to expand voting access in New Mexico seeks to clarify the ballot drop box requirement after several counties pushed back on the state鈥檚 interpretation of the rule last year. But the proposal would also reduce the requirement for nearly all counties.
In November鈥檚 local elections, the Secretary of State鈥檚 Office began requiring that counties provide two permanent ballot drop boxes, and , to ensure adequate access.
Despite that, didn鈥檛 provide any, arguing the statute鈥檚 phrasing made it optional. Four others had at least one, but fewer than required by the Secretary of State鈥檚 Office鈥檚 population-based formula, without seeking an exemption.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said in a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 26, that those varied interpretations are a problem. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my job to ensure that uniformity,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, we鈥檝e been thinking about, 鈥榳ell, how do we do that?鈥欌��
She says the solution they came to is clarifying the requirement in introduced this week. The measure states counties 鈥渟hall鈥� have monitored secured containers, not just that a voter 鈥渕ay鈥� use one, which is .
While more counties could come into compliance if the bill is passed, it also changes the formula, lowering the minimum from two to one except for counties required to have multiple early voting locations, which must have an equal number of permanent secured ballot drop boxes.
stipulates that counties with over 50,000 voters must have at least four 鈥渁lternate voting locations鈥� during the early voting period, and those with more than 150,000 voters 鈥� which only applies to Bernalillo County, according to the most recent 鈥� must have 15 sites.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a different way of looking at what the minimum should be,鈥� said Toulouse Oliver. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 fine. Whatever kind of gets us to where voters in every county have that option.鈥�
The new formula would require fewer permanent ballot drop boxes than the current rule does in all but three counties, with only San Juan County needing more boxes than before. The requirement for Santa Fe and Sandoval counties would remain unchanged.
This story is part of our Your New Mexico Government project, a collaboration between 91暗网 Radio and New Mexico PBS. Support for public media provided by the Thornburg Foundation.
