0001|                            SENATE BILL 7
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SPECIAL SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                           Shannon Robinson
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO ELECTIONS; EXPANDING THE TIME FOR ABSENTEE-EARLY
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0012|     VOTING TO TWENTY-FIVE DAYS BEFORE AN ELECTION; AMENDING A
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0013|     SECTION OF THE ABSENTEE-EARLY VOTER ACT.
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0014|     
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0015|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0016|          Section 1.  Section 1-6A-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1993,
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0017|     Chapter 37, Section 5, as amended) is amended to read:
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0018|          "1-6A-5.  PROCESSING APPLICATION.--
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0019|               A.  The county clerk shall mark each completed
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0020|     absentee-early application with the date and time of receipt
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0021|     in the clerk's office and enter the required information in
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0022|     the absentee ballot register.
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0023|               B.  If the applicant has no valid affidavit of
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0024|     registration on file in the county and he is not a federal
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0025|     qualified elector, he shall not be allowed to vote.  The
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<center>- 1 -</center>

0001|     county clerk shall mark the application "rejected" and file
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0002|     the application in a separate file from those accepted.
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0003|               C.  If the applicant presents proof of
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0004|     identification and is determined to be a voter or a federal
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0005|     qualified elector, the county clerk shall mark the application
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0006|     "accepted" and deliver a marksense ballot or allow the voter
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0007|     to vote on the direct-recording electronic machine.  Upon
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0008|     acceptance of the application, an appropriate designation
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0009|     shall be made on the absentee register.
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0010|               D.  Absentee-early voting may be done in person
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0011|     during the regular hours of business at the county clerk's
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0012|     office or other locations specified by the county clerk;
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0013|     provided that in class A counties, the county clerk shall
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0014|     establish not less than four alternative locations as
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0015|     satellite polling places.  Absentee-early voting may be done
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0016|     from 8:00 a.m. on the <s>[twentieth]</s> <u>twenty-fifth</u> day
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0017|     preceding the election up until 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday
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0018|     immediately prior to the date of the election.  In voting
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0019|     absentee-early, the voter may be assisted by one person of the
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0020|     voter's own choice.
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0021|               E.  The secretary of state and county clerk shall
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0022|     make reasonable efforts to publicize and inform voters of the
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0023|     times and locations for absentee-early voting."
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0024|                                  
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