Voter's Rights
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. The ACLU of New Mexico works to protect and expand Americans' freedom to vote. In recent years, some groups have worked to make it more difficult to vote in order to further their own partisan political goals. In our state, the ACLU of New Mexico has:
- Fought discriminatory voter ID measures that make it harder for low-income people, Native Americans, disabled people, and rural voters to access the polls
- Pushed back against cities removing votings sites in communities of color
- Filed a public records lawsuit against former Secretary of State Diana Duran, forcing her to admit that her claims that undocumented immigrants were voting in New Mexico elections were not backed by any evidence
The Latest
Voter ID Requirements: Benefits Politicians, Hurts Citizens
Tomorrow, the House Voters & Elections Committee will hear House Bill 103, introduced by Representative Cathrynn Brown. If this name sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because Cathrynn Brown recently gained political infamy for a misguided attempt to criminalize abortion after rape as “tampering with evidence.” Her newest piece of legislation, HB103, is a voter ID bill that “requires all voters to present identification before voting.” While this m ay seem innocuous at first glance, mandatory Voter ID laws cause real harm to our democracy. As Representative Ken Martinez said in the Alamogordo Daily News, ID requirements disproportionately affect certain demographics. He says that seniors and low-income citizens are the least likely to have identification. They may also be unable to obtain ID’s because they often lack proper transportation. By adding this requirement, we would potentially deny a large segment of the population their right to vote.
Mandatory Photo ID: Making It Harder to Vote
Peter Simonson, Executive Director
“Why are some people so aghast at the idea that when we vote we should have to show a photo ID?”
This is the question that Diane Dimond poses in
VIDEO: Voter Suppression in Albuquerque
Katy Sheridan is a retired grandmother of two who does not own a car. On October 4, 2011, she walked to the polls in the middle of a rainstorm to vote in Albuquerque city elections. She was turned away and told she could not vote because she was not carrying a valid photo ID.
Let Grandma Vote: No Voter ID in New Mexico
Today the national ACLU released a video featuring Ruthell Frank, an 81 year-old woman living in Brokaw, Wisconsin, a tiny hamlet of just over 100 people. Ruthelle has been voting in elections since 1948 and serves on the village board. But since the Republican controlled Wisconsin legislature passed a law requiring a photo ID to vote earlier this year, Ruthelle may for the first time in over 60 years be unable to vote. Watch the video to learn why:
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