Latest news with #HJR10
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to incarcerated people passes first committee
Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) is co-sponsoring legislation that would ask New Mexico voters to amend the State Constitution to remove criminal conviction for a felony as a constitutional restriction on eligibility to register to vote. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) A proposed amendment to the New Mexico Constitution that would extend the right to vote to people incarcerated in state prisons passed its first legislative hurdle on Wednesday. The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee voted 5-3 along party lines in favor of House Joint Resolution 10, with Republicans in opposition. HJR 10 would ask New Mexico voters to amend the State Constitution to remove criminal conviction for a felony as a constitutional restriction on eligibility to register to vote. Sponsor Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) said HJR10 would affirm New Mexicans' right to participate in democracy. Her expert witness, Selinda Guerrero with Millions for Prisoners New Mexico, said HJR 10 would fulfill the promise of the 15th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color or previous condition of servitude. 'Black and Indigenous peoples of this land remain significantly disenfranchised due to overcriminalization and lack of polling locations,' Guerrero said. 'Universal suffrage is still at the forefront of one of the most important issues to preserving our democracy and access to the ballot for all people is crucial to fulfilling this promise of democracy.' She said if the constitutional amendment passes, enabling legislation in a future session could specify the creation of polling places in state prisons. Supporters attending the hearing in committee on Wednesday included the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, the Burque Autonomous Brown Berets, Common Cause New Mexico and the League of Women Voters of New Mexico. No opponents attended. Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) asked if the sponsors would consider only extending the franchise to people convicted of felonies who get halfway through their prison sentence. Roybal Caballero said they would not, because the legislation's point is to entirely end disenfranchisement. 'If we continue to create divides, then we're defeating the intent and purposes of this piece of legislation,' she said. House Majority Floor Leader Reena Scepanski (D-Santa Fe) said she supports the bill because of the 'tragic history' of people entirely losing the franchise, as opposed to other rights that are only partially taken away if someone commits a crime. 'When you have people in custody, they are completely subject to the control of the state, and so who is more important to have a voice in the leadership of the state than those who are completely at the state's whim?' Scepanski said. Block asked about the 2022 law that restored the right to vote to New Mexicans once they're out of prison. Guerrero said despite that law, county clerks are still denying hundreds of New Mexicans in those circumstances from registering to vote. 'There's unending confusion within state agencies to be clear about who's able to vote and who's not able to vote,' she said. 'We believe this ballot measure will help to remove all of that burden from clerks across the state.' Despite wrongful denials, New Mexico veteran who completed his sentence for a felony finally votes Rep. Martin Zamora (R-Clovis) said allowing people in prison to vote would lead to them getting into arguments over politics, which would disrupt prison security. 'If there's two prisoners in there, and they're passionate about the two different presidents that ran for president of the United States this time, and they get to arguing about it, and they cause a fight or a riot, to me, that can happen if we start doing this,' he said. Rep. Janelle Anyanonu (D-Albuquerque) said political speech is not outlawed in New Mexico's prison system, so the act of filling out a ballot will not cause someone to be violent or increase risk. 'I think passage of this resolution reduces risk and maintains dignity,' she said. Co-sponsor Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) said Zamora seemed to overlook the fact that what he's describing is happening both in and outside the prisons, 'so it doesn't make a difference.' 'If they have the right to vote, then they will have the right to participate, like everyone else has the right to participate as citizens of this nation,' Roybal Caballero said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This constitutional amendment would change how Utah publishes constitutional amendments
An amendment to the Utah Constitution has been introduced in the Utah Legislature that would change the publication requirements for future amendments to the constitution. HJR10 and HB481 would work together to change the publication requirements for proposed amendments to Utah's Constitution and other ballot questions. This will change it so these amendments and ballot questions can be published online instead of having to be published in print newspapers. 'Since that's not really the best notice anymore, then the way to do that is to amend the Constitution and clarify it, you know, make it more modern with what our current practices are,' said Rep. Anthony Loubet, R-Kearns, the sponsor of both the bill and resolution. Currently the state constitution has been understood to say that these amendments have to be published in physical print newspapers across the state. But under the new amendment they would just be published online. 'I'm a nerd, so when it's a legal, procedural thing. I read the court thing and I'm like, 'I know how to solve this,'' Loubet said. 'When the court identifies and applies the law, and we look at it and say, well, the plain meaning doesn't match with what the current practice is. Well, that's our job.' The amendment, HJR10, would make it so that the manner of publication for notice would be determined by statute, then HB481 sets that statute. Also clarified in the amendment is that it has to be published for 60 calendar days before the General Election, instead of two months. The bill also clarifies that proposed amendments have to be published as a class A notice. This includes the amendments being published on the Utah Public Notice website and the Lieutenant Governor's website. The bill requires the notice to include the entire resolution and not just a summary of the text. If HJR10 passes through the Legislature, it will go on Utah's ballot in 2026. HB481 will only go into effect if the amendment is approved. Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan sponsored SB73, which would change the requirements for publishing citizen initiatives. This bill requires citizen initiatives to be published in print newspapers around the state for two months before being put on the ballot, as previously reported by The Deseret News. Loubet's constitutional amendment includes citizen initiatives so it conflicts with SB73. Loubet said Fillmore has a substitute for his bill which would make it so the publication has to follow the constitution. So if this constitutional amendment goes into effect, it will change how these citizen initiatives are published. SB73 will go into effect this summer, but if Loubet's amendment passes, that will change at the beginning of 2027 when the amendment becomes a part of the constitution.
