SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal to distribute absentee ballots directly to registered New Mexico voters without a request or application was rejected by a state Senate panel at the outset of a special legislative session aimed primarily at shoring up state finances.
The committee's Thursday vote means absentee ballots will continue to be available only by request in New Mexico. Lawmakers are confronting a 25% decline in estimated state government income for the coming budget year as the coronavirus pandemic takes its economic toll. An amended election reform proposal advanced to the Senate floor that would allow more time before an election to request an absentee ballot.