New Mexico 2008 ballot news archive

Note: This page includes short news headlines as they happen. If you scroll through the page and read earlier headlines, information pertaining to the events in those sections may have changed significantly since the section was posted.

Voter registration groups sue New Mexico

On July 24, several groups that conduct voter registration drives filed a lawsuit against New Mexico restrictions. A 2005 New Mexico law made it a crime for someone to fail to turn in a completed registration form within 48 hours after it comes into his or her possession. The 2005 law also limits groups that register voters to only 50 voter registration blank forms. The lawsuit was filed by the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Federation of Women’s Clubs Overseas, New Mexico Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, and the Southwest Organizing Project. The case is American Assn. of People with Disablilities v Herrera, state court, Bernalillo County, cv 2008-07673.

Usually, laws that inhibit voter registration groups are passed by Republican state legislatures. The New Mexico law is unusual because it was passed by a Democratic-controlled state legislature, and signed by a Democratic Governor, Bill Richardson.