SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legal battle lines were being drawn Wednesday in a standoff over emergency voting procedures in New Mexico as a Democrat-dominated state Supreme Court weighs alternatives to in-person voting in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
With written arguments due Wednesday, Republicans say mail-in absentee ballots should be distributed only to eligible voters who make a request ahead of the June 2 primary. Voting rights experts say remote rural communities could easily be disenfranchised.
Across the country, major parties are girding for a state-by-state legal fight over how citizens can safely cast their ballots should the coronavirus outbreak persist through November.