SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A bill that would automatically register eligible voters at New Mexico motor vehicle offices unless they decline has cleared its first hurdle in the Legislature.
A House panel voted Friday to advance the bill over the objections of Republican legislators.
Current law allows eligible residents an automated option for registering to vote as they apply for driver's licenses or state identity cards. The new bill from state Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero of Albuquerque would register eligible voters or update their existing registration unless they explicitly opt out.
Democratic New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver supports the change and says it could expand voter registration rolls statewide by as much as 30 percent, or nearly 400,000 voters.