct, considering
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392	392	the purpose for which it is to be used pursuant to the Election
393	393	Code.
394	394	D. If, in a precinct that is not a mail ballot
395	395	election precinct or a consolidated precinct, there is no
396	396	public building or public school building available in the
397	397	precinct, and there is no other suitable place obtainable in
398	398	the precinct, the board of county commissioners may designate
399	399	as a polling place for the precinct the most convenient and
400	400	suitable building or public school building nearest to that
401	401	precinct that can be obtained. No polling place shall be
402	402	designated outside the boundary of the precinct as provided in
403	403	this subsection until such designated polling place is approved
404	404	by written order of the district court of the county in which
405	405	the precinct is located.
406	406	E. Upon application of the board of county
407	407	commissioners, the governing board of any school district shall
408	408	permit the use of any school building or a part thereof for
409	409	registration purposes and the conduct of any election; provided
410	410	that the building or the part used for the election complies
411	411	with the standards set out in the federal Voting Accessibility
412	412	for the Elderly and Handicapped Act. Application for use of a
413	413	school building or any part thereof for the conduct of a
414	414	statewide election shall be made by delivering to the
415	415	superintendent of the school district the resolution adopted
416	416	pursuant to Section 1-3-2 NMSA 1978.
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445	445	F. On the day of any statewide election for which
446	446	application was made pursuant to Subsection E of this section,
447	447	the board of education of a school district shall provide
448	448	exclusive use of any school building or the part thereof to be
449	449	used in the conduct of the election and shall provide
450	450	sufficient parking for election officials and to permit voters
451	451	to exercise the elective franchise.
452	452	G. If a polling place becomes destroyed,
453	453	inaccessible or unsafe within fifteen days of an election, and
454	454	with the secretary of state's approval of the county clerk's
455	455	contingency plan, the county clerk may adjust the polling place
456	456	location without requiring a change to the election resolution
457	457	or court order if:
458	458	(1) a replacement location is within five
459	459	hundred feet of the original polling place; or
460	460	(2) a mobile voting unit with accessible
461	461	parking and broadband access is placed within five hundred feet
462	462	of the original polling place.
463	463	H. If a county clerk adjusts a polling place
464	464	pursuant to Subsection G of this section, the county clerk
465	465	shall:
466	466	(1) notify the secretary of state of any
467	467	polling place changes;
468	468	(2) provide public notice and updates through
469	469	official channels; and
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498	498	(3) ensure adequate signage at the original
499	499	polling place to inform voters of the new location or absentee
500	500	voter assistance unit placement. "
501	501	SECTION 5. Section 1-4-8 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1969,
502	502	Chapter 240, Section 66, as amended) is amended to read:
503	503	"1-4-8. DUTIES OF COUNTY CLERK--ACCEPTANCE OF
504	504	REGISTRATION--CLOSE OF REGISTRATION--LATE REGISTRATION.--Except
505	505	for qualified electors who register to vote or update a
506	506	certificate of registration at a voting location prior to
507	507	voting pursuant to Section 1-4-5.7 NMSA 1978, for qualified
508	508	electors seeking to register to vote or update an existing
509	509	voter registration in the state, the following provisions shall
510	510	apply:
511	511	A. [to participate in an election, the deadline to
512	512	register to vote or update an existing voter registration is
513	513	twenty-eight days prior to that election ] the books shall close
514	514	for paper voter registration on the twenty-eighth day before an
515	515	election, and online and electronic voter registrations may be
516	516	processed until the Friday immediately preceding an election ;
517	517	B. the county clerk shall receive certificates of
518	518	registration at all times during normal working hours, except
519	519	that the clerk shall not process any certificate of
520	520	registration subscribed and sworn beginning the first business
521	521	day after the deadline to register to vote or update an
522	522	existing voter registration before an election if the
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551	551	residential address on the certificate of registration
552	552	indicates that the registration is for a:
553	553	(1) statewide election, within the county; or
554	554	(2) special election, within any precinct in
555	555	the county in which votes may be cast in the special election;
556	556	C. between the deadline to register to vote or
557	557	update an existing voter registration through the day of the
558	558	election, the county clerk shall process all:
559	559	(1) new voter registrations that meet the
560	560	requirements of this section;
561	561	(2) updates to existing voter registrations in
562	562	this state that meet the requirements of this section; provided
