ABQJOURNAL OPINION/GUEST_COLUMNS: Same Day Signup Bills Good for N.M.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Same Day Signup Bills Good for N.M.

By Pat Chappelle And Maggie Toulouse Oliver
Lea County Clerk, Republican and Bernalillo County Clerk, Democrat
          Over the last two centuries, our nation has made enormous strides in removing unnecessary and burdensome obstacles to the voting process. Democracy, however, continues to be a work in progress. Although the worst discriminatory barriers to the ballot box were abolished decades ago, hurdles still remain.
        In New Mexico, state law requires that citizens register with their county clerks at least 28 days before the election if they want to vote. Of course, the bulk of serious, in-depth media coverage of elections, especially those for state and local races, typically occurs during the last few weeks before election day. This often means that young people and others who are getting excited about a campaign for the first time discover they will not be able to cast a vote because the registration deadline has passed.
        In the current legislative session, two mirror bills will allow citizens to register to vote at early voting sites: House Bill 123, introduced by Rep. Jim Trujillo, and Senate Bill 161, introduced by Sen. John Sapien.
        If these same-day registration bills pass, a person who is eligible to vote will be able to go to an early voting site, fill out a certificate of registration, and present a documentary ID to an election official. The official will then enter the person's information into the statewide electronic voter file. The voter will then be given a regular ballot.
        If for some reason, the early voting site loses access to the statewide, real-time voter registration database, the voter will have to vote on a provisional ballot so the information can be checked against the voter file once online access is re-established. It also helps new residents who have moved into the county.
        Under this proposal, citizens will not be allowed to register on election day itself.
        There's an additional feature of these bills that election officials in New Mexico would very much like to see implemented. This feature would allow voters who already have registered to update their addresses and other information when they go to an early voting site to vote.
        Obviously, this feature will greatly increase the accuracy of the statewide voter file. It will also save counties and the state an enormous amount of money because of the waste involved with sending election-related mailings to voters registered at the wrong address.
        To avoid manipulating the process, however, a voter will not be allowed to change party affiliation during the early voting period prior to a primary election.
        For many, and particularly for New Mexico's county clerks, the main appeal of this bill is that it provides a good alternative to registration drives in which various nongovernmental groups (so-called "third party" registrants) register citizens on a sidewalk somewhere, then transfer their registration cards to the county clerks for the voter.
        As county clerks we typically experience problems processing these types of voter registrations. We also see a higher instance of registrations that are of questionable veracity coming from these types of registration drives.
        This bill allows voters to register directly with a representative of a county clerk, making for a simpler, more transparent registration process, and we believe it will lessen the desire for third-party groups to register voters themselves. As county clerks, we are committed to uncomplicated, accessible voter registration and election processes.
        Nine other states have enacted same day registration laws. The New Mexico County Clerks Affiliate, which represents all county clerks in our state, has endorsed these bills.
        This is not a partisan issue. One of us is an elected Republican, the other is an elected Democrat.
        House Bill 123 and Senate Bill 161 will improve the election process in New Mexico in a smart, sensible way. It's worth mentioning that a large, broad-based coalition also has endorsed this reform, including the New Mexico Secretary of State, AARP, League of Women Voters of New Mexico, New Mexico Conference of Churches, Native American Voters Alliance, All-Indian Pueblo Council, Common Cause and Conservation Voters of New Mexico.

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