Bill on voting rights for felons in New Mexico moves forward

Yahoo

27-02-2025

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A bill on voting rights for convicted felons is advancing in the roundhouse. House Joint Resolution 10 would remove a felony conviction as a voting disqualification from the state constitution. New Mexico passed a law in 2023 restoring voting rights to felons once they are released from prison but the bill's sponsors say some former inmates have been denied access to the polls. However, a legislative report suggested the change could give the right to vote to inmates still serving prison time which is still banned.
New bill would allow independent voters to vote in primaries
One lawmaker even expressed concerns that political disagreements among inmates could turn violent.
Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque): 'I'm not sure I understand your question. You're saying voting is going to cause a riot? Is that your concern?Rep Zamora (R-Clovis): 'Madam chair, if there are two prisoners and they are passionate about the two different candidates that ran for President of the United States this time, and they get to arguing about it and it starts a fight or a riot, that can happen.'
The sponsors were quick to push back against that idea.Rep. Herndon: 'What you are describing now in terms of people not agreeing is happening inside the prison and outside the prison, so it doesn't make a difference.'
The bill cleared its first committee Wednesday morning by a 5-3 vote. If the bill cleared the legislature, it would go to voters for their approval.
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