563	563	that an update to an existing registration in this state shall
564	564	not be processed if the voter has requested or been sent a
565	565	ballot in the election, unless the voter executes an affidavit
566	566	stating that the voter has not and will not vote the ballot
567	567	that was issued and the ballot register does not show that a
568	568	ballot from the voter has been cast in the election; and
569	569	(3) pending cancellations of existing voter
570	570	registrations in this state through the day of the election;
571	571	provided that a cancellation of an existing voter registration
572	572	shall not be processed if the voter has requested or been sent
573	573	a ballot in the election;
574	574	D. certificates of registration and cancellations
575	575	of existing voter registrations not processed pursuant to
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604	604	Subsection B or C of this section may be processed beginning
605	605	the Monday following an election and shall be processed
606	606	beginning no later than the first business day after the
607	607	approval of the county canvass report for that election, at
608	608	which time a voter information document shall be mailed to the
609	609	registrant at the address shown on the certificate of
610	610	registration; provided that if there is a subsequent election
611	611	scheduled at which a qualified elector or voter would be
612	612	eligible to vote if the certificate of registration were
613	613	processed on an earlier date, the certificate of registration
614	614	for that qualified elector or voter shall be processed by the
615	615	county clerk on a day and in a manner to ensure the ability of
616	616	the qualified elector or voter to vote in the subsequent
617	617	election;
618	618	E. when the deadline to register to vote or update
619	619	an existing voter registration prior to an election referred to
620	620	in this section is a Saturday, Sunday or state holiday,
621	621	registration certificates shall be accepted through the next
622	622	succeeding business day for the office of the county clerk; and
623	623	F. the county clerk shall accept for filing and
624	624	process any certificate of registration that is subscribed and
625	625	dated on or before the deadline to register to vote or update
626	626	an existing voter registration prior to an election and:
627	627	(1) received by the county clerk by the end of
628	628	the last regular business day of the week for the office of the
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657	657	county clerk immediately following the deadline to register to
658	658	vote or update an existing voter registration prior to an
659	659	election;
660	660	(2) mailed and postmarked on or before the day
661	661	of the deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter
662	662	registration prior to any election referred to in this section;
663	663	or
664	664	(3) accepted at a state agency designated
665	665	pursuant to Section 1-4-5.2 NMSA 1978."
666	666	SECTION 6. A new section of the Absent Voter Act is
667	667	enacted to read:
668	668	"[NEW MATERIAL] ABSENTEE VOTER ASSISTANCE UNIT.--
669	669	A. A county clerk shall establish and operate
670	670	absentee voter assistance units as designated election day
671	671	voting alternatives, each of which shall be assigned an
672	672	election board and necessary materials to:
673	673	(1) issue absentee ballots, facilitate
674	674	provisional same-day registration and voting and observe voters
675	675	filling out and sealing their absentee ballots; and
676	676	(2) securely transport ballots to the absentee
677	677	ballot election board for processing, ensuring proper chain of
678	678	custody procedures; provided that the presiding judge or a
679	679	designated messenger shall transport ballots, ensure proper
680	680	staffing of election boards as required and sign off on the
681	681	chain of custody.
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710	710	B. An absentee voter assistance unit shall operate
711	711	inside secure congregate facilities, including jails, nursing
712	712	homes and hospitals, and shall travel to secure areas within
713	713	these facilities to serve eligible voters and prospective
714	714	same-day registrants. The unit shall operate for a minimum of
715	715	two hours and shall remain open until 7:00 p.m. if necessary to
716	716	allow all eligible voters who wish to vote to cast a ballot.
717	717	The unit shall begin operations no later than 9:00 a.m.
718	718	C. An absentee voter assistance unit shall not be
719	719	considered a substitute for a consolidated precinct or voter
720	720	convenience center unless a declared emergency renders a
721	721	designated polling place destroyed, inaccessible or unsafe, as
722	722	determined by the secretary of state.
723	723	D. An individual who appears at an absentee voter
724	724	assistance unit and is not registered to vote but is otherwise
725	725	eligible to vote may complete same-day voter registration and
726	726	cast a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots cast pursuant
727	727	to this section shall be processed in accordance with the
728	728	procedures established in Section 1-6-16.2 NMSA 1978. A voter
729	729	who casts a provisional ballot due to same-day registration may
730	730	cure the voter's ballot by providing identification or
731	731	completing an affidavit of identity before the statewide
732	732	election certification deadline.
