44TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 1999

RELATING TO ELECTIONS; CHANGING THE NUMBER OF CERTAIN ALTERNATIVE LOCATIONS FOR ABSENTEE-EARLY VOTING.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. Section 1-6A-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1993, Chapter 37, Section 5, as amended) is amended to read:

"1-6A-5. PROCESSING APPLICATION.--

A. The county clerk shall mark each completed absentee-early application with the date and time of receipt in the clerk's office and enter the required information in the absentee ballot register.

B. If the applicant has no valid affidavit of registration on file in the county and he is not a federal qualified elector, he shall not be allowed to vote. The county clerk shall mark the application "rejected" and file the application in a separate file from those accepted.

C. If the applicant presents proof of identification and is determined to be a voter or a federal qualified elector, the county clerk shall mark the application "accepted" and deliver a marksense ballot or allow the voter to vote on the direct-recording electronic machine. Upon acceptance of the application, an appropriate designation shall be made on the absentee register.

D. Absentee-early voting may be done in person during the regular hours of business at the county clerk's office or other locations specified by the county clerk; provided that in class A counties, the county clerk shall establish not less than [four] six alternative locations as satellite polling places, and in class B counties, the county clerk shall establish no less than two alternative locations as satellite polling places. Absentee-early voting may be done from 8:00 a.m. on the twentieth day preceding the election up until 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday immediately prior to the date of the election. In voting absentee-early, the voter may be assisted by one person of the voter's own choice.

E. The secretary of state and county clerk shall make reasonable efforts to publicize and inform voters of the times and locations for absentee-early voting."