Thursday, July 24, 2008
SWOP homepageVoting Rights Advocates Challenge New Mexico’s Voter Registration Law
For Immediate Release: July 24, 2008Contact: Jonathan Rosen or Anna Deknatel, BerlinRosen Public Affairs, (646) 452-5637
Joann Gutierrez Bejar, Southwest Organizing Project, (505) 247-8832
New Mexico Law Is One of Harshest in the Nation
Severe Penalties Threaten to Shut Down Voter Registration Drives and Disproportionately Block Minorities from Voting in 2008
New Mexico – Today the Brennan Center for Justice, along with pro bono law firms Davis Polk & Wardwell and Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg & Ives, filed a lawsuit in state court in Albuquerque challenging a New Mexico law that significantly restricts the ability of voter registration groups to register new voters and threatens to block thousands of eligible New Mexico citizens from registering and voting in the 2008 elections as unconstitutional and inconsistent with federal and state law. Plaintiffs in the case are the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas Inc. (FAWCO), New Mexico Public Interest Research Group (NMPIRG), and the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). Plaintiffs typically register thousands of New Mexico citizens (especially low income, minority, disabled, and young citizens) to vote but have suspended or dramatically curtailed their operations as a result of the challenged law.
There are currently over half a million unregistered eligible voters in New Mexico. The suit claims that New Mexico’s law—New Mexico Statutes Annotated § 1-4-49, and New Mexico Administrative Rules §§ 1.10.25.7-10, both enacted in 2005—constitutes an unconstitutional burden on free speech and association by impeding civic groups from helping eligible voters to register.
“The law aggressively discourages civic organizations from helping New Mexico citizens to exercise their basic right to vote, and threatens voter registration drives across the state,” Robby Rodriguez from SWOP stated.
“New Mexico has enacted one of the most chilling and restrictive voter registration laws in the country,” stated Wendy Weiser, the Brennan Center’s Director of Voting Rights and Elections and one of the attorneys in the case. “In a year in which unprecedented numbers of Americans are interested in participating in our democracy, New Mexico should be welcoming new voters, not putting up barriers to their participation,” she added.
Read the rest of the press release here: Brennan Center
Some chatter from bloglandia:
Group hits Sen. Rawson with mailers, radio ad
By Heath Haussamen(Heath Haussamen)
The Synder mailer comes from SouthWest Organizing Project, while the Ulibarri mailer comes from the SAGE Council. The contribution-limits bill. Rawson said the 2007 contribution-limits bill would have restricted contributions from ...
Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics - http://haussamen.blogspot.com/Quick Hits
By Democracy for New Mexico
(FAWCO), New Mexico Public Interest Research Group (NMPIRG), and the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) challenging New Mexico's voter registration rules that were enacted in 2005:. "New Mexico has enacted one of the most chilling and ...
Democracy for New Mexico - http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/Groups Challenge Law Restricting Nonprofit Voter Registration Efforts
(FAWCO), New Mexico Public Interest Research Group (NMPIRG), and the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). Plaintiffs ask that the 2005 law be declared unconstitutional and that the Secretary of State be barred from enforcing it. ...
OMBWatch Blogs - http://www.ombwatch.org
Labels: 2008 Elections, Democracy, Voter Registration, voting rights
The rules were changed to fix particular problems with third-party registration agents. There used to be no record for the voter that a registration had been changed, so they were done by groups without the voter's knowledge or consent, and kept them from voting at their usual places.
The requirement for quick mailing is to solve the problem of groups not turning in the forms for parties they didn't like. Each one of these forms is a postage-paid self-mailer, so they are easy to send after completion.
In Bern. County, the Clerk's office will hold a training for a group that requests it, outside office hours and away from the office.
Anyone can get a form -- or have someone else get it for them -- from a library or online and fill it out themselves, avoiding the third-party system altogether. They can also change their voter registration at polling places when they vote. If they don't vote, eventually they will be dropped from the rolls.
: 10:54 AM 
People with power often have a hard time seeing power imbalances and obstacles to democracy. Disparities in civic participation and the issues in this historic election by race, gender, class, region, etc. (what I call democracy divides) are real.
Your list simply doesn't address the problem.
Karlos
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