A proposal to allow people to register to vote closer to Election Day was narrowly rejected by a House committee Thursday.
Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Española, crossed party lines to join with Republicans to table the bill – a procedure that blocks it from moving forward. The proposal, Senate Bill 224, would have allowed people to register at early-voting sites, which operate until the weekend before Election Day. As the law stands now, the registration period ends 28 days before the election.
Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, said the state now has technology that makes it easier to process new registrations. Furthermore, he said, many people don’t tune in to election season until debates and mailers start, often in the last few weeks before Election Day.
“I think we owe it to our citizens to do this,” said Steinborn, the bill’s sponsor.
The measure had already cleared the Senate 19-11.
Full Article: Late voter registration shot down in House | Albuquerque Journal.