Press Release: New Mexico’s Same-Day Voter Registration Issues Highlighted in Legislative Hearing
SANTA FE, NM — New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver acknowledged significant delays in same-day voter registration during a recent hearing, a week after the state’s record-high Election Day turnout left many frustrated.
Advocates and lawmakers, including State Sen. Antoinette Sedillo López, brought up concerns about long lines, with reports of voters waiting hours and some even leaving without casting their ballots. Toulouse Oliver admitted that the issues were more extensive than previously believed, due to a surge of same-day registration requests overwhelming local clerks’ offices and processing capabilities.
Despite a record 925,000 votes cast in the recent election—about 35% higher than in 2020—the system was unprepared for the volume of same-day registrants, leading to extensive delays. Data indicates that over 26,000 voters registered on Election Day alone, comparable to the early voting period leading up to the election.
Nonpartisan observers from groups like Common Cause reported numerous delays in at least 15 counties, citing an initial processing outage that crippled registration efforts, and additional slowdowns throughout the day. In Bernalillo County, approximately 9,000 individuals attempted to register and vote, with around 1,000 needing to submit provisional ballots.
Election administrators, including Bernalillo’s Nathan Jaramillo, emphasized the importance of learning from these challenges and urged for increased funding and a revamp of the registration process for future elections.
Toulouse Oliver’s office is gathering information to ensure improvements ahead of upcoming elections, stressing the need for better preparedness to avoid a repeat of these issues. With the insights gained, officials are looking forward to making the necessary adjustments to ensure a smoother voting experience for New Mexicans in the future.
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