The bill amends the early voting procedures in New Mexico by reducing the time frame for early voting and adjusting the hours of operation for early voting polling locations. Specifically, early voting will now commence on the fifteenth day preceding an election, rather than the previous twenty-eighth day. Additionally, early voting locations will be required to operate from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., providing twelve consecutive hours of voting each day, as opposed to the previous requirement of at least eight hours. The bill also mandates that county clerks post the locations and hours of operation for early voting at least ninety days before each statewide election, with no modifications allowed without prior approval from the secretary of state.

Furthermore, the bill establishes requirements for alternate voting locations, ensuring that counties with varying populations have a minimum number of such locations available. For instance, counties with more than ten thousand voters must have at least one alternate voting location, while those with over fifty thousand and one hundred fifty thousand voters must have four and fifteen locations, respectively. Each early voting location must comply with specific provisions, including accessibility for disabled voters and the availability of ballots for every precinct in the county. The bill emphasizes the importance of voter identification, allowing voters without proper ID to cast provisional ballots while ensuring that those with ID can vote efficiently.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 1-6-5.7