733	733	E. A county clerk shall ensure that residents of a
734	734	secure congregate facility staying longer than thirty days have
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763	763	the opportunity to apply for absentee ballots in advance of
764	764	election day and that same-day registration for residents
765	765	follows the requirements set forth in Section 1-4-5.7 NMSA
766	766	1978.
767	767	F. During an emergency and as part of a county
768	768	clerk's emergency contingency plan, a county clerk may, with
769	769	the approval of the secretary of state, expand absentee voter
770	770	assistance unit operations to serve additional temporary
771	771	congregate facilities. A county clerk may use the absentee
772	772	voter assistance unit to ensure continued voter access in
773	773	emergency situations, including at:
774	774	(1) shelters;
775	775	(2) evacuation centers; and
776	776	(3) other facilities established for displaced
777	777	persons.
778	778	G. As used in this section, "secure congregate
779	779	facility" means a location with restricted access where
780	780	residents receive long-term or temporary housing or medical
781	781	care or supervision, including correctional institutions,
782	782	long-term care facilities, emergency shelters and tribal
783	783	locations that have been closed to the public."
784	784	SECTION 7. Section 1-6-22.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2009,
785	785	Chapter 251, Section 1 and Laws 2009, Chapter 274, Section 1,
786	786	as amended) is amended to read:
787	787	"1-6-22.1. MAIL BALLOT ELECTION PRECINCT--ABSENTEE VOTING
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816	816	IN LIEU OF POLLING PLACE.--
817	817	A. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections
818	818	1-1-11 and 1-1-12 NMSA 1978, not later than the first Monday in
819	819	November of each odd-numbered year, a board of county
820	820	commissioners may designate a precinct as a mail ballot
821	821	election precinct if, upon a written request of the county
822	822	clerk, it finds that the precinct has fewer than one hundred
823	823	voters and the nearest polling place for an adjoining precinct
824	824	is more than twenty miles driving distance from the boundary
825	825	for the precinct in question.
826	826	B. If a precinct is designated a mail ballot
827	827	election precinct, in addition to the notice required pursuant
828	828	to Section 1-3-8 NMSA 1978, the county clerk shall notify by
829	829	mail with delivery confirmation all voters in that precinct at
830	830	least forty-two days before an election that each voter will be
831	831	sent an absentee ballot twenty-eight days before the election
832	832	and that there will be no polling place for the precinct on
833	833	election day. The county clerk shall include in the notice a
834	834	card informing the voter that if the voter does not want to
835	835	receive an absentee ballot for that election, the voter should
836	836	return the card before the date the county clerk is scheduled
837	837	to mail out absentee ballots. The notice shall also inform the
838	838	voter that a voting system equipped for persons with
839	839	disabilities will be available at all early voting locations
840	840	before election day and in the office of the county clerk on
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869	869	election day in case the voter prefers to vote in person and
870	870	not by mail. In addition, the notice shall inform the voter of
871	871	the ability of the voter to cast a ballot at any voter
872	872	convenience center on election day if the voter chooses not to
873	873	receive an absentee ballot, or to cast a replacement ballot at
874	874	any early voting location or voter convenience center if the
875	875	voter does not receive an absentee ballot, which will be
876	876	counted upon confirmation that the voter has not returned the
877	877	absentee ballot. The notice shall also contain the information
878	878	required in the voter notification sent by the secretary of
879	879	state on behalf of each county clerk in advance of a statewide
880	880	election pursuant to Section 1-11-4.1 NMSA 1978.
881	881	C. The county clerk shall mail each voter in the
882	882	mail ballot election precinct an absentee ballot on the twenty-
883	883	eighth day before an election, unless the voter has requested
884	884	otherwise, along with a notice that there will be no polling
885	885	place in that precinct on election day.
886	886	D. The county clerk and the board of county
887	887	commissioners may designate a precinct as a mail ballot
888	888	election precinct if more than fifty-five percent of active
889	889	registered voters in the precinct are on the permanent absentee
890	890	list."
891	891	SECTION 8. Section 1-11-18 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1977,
892	892	Chapter 222, Section 34) is amended to read:
893	893	"1-11-18. ELECTION SUPPLIES.--The secretary of state
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922	922	shall prescribe the types and number of election supplies to be
923	923	used in the precincts. At least ninety days before an
924	924	election, the county clerk shall determine the supply needs at
925	925	secure congregate facilities, based upon the rolling daily
926	926	average of eligible voters at each facility. "
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