Font ResizeSANTA FE - State Rep. Dianne Hamilton says the right to vote should be restricted to those with photo identification.
Hamilton, R-Silver City, on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require most people who vote in person to supply a government-issued photo ID.
This is her third try at such a law in five years. Democrats killed her first two bills, declining to release them from committees.
Hamilton said she thought that would happen again, predicting Democrats would block this bill in the Voters and Elections Committee.
"I don't think it will get through," she said in an interview.
Still, she said, she felt compelled to try because the public wants a voter identification law, even if most politicians do not.
"This is the response to the overwhelming call by New Mexicans for more integrity in our elections," she said.
Hamilton said fraudulent voter registrations had occurred in which large numbers of people listed the same post-office box as their New Mexico address. Once on the voter rolls, they could go to the polls unchecked, she said.
She said people with second homes in New Mexico also told her they had cast ballots in two states.
Hamilton's bill would apply only to people who vote in person. Those who use absentee ballots would not need photo identification.
Albuquerque has a photo-identification law for municipal elections. It survived a court challenge by the ACLU in 2008.
One of the ACLU's arguments was that fraud in absentee ballots was
A previous failed bill by Hamilton included photo identification for absentee voting. She removed that provision this time, hoping to improve her chances of getting the bill approved.
Another running criticism of Hamilton's bills was that a photo identification requirement would make it harder for ethnic minorities to vote.
"That's reverse prejudice, trying to protect people who no longer need protection," Hamilton said. "Minorities know how to vote."
Hamilton said House Republicans, who number 33, were solidly behind her. She also has two of the 36 House Democrats supporting her bill.
She identified the Democrats as Reps. Ray Begaye of Shiprock and Dona Irwin of Deming.
Begaye, she said, encouraged her to include an exception for those from tribal lands, and she complied. They could use identification numbers in place of photographs, as many native Americans do not like to have their pictures taken, Hamilton said.
Otherwise, a New Mexico driver's license, a passport, a military-issued ID or a state identification card would be required to vote.
Hamilton's bill would provide for free state identification cards for those who cannot afford a passport or do not have a driver's license.
Oddly enough, though, a New Mexico driver's license may not protect against voter fraud, a fact that Hamilton acknowledged.
In New Mexico, people can obtain driver's licenses without proof of immigration status. This could allow those who are in the country illegally to vote in New Mexico elections.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has asked the Legislature to repeal the law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Two legislators have offered differing bills to tighten licensing.
Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@tnmnp.com or (505) 820-6898. His blog is at http://elpasotimes.typepad.com/newmexico.
